Transmasculine Guide: Methods
What are the different forms of T that I can take?
Section titled “What are the different forms of T that I can take?”There are multiple, each with their upsides and downsides, and levels of ease in terms of obtaining them.
Injections
Section titled “Injections”Injections are the most popular and accessible DIY method, offering the easiest and most consistent dosing.
Testosterone is usually made in an esterified form so it stays in the body longer. Injecting plain (un-esterified) testosterone would cause it to break down very quickly, which is why all injectable testosterone is esterified. After injection, the body slowly converts the ester back into regular testosterone over time, allowing the testosterone to stay in the body for longer.
Common esters include cypionate, enanthate, and undecanoate.
Different esters have different half lives (amount of time it lasts in your body).
If you inject the same dose, esters with shorter half lives produce higher peaks but for a shorter time. Esters with longer half lives produce lower peaks and it lasts longer, and they let you inject less often.
Basically, the term “half life” describes how long the medication lasts inside your body.
| Testosterone Formulation | Recommended Injection Frequency |
|---|---|
| Testosterone Cypionate (TC) | Every 7 days |
| Testosterone Enanthate (TE) | Every 7 days |
| Testosterone Undecanoate (TUn) | Every 30 days |
Notes:
- TC should be treated similarly to TE
- These are general guidelines for injection frequencies
Cypionate and enanthate have similar half lives. They are both typically dosed weekly.
Undecanoate lasts much longer, and can be dosed monthly. Undecanoate can be harder to find and requires larger injection volumes.
Sustanon, which is a combination of different esters is sometimes also prescribed, but is not recommended due to the large fluctuating levels it produces. Testosterone propionate can also be found, but it’s half life is too short and isn’t recommended.
Testosterone gels are usually harder to find from domestic sources, but they generally come under less scrutiny from customs when ordering internationally. Testosterone gel can be just as effective as injectable testosterone. They usually have to be administered daily, by appying to the skin.
These come in packets or in a pump.
Pellets
Section titled “Pellets”Testosterone pellets are implanted into the body (usually the butt) and slowly release testosterone into your body over the course of many months.
This cannot be found from DIY sources and many countries don’t offer pellets. They can only be produced with highly specialized equipment.
These are more experimental in terms of dosages compared to the other more common methods. You can get them implanted if your insurance covers it (or if you’re very wealthy). Because they slowly dissolve and release testosterone over time, you don’t have to worry about missing a dose.
They last about 3-6 months. Most doctors that offer pellets compound them to give a patient quite a high dosage of testosterone.
Generally not available or very difficult to find from DIY sources. Also prohibitively expensive. Testosterone pills only exist in one form (testosterone undecanoate), and are usually not prescribed or used because they have very low bioavailability. The dosing schedule may also be inconvenient (taken 2-3 times a day).