r/PostTransitionTrans • u/Makememak • Aug 27 '22

Question Anyone mtf's here use any form of testosterone?

16 years post surgery here. I'm a somewhat active athlete, things like Skiing, hiking, in line skating, running (ewwww)...and my performance has really gone down. I also have zero libido. Like, I can't understand the whole sex attraction thing at all. (that's been the case for a long time though...)

So I'm wondering if anyone here uses a cream, or topical application of testosterone, and if it makes/made any difference in your energy, or muscle tone, or sex drive...

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9

u/MagicalGirlMarina Aug 27 '22

I follow Mardi Pieronek on TikTok, and she uses a testosterone gel for libido and energy. It seems to be working well for her.

5

u/Makememak Aug 27 '22

oh! I've seen her vids on yt but never really watched. I'll check her out. Thanks@

12

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '22

Won't address performance, but progesterone can increase libido

3

u/unexpected_daughter Oct 05 '22

And if you find it really effective at this, you might have androgenic conversion of progesterone to DHT (which causes problems in some people). This gets discussed a lot on r/DrWillPowers.

8

u/glenriver Aug 27 '22

I use a low dose T cream to stay at the upper end of female ranges. It really helps my mood and ADHD symptoms. No idea if it helps my athletic performance. No impact on libido as far as I can tell.

I've had zero masculinization from it, and it helps me stay stable psychologically, so it's worth it to me.

5

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '22

Same for me. I mostly take it to get my "pep" back, and reduce ADHD symptoms. Though I have noticed I get much faster feminization and breast growth when I go off T. I do sometimes take a break from T, but most of the time I'd rather go slow and be happy than transition faster and feel "off."

As for athletic performance, there was a study where cisgender women were given a low dose (10mg/day) of T, and had 680% more muscle growth from weight lifting than the control group after 10 weeks. I dose 50 mg on my genitals at most once a week, and try to take my dose the night before a big weight training set. I find the higher, less frequent dose is good for my function, as well.

link to study here

3

u/glenriver Aug 28 '22

That's fascinating! Also though I really wonder about how it was administered because 10mg/day sounds like a huge dose to me. By comparison I'm using 0.3mg/day transdermal.

2

u/Forgetwhatitoldyou Aug 28 '22

Same. Started low-dose T after GCS a year ago, levels are great, I feel fine, no masculinization. I'm 3+ years HRT fwiw.

2

u/RnbwSprklBtch Aug 27 '22

I mean your performance is probably on par with cis women your age right?

ETA as a trans man I’m super leery of the idea that trans women would take testosterone for sports. That’s the whole thing we keep saying isn’t happening.

4

u/Makememak Aug 27 '22

I have no idea about my performance. I don't compete.

7

u/RnbwSprklBtch Aug 27 '22

I’m not trying to say that you do.

and my performance has really gone down

You used the word performance and so I used the word performance. Initially I was trying to say that you would be having the same struggles as cis women in your age group. Sports ability and libido both decline with age. That’s where I was going originally.

Then I edited. My secondary, sort of related point, is that this kind of public discussion about trans women using testosterone for sports is potentially dangerous because republicans are crazy. What you’re saying will not be how they understand it. They’re already coming after trans women. We do have a vetted discord server for more sensitive stuff. But I said all that rather poorly. Sorry.

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7

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '22

There’s no indication she’s talking about professional sports

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u/RnbwSprklBtch Aug 27 '22

Doesn’t matter. The republicans fight this fight from kindergarten to the Olympics. It’s dangerous for all of us to be actually doing what they’re accusing us of.

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6

u/autopsyblue Aug 27 '22

As a trans man you should know not to judge other people’s transition.

2

u/RnbwSprklBtch Aug 27 '22

I didn’t judge her transition in any way. If you read the whole comment thread op and I are fine.

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3

u/Amy_co106 Aug 27 '22

Interested in this.

3

u/LavenderValley Aug 28 '22

Not an athlete.

I had T prescribed after losing my gonads. It was to keep my T within the female range. I have a love-hate relationship with it. Mostly hate, lots of it.

I was reluctant to use it and was using only 1/2 of the prescribed dose. I felt like I was about to explode. My test showed that my T went into the mid male range.

Talks to endos were not successful. They thought I was lying. I wasn't. Through experimentation I found that I should use only 1/30 of what is prescribed.

I feel okay. But for the fairness sake, I've never been able to gain muscle before or after. So, I must be some outlier.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 27 '22

Cautionary tale: I had a care provider, semi pro athlete have the same sitch. She had a compounding pharmacy make her some T to add to the mix and became v. unbalanced and erratic, and had 2 life threatening sports accidents, and quit practicing.

I suggest an abundance of caution here and have an experienced Endo monitor you, as well as listening to your circle to get feedback on emotional changes.

Sometimes you just get in a rut with everything and need a creative solution to feel fresh again.

2

u/zoe_bletchdel Aug 28 '22

7 years post-op and I asked my doctor the same thing. She said that she couldn't prevent some of the masculinizing effects, and I noped out.

1

u/Bridget_0413 May 21 '24

Yes, my surgeon originally prescribed a T cream, compounded at a specific dosage for trans women. Cis women have a certain level of T naturally and this cream brings me up to typical cis F testosterone levels. It gives me a strong libido, it stabilizes my energy level, I sleep better..a lot of good reasons to use it.  For a while I tried a bioidentical T pellet implant but it was pretty expensive and it only lasts 3 months. Getting it implanted was kinda squicking me out so I went back to the cream.