Rekindling My Lust for Life: A Fairy's HRT Log

[LGOP528]

Finally got my sensitive e2 results back from Day 21. Below range for the second time. E being the only hormone I am officially deficient in: confirmed. I am going to wait on the Test Cyp before I do any more injections, because I believe my initial plan of 2mg/week (split in two doses) was a bit ambitious. I’m on day 4 of my period and this has been a particularly crampy/painful period post-injections, and I can’t accurately dose under 1mg at a time with what I have.

This was the exact experience my wife had.

Sudden high estradiol surges can build the uterine lining very quickly. The shedding of the thickened endometrium is what causes the cramping and pain. This is why she went to daily injections.


To dose under 1 mg, you need to dilute your estrogen.

 

[newguy2]

It's also worth noting that the risk of breast cancer increases greatly after 5 years. So if a woman is still young it may be in their best interests to exhaust natural ways to get their hormones straight before jumping into hrt.

This is true for the use of any exogenous E?

 

[Stealth500]

This is true for the use of any exogenous E?

I don't have the actual citations its just what I can recollect off hand from a couple books. In this one part I'm pretty sure it was talking about transdermal.

 

[DoubleDeez]

One week feelz report: Did my first 1mg injection one week ago. This morning I woke up feeling pretty damn good. My joints hurt less, my vagina is happy and feels…young again, even without the E cream (I hadn’t been using it while on my period). The only negative symptom I felt was the intensity of the cramps during my period for the first 3 days, as I’m usually not a heavy cramper since I switched to a menstrual cup nearly a decade ago.

The thought of going off the E completely til the low-dosed E Cyp gets here is making me sad. This might elicit some pearl-clutching, but I think I’d be happier to just eyeball half a mg and keep dosing with what I have for the time being. Gonna keep on trucking with a lower dose and introduce the P on day 14 and hopefully my next period won’t be so bad.

I feel great overall, a general sense of well-being and a huge reduction in anxiety. I’m doing all of this to improve my quality of life, and I definitely feel like I’m moving in the right direction here.

 

[Superchicken]

It's also worth noting that the risk of breast cancer increases greatly after 5 years. So if a woman is still young it may be in their best interests to exhaust natural ways to get their hormones straight before jumping into hrt.

In the most recent information drs have said this isn’t accurate and was based on incorrect data interpretation, pretty sure it was last year that this was revised. The newest Menopause Society guidance say there is no reason to delay or put a time limit on hrt use. There’s info showing that women who start hrt in perimenopause show increased benefit in overall health and aging.

The original faulty study from the women’s health initiative was loud and wrong, but they were quiet with their correction. It sucks because most drs don’t know and trying to find care is ridiculous unless you can afford concierge.

I know my own Dr says that breast cancer is largely a disease caused by aging and not just estrogen. Otherwise younger and pregnant women would all have it due to how high estrogen is in those populations. It makes sense to me especially taking into account that most bc is diagnosed in menopausal women whose estrogen has tanked.

If you’re interested in more info, I really like Kelly Casperson, a urologist on instagram who has a podcast called, You Are Not Broken, that dives into women’s hormones. Dr Corrine Menn is an ob/gyn and bc survivor that uses hrt herself and dispels myths on her Instagram. @drmennobgyn is her name

 

[Stealth500]

In the most recent information drs have said this isn’t accurate and was based on incorrect data interpretation, pretty sure it was last year that this was revised. The newest Menopause Society guidance say there is no reason to delay or put a time limit on hrt use. There’s info showing that women who start hrt in perimenopause show increased benefit in overall health and aging.

The original faulty study from the women’s health initiative was loud and wrong, but they were quiet with their correction. It sucks because most drs don’t know and trying to find care is ridiculous unless you can afford concierge.

I know my own Dr says that breast cancer is largely a disease caused by aging and not just estrogen. Otherwise younger and pregnant women would all have it due to how high estrogen is in those populations. It makes sense to me especially taking into account that most bc is diagnosed in menopausal women whose estrogen has tanked.

If you’re interested in more info, I really like Kelly Casperson, a urologist on instagram who has a podcast called, You Are Not Broken, that dives into women’s hormones. Dr Corrine Menn is an ob/gyn and bc survivor that uses hrt herself and dispels myths on her Instagram. @drmennobgyn is her name

Some specific e2 drugs are riskier than others I can't recall the names but a few were overdosed and used in old contraceptives i think thats where some of the data gets mixed up.

Don't take my word for it though, people need to do their own research to get a well rounded grasp of the risks vs. benefits then speak to a doctor who specializes in this specific field. I read a couple books, yeah, but I'm no expert. Doctors have a professional reputation, a medical license and malpractice to consider.

 

[Superchicken]

One week feelz report: Did my first 1mg injection one week ago. This morning I woke up feeling pretty damn good. My joints hurt less, my vagina is happy and feels…young again, even without the E cream (I hadn’t been using it while on my period). The only negative symptom I felt was the intensity of the cramps during my period for the first 3 days, as I’m usually not a heavy cramper since I switched to a menstrual cup nearly a decade ago.

The thought of going off the E completely til the low-dosed E Cyp gets here is making me sad. This might elicit some pearl-clutching, but I think I’d be happier to just eyeball half a mg and keep dosing with what I have for the time being. Gonna keep on trucking with a lower dose and introduce the P on day 14 and hopefully my next period won’t be so bad.

I feel great overall, a general sense of well-being and a huge reduction in anxiety. I’m doing all of this to improve my quality of life, and I definitely feel like I’m moving in the right direction here.

Can’t remember if you mentioned, but I’ve seen some women who do better using progesterone vaginally or rectally. One of my girlfriends can’t do oral or topical, makes her have killer level rage, but she does ok vaginally. Wanted to share jic. Once my e levels were higher, I had a much easier time with p.

Glad you had some positive changes, at least you know you’re on the right track!

 

[DoubleDeez]

Can’t remember if you mentioned, but I’ve seen some women who do better using progesterone vaginally or rectally. One of my girlfriends can’t do oral or topical, makes her have killer level rage, but she does ok vaginally. Wanted to share jic. Once my e levels were higher, I had a much easier time with p.

Glad you had some positive changes, at least you know you’re on the right track!

Yeah I mentioned it earlier in this thread, I've seen a lot of success stories with using it vaginally. I tried it topically once a long time ago and it made me insane. I also have PMDD (although I felt no symptoms of it this month) so getting my E higher is absolutely a requirement before I touch any P. I’ll be using bioidentical P drops rubbed into my gums, and I’ll see how that goes.

Thank you and I appreciate your contributions here!

 

[Stealth500]

According to

Dr Corrine Menn

the progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate) that showed a very slight increase (not significant) in The Women's Health Initiative was over exaggerated and in the estradiol only group of women breast cancer risk was actually reduced by 30%. So it was the specific type of synthetic progesterone and not the estradiol that causes slight risk of breast cancer.

The video below. Thanks for the tip.


View: https://youtu.be/ZNeVWBocxd0?si=fxdk4_ZOcz7yeJX2

 

[TheIcon]

According to

the progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate) that showed a very slight increase (not significant) in The Women's Health Initiative was over exaggerated and in the estradiol only group of women breast cancer risk was actually reduced by 30%. So it was the specific type of synthetic progesterone and not the estradiol that causes slight risk of breast cancer.

The video below. Thanks for the tip.


View: https://youtu.be/ZNeVWBocxd0?si=fxdk4_ZOcz7yeJX2

I was going to bring this up. Just recently the whole Womens HRT "playbook" has started to be re-written. Warnings removed, etc. Its like HRT, Estrogen, Test for women got this huge misunderstanding from one small article. Its slowly coming out now that this isn't the case and I expect we see a wealth of new information over the next 6-12 months.

Currently going through this with my wife at the moment. She is on 15mg of Test Prop a week and about 1mg of E Cyp a week at the moment. Need to source some Prog to boost that a bit. She enjoyed Prog while preg and would have loved to continue it.

Her new bloodwork is due by the end of the week. Prior bloodwork at

E 127
Test 31
Free Test 1.4
Prgest 0.1

She only has partial bloodwork returend so far with SHBG being elevated a bit at 102. I suspect her Test levels aren't going to be nearly as high as I think they should be on 15mg of Test a week due to SHBG.

 

[Stealth500]

I was going to bring this up. Just recently the whole Womens HRT "playbook" has started to be re-written. Warnings removed, etc. Its like HRT, Estrogen, Test for women got this huge misunderstanding from one small article. Its slowly coming out now that this isn't the case and I expect we see a wealth of new information over the next 6-12 months.

Currently going through this with my wife at the moment. She is on 15mg of Test Prop a week and about 1mg of E Cyp a week at the moment. Need to source some Prog to boost that a bit. She enjoyed Prog while preg and would have loved to continue it.

Her new bloodwork is due by the end of the week. Prior bloodwork at

E 127
Test 31
Free Test 1.4
Prgest 0.1

She only has partial bloodwork returend so far with SHBG being elevated a bit at 102. I suspect her Test levels aren't going to be nearly as high as I think they should be on 15mg of Test a week due to SHBG.

I found it very frustrating looking for answers on the subject. Particularly when every single search brings up menopause in the elderly or people transitioning. This was why I turned to books, some of which were very recent publications one in 2025 even. I read through an entire textbook on hormones where there was not one chapter on younger women and HRT. Every single chapter was about elderly women and menopause.

 

[BigDadd7]

HRT is where TRT was 20 years ago.

 

[TheIcon]

I found it very frustrating looking for answers on the subject. Particularly when every single search brings up menopause in the elderly or people transitioning. This was why I turned to books, some of which were very recent publications one in 2025 even. I read through an entire textbook on hormones where there was not one chapter on younger women and HRT. Every single chapter was about elderly women and menopause.

I agree with BigDaddy. Women and HRT is like the big scary no no if you bring it up to general doctors or OBGYN. My wife is 47 and just not feeling the same. Luckily there is a guy down the road from us that goes by the name the Menopausal Marine. He is big into womens HRT and all the misguidance over the years. Talks about women bein gafraid of breast cancer which I think was roughly less than 1% vs. not taking HRT and getting Heart Disease which is the #1 killer. Its like not driving a car because you see alot of accidents. Instead you get a motorcycle.

One thing I am seeing over and over again is I wish not just women but men also would have blood work done at an earlier stage in life. Multiple times would be better. Because I see alot of people say "I don't know what my levels were when I felt good" So we all are kind of throwing darts at a wall trying to find that good ratio of T/E/P when it would be nice to say well when you were 30 you T/E/P levels were this and you said you felt great. Lets aim for those numbers again.

 

[DoubleDeez]

A little update while I’m nearing the end of my fertile window this month (predicted ovulation was yesterday.) Our sex life has gotten quite the boost. Last month around predicted ovulation time, I was dry as the Sahara despite my brain being horny. My body just didn’t get the memo. This go around I feel at least 10 years younger. I’ve been pretty much ready to go every time we play, and in the event that I do need a little help via oral, I’m soaked within a minute. I need to be changing my sheets more frequently at this point.

Some not so great things that I’ve felt? Heart palpitations, and waking up in the wee hours of the morning with some difficulty getting back to sleep. I’ve read that both of those things can be signs of low P, and while my P levels have never been technically low, this is my sign that my E is getting high enough that P supplementation is needed now, to get that ratio dialed in. Last night, a little bit before bed, I took my first dose of my P drops, starting low and slow with just two drops rubbed into my gums. Each drop contains 3mg of bioidentical progesterone, and it’s in vitamin E oil. (I got it here if you’re interested. Lifeblud is a brand I’ve trusted for supplements for years, their purity is unrivaled and everything is third party tested. I love their taurine and the bf and I have used their methylene blue, too.) I felt a calmness wash over me nearly instantly, but I did also take my motherwort tincture right afterwards (it’s a flowering herb with cardiotonic properties), which calms me down and helps with the heart palpitations. I slept like a rock last night.

Of course, with my E levels climbing, I’m also more emotional, but not in a bitchy way. It’s been manifesting as crying after sex (happy tears) and a deep sympathy for the menopausal women who’ve ended up killing themselves because they never got any real relief when they got to this stage of life. HRT has done absolute wonders for my relationship thus far, and my PMDD vanished last cycle with just the estradiol injections, which has boosted my mental health in ways I never thought possible. I’m curious about how I’ll respond to the progesterone as I slowly boost my dose (I will peak that dose in the middle of the luteal phase and then titrate back down until I start bleeding, to mimic the natural cycle of P.)

I’ve always been incredibly in tune with my body, and am big on treating myself intuitively, and I instinctively know that a “one size fits all” approach to progesterone is not the move for me personally. But for those who are more “normal” than I am (aka have never suffered from PMDD/progesterone intolerance) I have no doubt that 100mg or 200mg of P for half the month can do wonders. I have recently read that some of the ladies will poke a hole in their prescribed P capsule and squeeze out 75% of it to take since they also disagree with the one size fits all approach, and know via bloodwork that they may not need as much of a P boost as others. It really is so individual and I’m glad I have these drops so I can customize my dose as I see fit.

I’d been struggling with the whole P thing, was very apprehensive about it, but I feel fine so far. Optimistic, even.

The E Val has been good to me so far, but I do feel a little bit of a crash the day before I’m due for my next injection. My lower dosed E Cyp cleared customs this week and should be here sometime in the coming week, and I will then begin to inject .25 mg EOD with my desired ester. I’m excited af.

 

[TheIcon]

So after taking roughly 15mg of Test Prop my wifes bloodwork is all back.

Test = 489
Free Test = 42
Prog = 0.1
Est = 127
SHBG = 102
FSH = 8

So her Test is up quite a bit as well as Free Test. However she doesn't feel much of anything she said. If you told her she was taking Test she wouldn't even know. I suspect her Est and Prog should be raised a bit as well. I think she might see some beneft to that.

As far as Test. No sides.

 

[DoubleDeez]

So after taking roughly 15mg of Test Prop my wifes bloodwork is all back.

Test = 489
Free Test = 42
Prog = 0.1
Est = 127
SHBG = 102
FSH = 8

So her Test is up quite a bit as well as Free Test. However she doesn't feel much of anything she said. If you told her she was taking Test she wouldn't even know. I suspect her Est and Prog should be raised a bit as well. I think she might see some beneft to that.

As far as Test. No sides.

Do you know what part of her cycle she was at when her blood was drawn? The P is looking quite low in relation to the E.

 

[TheIcon]

Do you know what part of her cycle she was at when her blood was drawn? The P is looking quite low in relation to the E.

Yep Day 5 of her Menstrual Cycle so in that Menstrual/Follicular stage. Try to do bloodwork the same point to keep it a close comparison. Previous Prog was 0.3. Which is in the "range" for Follicular stage.

She has always handled Prog well. When she was Preg she loved it. Especially for sleep.

 

[DoubleDeez]

Yep Day 5 of her Menstrual Cycle so in that Menstrual/Follicular stage. Try to do bloodwork the same point to keep it a close comparison. Previous Prog was 0.3. Which is in the "range" for Follicular stage.

She has always handled Prog well. When she was Preg she loved it. Especially for sleep.

I responded to your DMs but I’m about to leave for work. Just rambling about testing the P in the middle of the luteal phase when it peaks for a better picture of things.

 

[TheIcon]

I agree about timing of Prog testing. We originally did testing during the follicular stage due to estrogen reasons and wanting to see closer to what the lower levels were. But also be good to test the high levels as well to get a full picture of low/high.

 

[DoubleDeez]

I agree about timing of Prog testing. We originally did testing during the follicular stage due to estrogen reasons and wanting to see closer to what the lower levels were. But also be good to test the high levels as well to get a full picture of low/high.

I posted an image further back in the thread with calculating the E to P ratio but that ratio is for the luteal phase. Best of luck to you both!