r/HRT

I’ve called seven pharmacies in OC, and none have my Estrogen patch or Progesterone in stock. They are back ordered and they don’t think they’re ever coming back! WTF?

I have tried to read a lot about progesterone and how it affects development. But i have trouble finding anything that more specifically lists the pros and cons.

I would like to know if anyone could/would tell me about it?

Hi fellow trans and queer folk. I want your advice. I am a closeted trans woman and it's been more than a year since I got my GD certificate. As you all know about Transgender bill 2026. So, am I able to get the HRT or what? I am thinking about it so much lately. By the way I live in Delhi NCR region.

Have you noticed a change in the quality? I've been on it since February and was doing quite well after switching over from patches and gels. I'm on estrace 2 mgs. I just refilled my prescription last week, and it's like I'm taking a placebo. In just 2 days, I crashed. All my symptoms are back with a vengeance, including the night sweats, which I've not had since starting HRT in the fall of 2024.

I'm wondering if there's something wrong with the pill. I find it hard to believe that I went from doing so well to crashing just days after starting the refill bottle. I've seen some posts about defective estrogen patches in some subreddits and other places on social. I'm wondering if the quality assurance issue has now hit the pills.

Anyone else noticing this problem? I have a call into my pharmacist about it, but thought I'd ask here as well. TIA!

I apologize if this has been asked or discussed before. I am a 41 year old woman in perimenopause and it is kicking my ass. It is making a lot of my ADHD symptoms worse. I currently take Vyvanse and am curious about others taking HRT and what has/hasnt worked for them. Thank you!

I’ve been off estrogen patch .1 and progesterone 200mg for 3 weeks now (after being on for 3 months). In that three weeks I’ve had nothing but extreme anxiety. Is this withdrawal from coming off cold turkey? Dr recommend just getting off because of a patch brand changed that seemed to give me anxiety. Now Dr recommend I try a lower dose .5 patch and 100 progesterone. Should I try progesterone first and then add in the patch or just ride this out until my body adjusts? I went off because my symptoms were more vaginal and use the cream for that now. I had no other peri symptoms but that. I never had this anxiety before! I just don’t want to start back up and go through this whirlwind again.

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I’m planning to start with 1mg, and I’m trying to understand how estrogen may affect my body, emotions, skin, mood, and overall transition journey in the first few months.

I know self-medicating has risks, and I’m being careful, but I’d really love to hear real experiences from others who’ve been on estrogen/HRT.

What changes did you notice first mentally and physically? Did your skin, emotions, body hair, face, sleep, or confidence change early on? Were there any emotional shifts or surprises you didn’t expect?

I’m especially curious about the first few months and what felt the most noticeable at the beginning of your transition journey. 🤍

I’ve had low t for a long time now. But I needed to get my thyroid leveled out first. My doc started me at .25ml 2x a month is this normal dosing. Google says this is high and I’m freaking out of course I looked at google after my first shot! I’m pretty scared to be honest if you didn’t get that from my title can anyone give me any insight or reassurance? I’m 36 female athlete hashimoto s, hypo, low t HEDS ETC. thanks in advance!

Should have specified this is 25mg bi weekly intramuscular it’s written as .25ml and formulate 100mg/ml done once bi weekly intramuscular

50 yo, started menopause maybe 10 months ago. I say maybe because I had a hysterectomy a few years ago - did not remove ovaries. Since hysterectomy I had labs done a year ago showing I wasn’t in menopause yet. I did labs in Jan this year confirming I had started menopause. I suspect menopause started for me 10 months ago because I started having hot flashes then. Since then, my symptoms were mostly hot flashes (tolerable but definitely felt them) and waking up at 3am pretty much every night. I would wake up at 3, lie in bed until 5, then get up and was super productive . I suspected I was running on anxious or stress energy but it didn’t matter because I just wouldn’t feel tired or get good sleep. I was on the go.

11 weeks ago, I started HRT estrogen only (since I have no uterus). Right away, that first night I slept like a baby. I felt a heaviness in my chest as if telling me to keep sleeping. I thought this is great. I’m catching up on all the sleep my body was missing. It’s been almost 11 weeks and I’m still very tired. I’m sleepy by 10pm and could definitely sleep past 7am (my wake up time). During the day, I am sometimes normal but other times fatigued. Today, I felt almost dizzy and light headed. So I took off my patch and just curious how I would feel if I go without it for a week. Has anyone experienced feeling more tired after using estrogen only HRT? I also put on 3lbs (I’m small so that’s a lot on me). It could be the HRT or the result of being less active overall because of my fatigue,

Anyway - curious if anyone has had a similar reaction to HRT (estrogen only)? I’ve read that it’s important to find the right dosage before you feel better. However, I’m at the lowest dosage already. Could a higher dosage help me feel less tired when it seems the HRT is making me feel tired/sedated?

Hey I’m only 14 so not planning on getting it soon but I just want to know how I would and if there’s anything I can do right now. I live in the uk and to my understanding you can start HRT when you’re 16.

I basically just want to know how you would go about it I’m guessing you can just go to a pharmacy and ask for it so is there special people I need to speak to for it and if so who and how. Pretty sure you’d need parental permission which is fine because luckily my family’s really supportive ✨

I know you can go with either the NHS or private. Is there’s one that’s better what are the pros and cons for them because NHS seems to take longer to my knowledge but is free while private doesn’t take that long but costs quite a bit (which is fine)

So yeah basically if anyone knows what to do or how to do it please do tell✨

I just started estradiol patch and 100mg progesterone a week ago and almost right way I felt like my uterus and ovaries “woke up”, and not in a good way.

I’m going to call my doctor, but I’m wondering if this is normal.

I’ve always had painful ovarian cysts and endometriosis. All of this went away 5 years ago when I stopped taking birth control to see if I was in menopause. I post menopausal according to the tests.

Has anyone had this happen where all their premenopausal stuff came back? I was on Seasonale continuously to control pain (endometriosis, ovarian cysts and breast tenderness).

I’ve felt fine for 5 years but was convinced by others (including my doctor) to start HRT.

Thank you.

I've looked and looked and it feels like the only options are:
A really long NHS waitlist, ridiculous subscription HRT programmes, or dodgy imports that customs might just steal.

I'm poor and just looking for the right way someone like me could start.

I’m 19 and i am trans but don’t tell my doctor so this is also because im autistic and have pots so my periods affect me in a lot of ways and they’re heavy and hurt and I have a lot of trans friends who were on puberty blockers when they were younger to stop periods I was wondering if I could be on puberty blockers to stop or make my period not so bad at 19 when I already have my period because I’m scared to be on any type of birth control since I’m being tested for heds and am scared about stroke risk

I’ve been thinking about HRT for a long time now, but I genuinely don’t know when the “right” time is, and I feel like not doing anything is starting to mess with me mentally.

For context, I’m in the UK and still living with my parents, although I pay for most of my own stuff like food and personal expenses. I recently quit my job because of many reasons but being taken off my meds made it a lot harder , and right now my BMI is too low for certain prescriptions, so everything feels kind of unstable at the moment. Finding another job or moving out feels really difficult in my current state.

Part of why I’m struggling so much is because I think dysphoria is affecting me way more than I used to realise. My confidence is awful, my mental health is awful, and interacting with people feels exhausting. I hate being perceived half the time, even stuff like eye contact makes me uncomfortable. I don’t think dysphoria is the cause of all my issues, but I do think it plays a really big role in them.

The main thing that makes me think this is probably gender-related is that I remember going to a convention once and cosplaying as a character that felt much closer to how I actually wanted to look/be. I remember feeling genuinely confident in a way I honestly haven’t really felt since. Looking back on it, that feeling stuck with me a lot more than I realised.

I know HRT isn’t a magic button that suddenly fixes your life or mental health, and I’m not expecting that. But I do think it could help me feel more comfortable with myself and improve my quality of life at least somewhat.

The biggest issue is my family situation.

My mum reacted badly even to stuff like earrings and nail polish at first, although she eventually got used to it. There were also a few comments that made me really uneasy. My dad mostly just ignores it, so I honestly can’t tell what he thinks. That’s part of why I’m so conflicted, because sometimes I feel like they probably already know on some level. Looking back, there were a lot of obvious signs. But I can’t tell if they’d eventually accept it or if they’d be completely against it.

I think most of my wider family probably wouldn’t support it though.

Another issue is access to care. I’d most likely have to DIY because UK waiting lists are terrible and I can’t afford private right now

Past couple of days I’ve been feeling achy all over. I did have to change brands for my E patches due to the shortage. It’s been 2.5 weeks and just now I’m getting the achy feeling. Could it be the new patches? And does it mean I’m absorbing too much or not absorbing well enough?

Hi, I'm an 18 year-old just about to sit my A-Levels and then I'm going off to uni. My question is quick; do I go to my GP about HRT after I finish exams, or should I wait and try and do it through uni? I've heard sometimes it can be quicker and easier for some things like this through uni, and since i'm moving far away from where I am at the moment for uni i'm wondering if it would complicate things starting this process so soon and locally since i'm going to be changing GPs.
p.s. i know wait times are extensive but my parents wouldnt let me consider HRT until i turned 18

I have been dealing with SI joint dysfunction and pain since November. It just started out of the blue. It got worse and worse. Been through everything. Mris, injections, pt, pain meds, chiropractor, belts. But nothing helps with pain. But i also have random aches and pains in other joints( shoulders, neck, ankles) Anyway. I was put on HRT for perimenopause symptoms that were bad. Started them on Friday. 0.05 of estradiol patch and 200mg of progesterone. It's only been a few days and the severe pain is subsiding a bit. I don't know what to think. Am I imagining things? I would love to hear if anyone has had any relief of pain symptoms because of HRT? I don't think this will be a fix all for me. But could it be lessening my pain? Experiences? Thanks! Oh and I finally already feel a little rested in morning not exhausted.in the morning.

I usually take 200 mg progesterone at bedtime. It’s great, helps me sleep. In conjunction with estradiol patch. Happy with HRT, good combination helps sleep and good relief from hot flashes. Last night I had a lot going on, talked to hubby about processing some heavy stuff regarding death of loved one right before bed and then realized I had to charge my Fitbit before bed too. Typical life getting in way of best intentions and put me off schedule, totally forgot to take 200 mg progesterone at bedtime. Didn’t have best sleep. Not sure what to do this morning, so decided to take progesterone when I got up to hopefully lessen crazy spotting/ bleeding that will surely happen. At work now and totally sleepy, struggling to focus, feel drugged. Wish I hadn’t taken progesterone in morning. Luckily able to drive in to work before sleepiness set in. Having trouble typing this, feel drugged. Drinking extra caffeine and took some of my husband’s creatine and still sleepy/ drugged feeling. Hope can get through next few hours. Word to the wise, don’t make this mistake. I have a reminder on my phone but with everything on my mind last night I forgot to look at it :(
Maybe I should change reminder to an alarm that I can’t ignore. And enlist hubby to remind me too. Anyone else do this and how long does feeling drugged sleepiness last?