On this page I’m tracking my HRT doses and blood tests. All of this is provided “as is”, with no implication that someone else should do things as I did.
Doses
I am currently taking 3 mg (4 pumps) of Estradiol once per day as a gel and one 11.25 mg Triptorelin as an intra-muscular injection once every roughly 12 weeks. I am so far happy with this dose and it has been confirmed as reasonable by one bloodtest that I took after I started it.
| Date | Estradiol | Route | Product | Other | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-02-04 | 3 × 1 mg | sublingual | Estrofem | — | Initial start with pills of a friend. |
| 2024-02-14 | 2.25 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 5 mg Finasteride (oral, 1∕d) | Order of transdermal Estradiol and Finasteride arrives, starting with GenderGP recommendation |
| 2024-02-29 | 3 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d) | Switch to DIY following bad experiences with GenderGP, using a dose based on community recommendations |
| 2024-04-24 | 4.5 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d) | Increasing dose after being denied blood test to ensure sufficient Estradiol in any case. |
| 2024-07-09 | ≈ 4 mg | transdermal | Felicitas | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d) | Switch to Homebrew-Estrogen due to price; Following recommended 2 pump dose. |
| 2024-08-19 | ≈ 12 mg | transdermal | Felicitas | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d) | Dose increase after low E2 values in self-payed blood test (E2 cheaper than further tests). |
| 2024-10-11 | ≈ 6 mg | transdermal | Felicitas | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d) | Dose decrease towards official starting dose (still higher to make drop less sudden). |
| 2024-10-14 | 2 × 2.25 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d) | Start with official HRT after receiving gel. |
| 2024-10-17 | 2 × 2.25 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 12.5 mg Cyproterone Acetate (oral, 1∕d), 11.25 Triptorelin (IM 1∕12 W) |
First Triptorelin injection. Initially keeping CPA to prevent the Testosterone flare. |
| 2024-11-10 | 2 × 2.25 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 11.25 mg Triptorelin (IM 1∕12 W) | Stopped taking CPA due to (seemingly justified) expectation that Triptorelin flare is over. |
| 2025-03-07 | 3 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 11.25 mg Triptorelin (IM 1∕12 W) | Reduce dose because of high Estradiol levels in blood tests; lower dose in exchange for only once daily. |
| 2025-12-24 | 3 mg | transdermal | Oestrogel | 11.25 mg Triptorelin (IM 1∕12 W) 200 mg Progesteron (oral, 1∕d) |
Start Progesterone |
Oestrogel here refers to Besins’ gel containing 0.6 mg Estradiol (in the form of Estradiol Hemihydrate) per 1 g of gel and dispenses 1.25 g of gel per pump, no matter the specific name they were marketed under. Felicitas’s gel is Homebrew-Estrogen.
I dosed accoring to claimed concentration and claimed dispensed amount, but the bottles were clearly not very reliable in producing fully consistent amounts, which usually meant less E than desired, often requiring multiple pumps to get an amount that visually matched the produced E at the start and might explain the low levels of E below. When I started the second bottle, it seemed to produce more which might have increased the dose.
Blood tests
| Date | Estradiol | Testosterone | SHBG | Prolactin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-15 | 209 pmol∕l | 1.40 nmol∕l | 25.9 nmol∕l | 56 µg∕l |
| 2024-10-04 | 3324 pmol∕l | 1.11 nmol∕l | 32.5 nmol∕l | 30 μg∕l |
| 2025-03-05 | 1414 pmol∕l | 1.79 nmol∕l | 56.8 nmol∕l | — |
| 2025-07-11 | 375 pmol∕l | 1.10 nmol∕l | 70.8 nmol∕l | 16 μg∕l |
| 2025-12-19 | 547 pmol∕l | 0.84 nmol∕l | 63.9 nmol∕l | 18 μg∕l |
(Conversion from Maasstad’s “U∕l” into μg∕l, done by multiplication with and rounding. It’s really annoying that they don’t use SI-units themselves…)
2024/04/24
This was the first time when I requested a blood test from my then GP, who refused to provide it.
2024/07/10
After talking with my genderclinic (Psytrans), and them trying to talk sense into my then GP, I requested a blood test again and was refused again.
I filed a malpractice complaint afterwards and considered myself to not have a GP since then, until I much later managed to find another one.
2024/08/15
After still not being able to receive a blood test from the healthcare system, I purchased a rather minimalist one privately for > 140 €.
The results here are for a low trough level, in that the blood draw was a bit more than 24 h after my previous dose.
| Value | Level | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | 208.5 | pmol∕l | ||
| Prolactin | 56.4 | 4.79 | 23.3 | µg∕l |
| Testosterone | 1.4 | 0.29 | 1.67 | nmol∕l |
| SHBG | 25.9 | 32.4 | 128.0 | nmol∕l |
The Estradiol reference levels were as follows:
| Phase | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follicular phase | 98.0 | 572.5 | pmol∕l |
| Ovulation | 48.1 | 314.0 | pmol∕l |
| Luteal Phase | 121.5 | 1093.7 | pmol∕l |
| Menopause | 18.4 | 183.1 | pmol∕l |
2024/10/04
Maasstad Ziekenhuis, (unexpected, thus peak value few hours after gel application on the site of the draw). The reference values here are clearly masculine, which makes them pretty useless, but I’m including them for completeness. 🙄
| Value | Level | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | 3324 | 41.4 | 159 | pmol∕l |
| Prolactin | 0.63 | 0.09 | 0.32 | U∕l |
| Testosterone | 1.11 | 8.64 | 29 | nmol∕l |
| SHBG | 32.5 | 16.5 | 55.9 | nmol∕l |
| LH | < 1.0 | 1.7 | 8.6 | U∕l |
| FSH | < 1.0 | 1.5 | 12.4 | U∕l |
| PLN, post PEG | 0.53 | 0.06 | 0.25 | |
| Free Testosterone | 20.0 | 198.0 | 619.0 | pmol∕l |
| Vitamin D | 26 | 50 | 150 | nmol∕l |
2025/03/05
Maasstad Ziekenhuis, (again unexpected, thus peak value few hours after gel application on the site of the draw).
| Value | Level | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | 1414 | pmol∕l | ||
| Testosterone | 1.79 | 0.101 | 1.42 | nmol∕l |
| SHBG | 56.8 | 24.6 | 122.0 | nmol∕l |
| LH | < 1.0 | U∕l | ||
| Free Testosterone | 23.1 | 3.0 | 33.0 | pmol∕l |
For completeness sake, the cycle-dependent referene ranges are as follows, though they famously don’t really apply to trans women, and that the intended value for LH and FSH are “below detectable” to begin with (as they should be in my case):
| Hormone | Phase | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | Follicular phase | 0.114 | 332 | pmol∕l |
| Estradiol | Ovulation | 222 | 1959 | pmol∕l |
| Estradiol | Luteal Phase | 222 | 854 | pmol∕l |
| Estradiol | Menopause | < 18.4 | 505 | pmol∕l |
| Estradiol | 1st Trimester | 563 | 11902 | pmol∕l |
| Estradiol | 2nd Trimester | 5729 | 78098 | pmol∕l |
| Estradiol | 3rd Trimester | 31287 | > 110100 | pmol∕l |
| Luteinizing hormone | Follicular phase | 2.4 | 12.6 | U∕l |
| Luteinizing hormone | Ovulation | 13.0 | 95.6 | U∕l |
| Luteinizing hormone | Luteal Phase | 1.0 | 11.4 | U∕l |
| Luteinizing hormone | Menopause | 7.7 | 58.8 | U∕l |
2025/07/11
Maasstad Ziekenhuis (this time deep trough values, since last dose was administered a bit more than 24 hours previously.)
| Value | Level | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | 375 | pmol∕l | ||
| Prolactin | 0.34 | — | 0.86 | U∕l |
| Testosterone | 1.10 | 0.101 | 1.42 | nmol∕l |
| SHBG | 70.8 | 24.6 | 122.0 | nmol∕l |
| LH | < 1.0 | U∕l | ||
| FSH | < 1.0 | 1.7 | 21.5 | U∕l |
| Free Testosterone | 12.1 | 3.0 | 33.0 | pmol∕l |
| Vitamin D | 48 | 50 | 150 | nmol∕l |
The reference ranges are all as before, so check the table in the previous section for the cycle-dependent reference ranges.
2025/12/19
Maasstad Ziekenhuis (again deep trough).
| Value | Level | low | high | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estradiol | 547 | pmol∕l | ||
| Prolactin | 0.39 | — | 0.86 | U∕l |
| Testosterone | 0.835 | 0.101 | 1.42 | nmol∕l |
| SHBG | 63.9 | 24.6 | 122.0 | nmol∕l |
| LH | < 1.0 | U∕l | ||
| FSH | < 1.0 | 1.7 | 21.5 | U∕l |
| Free Testosterone | 9.9 | 3.0 | 33.0 | pmol∕l |
| Vitamin D | 26 | 50 | 150 | nmol∕l |
The reference ranges are all as before, so check the table in the previous section for the cycle-dependent reference ranges.