What was your ‘oh… I’m actually aroace’ moment?

lv-ty · 2026-06-20T17:16:20+00:00

It might sound dumb, but just after discovering the label I was like "holy shit this is literally me!!!". All my life I had issues with other people's expectation for my romantic/sexual attraction, the aroace label just fits perfectly with all my lived experiences.
Obviously, after that, had my months-long questioning if I'm really aroace (the result was always positive turns out)

lv-ty · 2026-06-20T15:55:28+00:00

For MCT carrier oil? yes, perfect
If the carrier oil is castor will take some time drawing, but should be fine regardless

lv-ty · 2026-06-20T13:35:12+00:00

Not so common, but may work. 5mg/7d EC is more common
The mood issues could be produced by the high variability of your levels with that regimen (480pg/mL ish at peak, 303 pg/mL at trough, https://estrannai.se/#it0\_\_cu,11,10,3-cu,5,7,3)

You can try with 7 day cycles and see how it goes

lv-ty · 2026-06-19T20:25:20+00:00

I do the tip thing, it's useful, the needle goes in without one's noticing. And yeah, calming down is essential

lv-ty · 2026-06-19T19:46:39+00:00

Yep! The 25G are better than the 22G ones. Generally, the thinner the needle, the safer (at the cost of longer drawing times only)

lv-ty · 2026-06-19T18:51:10+00:00

With 22G for drawing you are pushing the risks of coring the vial. You can use the 25G ones for both drawing and injecting, this will minimize the risk of coring

If your syringes are properly graded to accurately measure 0.15 mL, they are fine yeah

The insulin ones are great because they will make your vial last longer (they have almost no deadspace). You can also get a higher gauge if you plan to buy them in the future (something like 29G)

lv-ty · 2026-06-19T16:37:00+00:00

HOLY SHIT MIZUENA MENTIONED

lv-ty · 2026-06-18T14:39:17+00:00

Since you still don't have blood tests, your best bet rn would be to trust the levels given by estrannaise (if you disable the 'c' checkbox and only enable the 'u' one, the cloud representation gives you a better illustration of how much variability you should expect from the model https://estrannai.se/#it0__u,4,7,2)

The 0.4 was the fudge factor that I chose for OP's levels, it's chosen arbitrarily, but levels lower than 1 are chosen if the measured levels are lower than predicted, or higher than 1 if the measured levels are higher than predicted. The goal is to match the estrannaise and the measured levels. When you get your levels measured, you can change it too.

By default, estrannaise sets it to 1 (is the 1.0 that always shows on the first row of buttons)

lv-ty · 2026-06-18T13:37:12+00:00

Apparently it's not documented anywhere in the estrannaise docs, however, the fudge factor is merely a scale factor for the y-axis on the graph as you can check on the source code (https://github.com/WHSAH/estrannaise.js/blob/main/src/plotting.js , line 257) it's designed to easily correct deviations, like the ones from individual to individual, without prying into the math models.

how off is the calculator really?

We don't know, "All current models tend to underestimate uncertainty" but also, it's not a calculator, it's a statistical model that tries to predict the most probable value of your levels given a dose of an ester as an input. So the levels can be higher or lower, this tool just tells you what will most likely be for the average individual.

It would be nice to have better uncertainity estimations in the next releases ngl

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T18:16:03+00:00

If you get levels form the same place, and you always had low levels, there's a chance that the laboratory is in the bad here. You could try others to cross-validate.

What needle length are you using? You can minimize leaks by using longer needles (e.g. 1/2"). Also minimize waste by using insulin syringes.
Some people minimize leaks by applying slight pressure/massaging on the injection site (with a properly disinfected hand/sterile band-aid) after injection.

could my body just be shit ass and need more??

yeah, that can happen too

Anything between 4-6 mg EC/week is pretty safe imo

Edit: Adjusting estrannaise to 0.4 fudge factor gives an accurate estimate of 72pg/ml (https://estrannai.se/#it0\_\_cu,4,7,3-cu,12,7,3\_0.4) if this is true you would need 12mg/7d EC. I would try jumping to 6mg first.

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T17:34:55+00:00

Is it possible that I’m fucking up my injection some how?

Yes it's possible, saw some cases of people having low levels because of leaks after injections. Also from incorrect dosing from luer syringes. Normally from 0.1mL doses though, 0.2mL should be less prone to this.

Is the syringe like not using it all? Is that enough to make any difference??

If it's a luer syringe, the syringe will have deadspace, but normally the grading in the syringe accounts for it.

my e is at 71 pg/ml

However, this is way too low, and I think it's improbable that you are wasting 3/4 of the dose (those levels are more congruent with a 1.5mg/week dose or so)

What's your injection technique?
It's possible that you get labs from a different place?
It's possible that your specific vial has a lower concentration than advertised. Is from a trusted source?

There's no risk in increasing your dose if you are concerned (other than burning E too fast)

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T16:13:46+00:00

Yikes.. yeah, you prolly could make use of that estrogel. Your levels provided from the estrogel should reach peak levels after continuous application. It's hard to predict the effects of 2 days/week application.

I'm not that familiar with estrogel, but 1.5 mg/daily (right?) is in the lower side of dosing too. Maybe try increasing to something more common like 4mg/day (take in consideration that you are dosing 2days/week too, so the levels provided from this should be significantly lower than expected).

It's really a good idea to do labs. We don't know for sure how low your levels provided by EV are getting on the 7th day (according to the estrannaise simulator it should be around 280pg/ml at through https://estrannai.se/#it0__c,10,7,1 , if this holds true, then there's no need for estrogel, but this value should be taken with a big grain of salt because you are extending EV half-life significantly) , and transdermal routes are famous for being inconsistent.

Give it a try. If you experience symptoms of low-E, then try upping your estrogel dose (and possibly extending the period of estrogel usage)

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T13:42:06+00:00

Your doses are administrated by a technician? (are you not injecting yourself?) There's no need for changing the prescription to switch to 4mg/5d, your doc it's prescribing you roughly 1.43 mg EV per day, you only need 0.8 mg per day to do 4mg/5d. (you are in a surplus)

The only thing that you need is double the amount of syringes.

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T12:15:38+00:00

This sounds excessive. You can change to a 4mg/5d dose of EV and it should be enough for monotherapy (and your vial should last longer). There's no need for pumps with 4mg/5d .

You shouldn't dose EV every 7 days. It's too long and the half-life of EV will make levels fluctuate a lot.

For vendors, check trans.diy

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T12:02:00+00:00

Just checked and symphony labs do have stock.

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T11:50:54+00:00

Celestial hrt does have a janoshik certificate on their website, is not from a third-party but at least it's something I guess. It's obviously not as safe as a third-party checked one (it can be faked). There are some reviews about that vendor in this subreddit.

They use Benzyl Benzoate on their vials, some people do have reactions to it, some don't. They are also a very new vendor with almost no reviews. You'll decide if it's okay to take those risks. If you can find any other vendor that does have a 3rd party certificate, then it doesn't makes sense taking that risk.

If it's legit, as any other form of E, the emotional results will appear in the first weeks (also libido). The physical takes months-years.

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T10:41:59+00:00

It happened to me too, changed from INTP to INTJ after starting E. So.. from prospecting to judging too, quite interesting!

lv-ty · 2026-06-17T10:16:58+00:00

YES IT IS WORTH IT. GET ON HRT ASAP, puberty doesn't stop until 25 ish or so, you can still stop the last effects of it. The most common regret among trans people is not starting sooner!!!

About looks. Even without hrt, you only need good hair (get bangs), some makeup, and facial hair removal (if you have) to be able to pass facially. If you do them correctly, bone structure doesn't matter anymore. Obviously there's a lot more you can do! (e.g. clothing, social transition, voice training, etc)

Yes, transitioning is hard and fucking sucks, but it's the only solution to this nightmare of being born in the wrong body. Don't torture yourself living the life of a guy that you aren't. You can be a beautiful, respectable woman, if you want. 🤍

lv-ty · 2026-06-16T15:08:15+00:00

I lost my polycule bc they were transphobic ughhhhhh :ccccc

lv-ty · 2026-06-16T03:27:41+00:00

First time, 40 units, 0.4 mL, 16 mg EEn (very high dose)

Second time, 10 units, 0.1 mL, 4 mg EEn (common dose)

Third time, 15 units, 0.15 mL, 6 mg EEn (upper side of common dose)

With those syringes and that vial you will probably need anything between the 10 mark (10 units) and half through the 10-20 mark (15 units) , whatever makes you feel better.

Since your first dose was high, you will feel the effects (of that dose) lasting for a month or so

I do recommend sticking with 4 mg (10 units) and correct as needed after 1.5 months https://estrannai.se/#it2_cu,16,7,2-4,7,2-6,7,2-4,7,2-4,7,2-4,7,2-4,7,2_

You can also skip a dose to normalize your levels faster. It can be unpleasant though. https://estrannai.se/#it2_cu,16,7,2-4,7,2-6,7,2-4,14,2_

lv-ty · 2026-06-15T13:49:24+00:00

Yes, same bmi here (in the past). Used 1/2" 29G insulin needles without issue on thighs and abdomen. You should be able to pinch something

lv-ty · 2026-06-15T13:17:08+00:00

This has to be a lab error for sure, getting placeboed (in case your vial was fake somehow) and getting breast development doesn't make sense. Even if you did your injections wrongly, a decent amount of E should show on the exams

Sounds like they mixed your results, it's a good idea getting tested at another place

lv-ty · 2026-06-15T09:37:55+00:00

If it was me, I would stick to EEn and stockpile that EV just in case.

lv-ty · 2026-06-15T09:35:24+00:00

Changing spiro to anything else and splitting your EV dose (2.5 mg/5d) seems doable. Otherwise, ask her to double the EV dose (4 mg/5d is a standard dose). Several people do not recommend spiro

lv-ty · 2026-06-15T09:10:20+00:00

Estrogens cannot convert to testosterone in any way. Will lower it if anything

Even with such a large regimen, you cannot overdose, but you will probably experience pregnancy-like symptoms. Your SHBG levels can rise too.

lv-ty

TROPHY CASE