been taking estradiol enanthate via subq injection for the past 3 weeks, 0.15 ml every 7 days. i haven’t really felt anything different tho… is it too soon to tell? im not on t blockers, mainly bc im still closeted, but i thought by now id feel some change by now
My partner has been on hrt for over 3 years now, she says you’re looking at 2 to 3 months minimum before physically feeling any changes. Its a long slow process, her body still continues to change. Take your time, trust the process. You’ve already done the hardest part :)
Yep and it takes about four years for physical progress to slow, even though some alterations will continue. Oestrogen isn’t like serotonin; where increased levels of serotonin cause fairly abrupt changes but the results across those who take SSRI/SNRIs are inconsistent, the results of higher oestrogen levels are slow and hard to notice at first without taking progress photos, but it is consistent, works for everyone, and will be noticeable in a few months. Body hair thinning and lightening for me was the first sign.
DIY enanthate vials usually have 40 mg / mL, so 0.15 mL should be 6 mg?
Using the injectable estradiol simulator, this is what levels would be estimated to be over time:
Notice how it takes nearly a month to even get to a steady state … EEn has a half-life of 5 - 7 days, so it takes a week to peak and another week to eliminate. This is compared to estradiol valerate (EV) which has a half-life of 3.5 days, so EV peaks faster and higher, and eliminates much faster than EEn.
When I first started EV injections, I could feel changes the night I injected, but I didn’t feel any obvious benefit or mood change until the third day or so.
But it’s important to note that not all trans women react to estrogen the same. Some feel no difference at all. Others actually have worsened dysphoria.
So early on you are not likely to notice many physiological changes. In my first month or so of HRT, the earliest changes I noticed were softening skin, changes to body odor (less spicy / less smelly), and fewer involuntary erections overnight and in the morning when I wake up. I wonder if you will start noticing these soon, too.
EDIT: I had sore breasts pretty quickly, too - I think it was a matter of weeks, but I was taking EV which brought my E levels up quickly. I would expect breast soreness in 1 - 3 months with EEn, but I’m not certain - I bet others have written about their experiences starting with EEn.
