It’s February 3, 2024, and I started my HRT journey in August 2022
HRT has given me the best marriage I could ever dream of. It has made me a better parent. I have a greater quality of life at 35 than at 21. I truly hope you can feel my conviction via text because when I talk to anyone in person about HRT, I almost start crying every single time (if you know, you know).
You can find that here if you missed my initial HRT blog post. It goes over my original symptoms, injection information, where I go, my original blood work, etc. If you are looking for an HRT clinic and don’t live in Des Moines, I have a crowdsourcing blog here– check the comments to see if someone has recommended a place in your area!
If your OB or primary dismisses you (99 times out of 100, they will), find an HRT clinic in your area like I did. If you can’t see something on my crowdsourced blog, you can search the following (along with your location): HRT clinic, hormone clinic, naturopath, hormone specialist, endocrine specialist, etc.
I originally went into my clinic because I was not losing weight despite dieting harder than when I was competing in bodybuilding; I was losing muscle tone, I had literally ZERO sex drive, and I felt like I was living in a constant fog. Nothing excited me, and I felt detached from my body and watched myself live my life from above.
Six weeks after starting HRT, I started noticing a difference, and six months later, I felt like a completely different person. TMI, but maybe not: my husband and I were having “chore” sex once every two weeks, max. Now, we have mind-blowing sex at least once a day. We are more connected than ever before; we can take on anything thrown our way because we are such a team now, so unified and solid in our marriage that nothing can throw us off course. Like I said above, I am also a better parent. I hardly lose my cool with the kids or Josh.
Given how hard I have worked over the last dozen years, I finally have the muscle definition I deserve. My body actually responds to dieting, but I am eating more than I ever have, so my “dieting” calories are more now than when the bulking calories I used to have myself at (with little to no results). I no longer have any brain fog, I genuinely look forward to my day, my sleep has improved tremendously, my recovery outside the gym is through the roof, my skin has never looked better, and I feel at peace. My body is no longer fighting itself.
A lot of people ask if I will have to be on HRT forever. That isn’t the plan, but with a high-stress job and life, I don’t see myself coming off it for quite some time. Knowing how bad I felt versus how much of a superhero I feel like now, I would be willing to be on it for the rest of my life for this quality of life.
I know most people only see the physical differences since I started HRT, and while those are great, what people don’t see is more important to me. Never in a million years would I have thought starting HRT would improve every area of my life. I know it’s hardly talked about, but I hope to be the catalyst and change that. If you follow me on social media, you are probably sick of hearing me talk about it, but I am so passionate about it because I know how much of a difference it made for me, and I hope it can help others just the same.
I have not had any adverse side effects. I get my blood work done every 4-6 weeks to ensure all levels are optimized and within a healthy level for a female. Men and women have all three sex hormones, just in different ratios.
As a side note, I know a lot of people are concerned about being off BC to start HRT and the possibility of getting pregnant. I use my OURA ring and have used it for the last almost 3 years for natural family planning (it estimates ovulation and ties into multiple cycle tracking apps). I am not on birth control and will never be again after taking myself off of it at 25. Natural family planning comes in many forms, and tracking my body temp every day is one of those ways!
Would you need HRT if you actually took rest days?
I don’t understand the correlation you are trying to make
This sounds awesome but I’m worried if I start I won’t ever get off of it. how much does it cost?
Thank you for sharing!!!
I have made an appointment and I am a little nervous of what to expect. What advice would you give for your first visit and how to explain that you just know that your body is different and that you are not the same as you used to be. I have not had children, I am 37 and I can tell that something is wrong and that I am lacking something.
Thank you for sharing your journey! Would you mind sharing the cost to get started vs maintaining HRT? I’m hoping it’s something I would be able to afford to maintain but have no idea the cost range
I just got my bloodwork back last week and results very similar to yours. Started taking 5mg testosterone daily, orally. I’ve tried to research oral vs injections for females but not finding much comparative data. Can you point me to any studies you’ve seen compare the two? If one helped the free T number improve or if bypassing the liver is the only benefit? Thanks in advance!
Bypassing the liver is definitely the biggest plus!
What is the optimal range for a woman age 31 testosterone levels to be? I’m starting my journey and I’m at 12. 🙈 the lab says one thing and Google says another for optimal testosterone levels for women.