Testosterone update - seven months on T

On November 26th (at approximately six months on T) I saw Dr. Thorp. I started six pumps of 1.62% gel the next day. Six pumps is a lot of goop to smear on your body. Especially when it pretty much has to go on your shoulders in the area to be covered by a T-shirt. I asked Thorp about other potential application sites and she recommended the inner thigh, with the warning that I might grow hair there faster. Not something I'm worried about! :)

So...for the last month I have been applying two pumps to each shoulder and one to each thigh. Still no ill effects, it would seem.

At my Nov. visit my levels were still low-normal for a cis-guy, and she said she'd like to see my levels closer to double that. And she didn't want to see me for three to four months. 

However.

I'm still experiencing some bleeding and cramping and she said that if that didn't stop before I was to see her, she wanted me to call and she would order tests of my estrogen levels and an ultrasound to see what's up. I can't say how frustrating the bleeding and cramping are.  It makes me feel awful. And I'm not relishing the idea of a vaginal ultrasound, but if we can figure out what is up, that would be great. Potentially the result could mean a hysto sooner rather than later, and I haven't figured out how i feel about that.  On one hand I feel like everything would be better if I didn't have competing hormones. On the other hand it means no more eggs and therefore no little mes running around. BUT I've never wanted to give birth to children. So why do I care? A little part of me wishes my genetic material could live on. I have pretty awesome genes.

So there's that.

In other developments, the major changes have included:

- more hair growth on my chest and stomach, back, and legs and arms.  Even my scars are growing hair, which is really exciting.

- my muscles keep growing w/o much gym activity from me. My biceps have grown over an inch, as has my neck.

- my shape continues to shift toward a more male silhouette.  I have lost about 25 lbs, which is helping with the shape business, too.

- I can't sing high or call for the dogs in a higher register any more.  My voice cracks when I try to call the dogs in my "normal" voice, so I am finding myself lowering the pitch so that it comes out okay and not squeaky.  A couple of people have commented on my voice changing, but I still can't really hear it for myself. Certainly I'm not "passing" yet on the phone or even in "the flesh." But it'll come. It's getting better.

I'm thinking about switching to shots, but I don't want to abandon the gel yet. Stay tuned for more info.