Hey everyone! I wanted to drop a quick tip for my trans friends and the wider trans community who might be using hormone patches.
Just to be clear up front. I am not trans myself. However, I recently had to start HRT to manage some perimenopause symptoms, and let me tell you, I have been getting kind of annoyed this week because these patches do not like to stay put.
If your gender-affirming care involves these some types of hormone patches, you might be dealing with the same frustration. My perimenopausal ones keep falling off or peeling at the edges before it is time to change them. After some trial and error, I have a life-saving suggestion: medical tape. Yeah, I know. Seems like an obvious answer. lol
Using a bit of skin-safe medical tape (like Nexcare or a breathable paper tape) to secure the edges makes a world of difference. It keeps the patch flush against your skin so you actually get the dosage you need without worrying about it sticking to your clothes or vanishing in the shower.
We are all in this together when it comes to the logistics of hormones, and I wanted to share what is working for me so you can avoid the headache.
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Tips for Pre-T or Early-T Transmascs That I Wish Someone Had Given Me
A list of tips that I, a transmasc dude, learned overtime that I wish someone had given me a lot earlier. Obviously, these aren't going to work for everyone, but I've found doing these things to be really helpful.
Shave your face every day you can/want to. Even if you "have no reason" to shave your face, do it anyway. Tell yourself that being cleanly shaven is a choice you make everyday. Also, most cis dudes with no facial hair are clean shaven, meaning none of that peach fuzz stuff, so this can actually help passing. As an added bonus, shaving can make the hair grow back faster, thicker, and fuller if you plan on wanting to grow a nice ass beard later in life.
Find a work out routine. Don't exercise thinking "I need to get thinner/broader/whatever else so that I can pass." Just don't. Exercise can only change your body type so much, and if you bank on it fixing all your dysphoria just to find out it doesn't, you'll get discouraged. Instead, use exercise to feel good about your body in other ways: feeling stronger, more energized, ready for a good nights sleep, etc. Feeling good about your body in this way can also help increase self esteem.
Write affirmations and nice letters to yourself. Whatever you need to hear, whatever you wish others were saying to you: write it down! Put sticky notes on your walls, fill a notebook with nice thoughts, etc. Need to hear that you're looking super masc today? Write it down. Say it aloud. Be your biggest supporter. Even if you don't believe it at first, you'll start to. This tip applies to literally everyone, by the way.
Packing is kind of over rated. Obviously, it can be gender affirming for some, and that's great! But most people probably aren't looking at your crotch, so if packing is uncomfortable for you, don't think it'll make or break your appearance. If you prefer not to, that's literally fine.
The same goes for binding! Binding is--unfortunately--just fucking uncomfortable. You don't have to do it all the time. A baggy hoodie and a decent sports bra can be lifesavers if you need a break from binding but are still feeling self conscious, too.
Do your best to stop giving a fuck. Don't let other people's opinions hurt you. Not everyone will support you. Not everyone will like you. That's fine. Again, be your own biggest supporter.
Find trans friends. Set up your HRT appointments together. Remind each other about your injections. Support each other. Again, not everyone will support you, so find people that will.
Plan your medical course of action carefully, especially if money is a concern. Decide your prioritize. If you think you would benefit best mentally and physically from starting HRT, do that first. If you think something else--therapy, anxiety meds, an operation--would be more helpful, then do that first. You always have more time. There will be more time, more money, more opportunities. Figure out what would be best for you to do first, and go with it. It'll help you in the long run.
Beware voice training tips. Trying to force a deep voice can hurt like a motherfucker. Also, when you're voice begins to drop, you may have to adjust the way you do certain things, like singing for example. Don't push yourself to make your voice uncomfortably high or low. If it hurts, just stop. Losing your voice or damaging your vocal cords is certainly not worth it.
HRT takes time, surgeries take time, life takes time. Take a deep breath. It's hard to feel like you're stuck in one place, but it will not last forever. Small steps forward are still steps forward. You've got this.
Bonus: Literally nothing is required of you. HRT, operations, and literally everything on this list is entirely optional, and it doesn't make you more or less valid than anyone else. (Just stab anyone who says otherwise /j)
(Obligatory self-promo: I'm an artist and writer! Check out my stuff! Pinned (Commissions) | Writing Masterlist | Kofi | Etsy)
top ten things ive learned after almost three months of doing intramuscular Testosterone injections once a week
dont be afraid to reachout for help!! dont be afraid to ask other trans folks who do similar injections or look up a hundred different how to articles and videos, there are so many about how to do injections.
get the right kind of syringe!! some how i ended up with weird syringes that have four lines between each .1 militer that dont tell me anything!! this makes things confusing! dont do that!
as you do things, itll get easier and easier to find the right spot to inject! im still learning, however ive figured out that if the spot pinches too much, itll be a vein and you wont be able to inject there.
the needle only hurts when it breaks the skin and when it hits muscle. other than itll smoothly slide right on in. if it hurts too much itll be two things: vein or dull needle. dont worry too much about running out of needles.
dont use a glass container for your sharps!! dont do it!! just use a gatorade bottle or something!!
yknow those little circle bandages in the bandage asle? get those their super useful you can just slap that one over your injection spot and its good to go
watch something relaxing. watch something fun. dont watch horror stuff.
needle gauges are weird!! the smaller the number the bigger the gauge the bigger the needle!! the length doesnt equal the gauge!! youll want the one that says intramuscular (IM) on the package for going into your flesh and the other one for drawing out the T
it is perfectly okay to sit on the floor and do your T injection while watching something silly. relaxed mucles means smoother time doing it
put air in the syringe before putting into the T vial and THEN flip it over and make sure the needle is in the fluid before pushing the air in and then drawing the fluid out!!! makes it so much easier
it wont be perfect the first couple times, but itll be okay. you can take it as slow as you need to. doing HRT is an act of love to help make your body yours.
Heyyo, I'm going to be starting T soon (Maybe in a week if it goes well!!) Is there any tips into preparing and actually doing IM injections?
Hey! I also do IM injections
SUPPLIES: You should buy some bandages (to keep the testosterone in the inject site, also in case of any accidents), alcohol pads (to sanitize the area), and somewhere to keep your equipment (I keep mine in a shoe box, in a bathroom cabinet, MAKE SURE ITS KEPT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE).
THE SHOT: First, you will have to sanitize the vial top. After that, you will have to give an air dosage to the vial
After that, you’ll pull the plunger back, if the testosterone is coming in slow, try and angle the needle in the bottle
Once you have your dosage, sanitize the injection site (your doctor should inform you about which site would be best, mine says the abdomen.) Depending on the site, you will either pinch/stretch the skin. Inject at a 90°, and hold the needle in for 10 seconds. Cease pinching (Unsure about stretching), and remove the needle. Put a band-aid on afterward.KEEP IN MIND IM NO PROFESSIONAL, THIS IS WHAT I WAS TAUGHT AND HOW I DO IT. YOUR DOCTOR MIGHT SAY SOMETHING DIFFERENT OR GIVE DIFFERENT TIPSHope this helps!
