I made a video, finally! A little bit later than usual, as I had been uploading these once a year on January, the month in which I started testosterone. It’s very short (like me!), only 4 minutes, so please ask me questions if anything isn’t clear.
Below is a little summary of what I talk about.
Intro
- It’s May 2015, and I’m Micah. (For those who are curious, I’m wearing a gray shirt with little headphones on it, size L for kids, which doesn’t help my image of looking like an almost-30 adult.)
- For 2.5 years I’ve been on a constant low dose of testosterone.
- For 1 year before that, I was taking testosterone on and off, at different and slightly higher doses, for a total of 3.5 years on T. My last update was in January 2014: in that video / post I explain my previous experiences in depth, and provide links to past videos and posts.
- My dose is 0.25cc of 200mg/mL (I said this wrong in the video… oops, it is always very confusing). The “standard” dose is 1cc of 200mg/mL, so I’m on about 1/4 of that. If you’re curious about dosages, read the Intro to Low Dose Testosterone.
Changes
- I make it a point to do a video, because a lower voice was perhaps the most important change in my decision to start testosterone.
- I think my voice has changed perhaps slightly, if at all, since last year, though it is much lower than before I started T. It’s still not as low as it would be were I to go on a full/higher dose.
- Some more facial hair has grown in. Most of my friends now notice it. I have to shave every 2-3 days. I would most definitely not call it a beard yet.
- Body hair hasn’t increased from when it initially came in during the first year. This is a relief, as I’m still quite averse to the idea.
- Muscle mass and fat re-distribution are minimal, I think. In other words, I’m not ripped yet. Though I should probably exercise more for that to happen…
Overall
- Most of the changes have remained pretty stable.
- That is, I don’t think being on a low dose has had any noticeable effects beyond what I had already experienced in years prior. (I say noticeable because I believe there have been changes, but develop too slowly to notice, much like aging.)
- My hysterectomy was 2.5 years ago – I started T again shortly after, and haven’t been off since.
- I kept my ovaries, so I still produce estrogen as normal. This means my hormonal makeup is the same as it was before my hysto. (I get lots of questions about this, so I’m preparing another post. In the meantime, read about hysterectomy and hormones.)
- I’m also hypothyroid. When it was badly regulated I experienced periods of significant hormonal imbalance, so I know what it feels like to feel “out of whack” in that department. And this condition shouldn’t prevent you from taking hormones.
- Overall I’ve never felt better! I think I’ve hit a sweet spot where I’m very happy with how I feel internally and how I look externally.
genderqueer.me 
So you’ve been on 50mg every 2 weeks – what are your T levels on that dose? I found out that my T is low (low for females – mine was 8 and normal is 30-95) and started with an implanted T pellet (50mg). The pellets are supposed to last about 3 months, but I’m only on my first and get repeat labs in 3 weeks to see if I’m due for more. Three weeks after the implant, my level went up to 120 and my hot flashes completely went away. Yay for T! My doctor is very open-minded and is comfortable with keeping females in a higher than normal range if they are comfortable with it – thinking of asking for 2 implants next time as I’m still feeling that genderqueer/neutrois/more masculine than feminine/but not quite trans feeling I’ve been having for the last few years. My doctor is awesome but it was a struggle to get to this point. I went through 3 completely unsympathetic and condescending doctors before finding one who understands that women with low T need replacement, too.
I’ve only ever had my T-levels checked once, and it was at the tail end of the 2-week dose. The results were higher than the normal female range (if it’s 30-90, I think it was 120ish?), but significantly lower than the male bracket.
I don’t really gauge my progress by T-levels, it’s more of how I’m feeling and what changes I’m seeing.
Yeah, I agree with gauging progress by how you’re feeling. But it was nice to be able to correlate how I was feeling to the number I saw. Makes me more confident I’ll know if I ever drop as low as 8 again as now I know the difference in how I’m feeling at 8 and at 120.
Hi perpetual could you let me know which doctor that is I have a friend who really needs this treatment and finding it hard to find doctor
Dr. Jack Bertolino in Williamsville NY.
http://www.buffalobioidenticaldoctor.com/
Oh, and great video! I know you’ve said you’re not totally comfortable with the videos, but you do a good job.
The Video was COOL!! I didn’t Know how’s it like to take testosterone and I just have ONE question… Do you have Periods??? Or While Taking Testosterone You just still have ’em… Please Answer!!
I had a hysterectomy a few years back.
In general you’d need a higher dose of T for your periods to stop, and they come back if you stop T. Maybe someone else can comment on this better.
A combination of low dose testosterone (0.2ml/week so similar to what Micah is taking) and an IUD (Mirena) stopped mine completely. The testosterone by itself probably would not have but the Mirena had already cut down how much I bled by about 90% so the T was able to knock out that last 10%. A friend of mine who is on a more standard dose did have their periods eliminated (I don’t know their exact dose but it is typical for a trans man, which is what they wanted – they are a genderqueer trans male).
Thanks! This is very useful to know, since I can’t provide this info myself.
So glad you are feeling good! Love your hair, btw.
Thanks for the information about hypothyroidism. That was something I was planning to ask the endocrinologist when I go to see him.
Hi, I’m DFAB and genderqueer, and have recently found out that low dose T might be an option for me.
Of the effects of T, there are two permanent ones that I don’t think I want – infertility and changes in genitals (clitoral enlargement and changes in the vaginal tissues). I haven’t been able to find much information about these possible effects when on a low dose so, I know that this is really personal, but I was wondering what your experience (or anyone else’s who might be able to contribute) has been with these changes? I know you have had a hysterectomy, so would not get periods anymore regardless, but perhaps you have spoken to a doctor about fertility at some stage?
If this is too personal then I apologise and of course you do not have to feel obligated to answer me.
I also wanted to thank you for this informative video as well as the other content on here, it’s been really useful.
While it is still “unknown” (meaning doctors will not definitively tell you one way or another), it’s generally the case that T does not cause permanent infertility – many people who stop taking it are able to get pregnant afterwards.
I kept my ovaries also in case I want to harvest the eggs one day, which is another possibility. It’s an expensive process though, and you do need to go on estrogen cycles.
Thank you for posting this video and everything else about low dose T! This post clued me into a whole new avenue to research, given that I also don’t want to masculinize fully or as fast as possible.
It is really reassuring to hear/see that this is a viable path!