Getting Testosterone

My first therapist was from my insurance company, a woman named Monica ($10 co-pay) who knew nothing about transgender people and who I figured out quickly was in it for money. Because of that, I dropped her like a bag of rocks. My second therapist was recommended to me by my doctor, Scott Calig (he’s been my doctor since I was 6), her name was Linda Klane. She was friendly, genuine, but once again, clueless about transgender people. My insurance covered her ($5 co-pay) and I stuck with her for four months. She didn’t know what to do and the process took too long which forced me to seek out another therapist.

This time I looked for a gender specialist, a trans friend of mine recommended me to Penelope X Voekel. She’s worked with many FTMs and MTFs in the past, it was as smooth as butter with her because she knew the right people and places. It only took two sessions ($100 each) before I was sent to Los Angeles Children’s Hospital. There, I met Sabel Simone, the woman who heads the youth and gender department. Children’s Hospital has its’ own doctor, it’s almost like a well-oiled transgender program that guides transfolks in the right direction and gives them guidance. Sabel introduced me to the doctor who would be prescribing my testosterone, Dr. Marvin Belzer. I needed a letter of recommendation from my therapist, Penelope, to start testosterone/ Penelope has already sent the letter to Dr. Belzer.



Paper from Children’s Hospital confirming my gender identity and demeanor.

In preparation for testosterone, I had to take a blood test first. They took four vials of my blood and checked for cholesterol, red and white blood cell count, blood sugar, etc. etc. to make sure I was physically cleared for T. T can be administered through gel, patches, or more commonly— shots. I chose the shots route, I’m not afraid of needles and the changes tend to come faster. I was assessed by a woman named Katherine, she asked me questions to make sure I was mentally stable and prepared. I wasn’t offended or nervous, I know who I am, what I want, and why I’m doing it so it wasn’t a problem. The staff care and want to make sure that you aren’t making a mistake because some changes are permanent. Dr. Belzer is covered by my insurance so I didn’t need to pay for the visits, the T, however, isn’t free and I had to pay out of pocket. Uninsured, a vial (10 ML) of 200mg testosterone will last approximately 10 months (For reference; 1ML = 200mg, therefore, .5ML = 100mg). I started on 100mg every two weeks, injected in the thigh muscle, alternating legs every two weeks.

My left arm after blood tests, pretty purple band-aid.

Keep in mind that testosterone isn’t required, it’s a choice. Many guys choose not to take testosterone ever, or decide to stop taking it later on in life. Testosterone is the male hormone that causes the body to become more masculine. Changes include, but are not limited to; a deeper voice, facial and body hair, fat redistribution (from the chest, thighs, and butt to the shoulders, biceps, and stomach), enlarged clitoris and increased sensitivity, more susceptibility to cholesterol problems, acne, etc. etc. To maintain those changes, the FTM usually uses testosterone for the rest of his life to continually counter the estrogen being produced in his body. Some FTMs opt for the hysterectomy which is the complete removal of the uterus. This stops estrogen production and removes the equipment to bear children. Even with a hysterectomy, the testosterone must be continually injected; how often and how much testosterone injected is different individually. No one wants to have a body that doesn’t produce any hormones, this causes a lot of serious health problems. How dramatically testosterone changes a person’s appearance is determined case by case.

For detailed information on testosterone (what it’s made of, how to inject, etc), check out this great site: Forge Forward: Testosterone

To track my progress with testosterone, check the timeline section.

My Experience with Gel Testosterone

I briefly used Gel testosterone which is a clear gel that is applied like lotion to certain parts of the body. It was $30 a month with insurance (much much more without insurance), needed to be applied daily, and was too tedious for me to continue. I used this type of testosterone because of my fear of self-injecting but I felt the dosage was inadequate. I eventually went back to injecting testosterone and was much happier.

Self-injecting

After a while, I decided that depending on someone else to inject me was too tedious. It was like being chained to a hospital because every two weeks I had to return. I started attending college in Fall 2009 and transferred my prescription to the pharmacy there. My school health insurance covers most of the cost of T. Through my school’s LGBT Center, I was referred to two wonderful nurses who took the time to teach me how to self-inject. It was a nerve wrecking process but now I am free to live my life independent of nurses or hospitals. I receive free needles and pick up my T at my school’s pharmacy for about $15 a bottle. I find this infinitely more convenient in the long run despite freaking out still every shot day. I inject in my thigh and alternate sides every two weeks. Here are pictures of my testosterone and needles, I am on a 200 every two weeks: