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Testosterone is a sex hormone that's responsible for the maintenance and development of male characteristics, playing a key part in male puberty and male sexual reproduction. Some of the typical male characteristics it's known to promote are increased muscle/bone mass, deeper voice, body hair, facial hair and broader upper torso. This is called Virilization which is also better known as Masculinization. Though testosterone production occurs in both men and women alike, playing significant roles in our biology and health. Men just typically have more testosterone while women have less.

When someone has male ranges of Testosterone, they'll develop the male dimorphic features listed above. Beginning to look and sound like the other men they see within their family. You see the occurrence of this starting in a boy's puberty, he'll get taller and stronger.

When you do hormone replacement therapy with Testosterone you can expect to develop these bodily effects below. A rough timelapse where you can expect these changes is provided, but of course this very much varies upon age and dosage. Please note that Testosterone's effectiveness is increased if you take it before or during your female puberty. After your female puberty is done, most of the bone-changing altercations will not occur. Height increase, bigger hands, Masculinization of the skull and bigger ribcage for example will not happen if you have finished female puberty (Tanner 5) and your bones have fused.

Note: Expect the effects to show sooner than showcased on this timeline. Especially if you're taking higher dosages (ex. 75-135mg)

General Effects

Effects with * are irreversible.

• Rougher Skin
• More oily skin
• Clitoris growth *
• Changed body oder
• Vaginal Atrophy
• Facial hair growth *
• Cessation of menses/periods
• More masculine hairline *
• Masculine fat redistribution
• Increased Sex Drive
• Increased body hair growth *
• Increased body musculature
• Increased red blood cells
• Decreased fatty breast tissue
• Deepening of the voice *

Included effects if you didn't finish female puberty

This section may make you dysphoric and it may make you uncomfortable, but please read so you can understand the depth of the changes that will or have occurred in due time if HRT or puberty blockers are not taken.

I made this section of the guide because I noticed most young adolescents are not fully aware of how their puberty will change their bodies. Many of them holding unreliable expectations, high and low. Many even having misconceptions about when it'll end and start. Which is why I'll be providing information on how you can expect your body to develop and change when you are going through your natal puberty. I'll also be teaching you something called the Tanner Stages.

Note: This is not a comprehensive article on all the sexually dimorphic changes your body may go through. Nor should every typical age or change be taken as absolute. Some changes may happen earlier, later or may not occur at all. However, treat your puberty seriously and with caution.

Tanner Stages

The Tanner Scale is a metric used to define sexual maturity in humans. There are five tanner stages, each tanner stage represents how close or far away an individual is from completing their puberty. Doctors look at features like height, genitalia, body hair and age to determine a person's tanner stage. The older you are, the more likely it is you've completed your puberty.

However, do not confuse this with physical maturity. Someone could have completed their puberty or reached full sexual maturity, but still be lacking in physical maturity. An example would be a 15yr girl and a 25yr woman, both have completed puberty but differ significantly in physical maturity. This is because even after our puberty finishes, the sex hormones still continue to change and affect our bodies. So there are still a lot of things you can prevent if you are already at a later puberty stage.

Here is a graph of female tanner stage progression and a chart of bodily changes.
You can use this to see what your tanner stage may be.

Warning, this may trigger Dysphoria

Note: Puberty usually starts about one year earlier for those of African Descent or Latin American Descent compared to those whom are not.

How this Affects HRT

Simply put, the longer you wait to take HRT or puberty blockers the less potential you'll have to pass and look more like the opposite gender.

This is because as we grow, our growth plates fuse prohibiting bone changes and bone growth. This affects our general skeleton, making it impossible for changes to our bones to occur. Another reason is because certain proportions of the body become sexually dimorphic. Sexual dimorphism is the term used to describe people looking differently according to their sex. An example would be a woman having pronounced breasts or a man having small hips.

This is why I made a section about tanner stages, so you can be aware how much potential you have for testosterone to change your anatomy.

If you're questioning if you should do HRT, your first concern may be if it's dangerous. Short answer, no.

It's a widely used treatment and within testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), men have found several beneficial effects because of how it can positively increase bone density, strength and energy level. So it's not dangerous but as with all medical procedures, there are risks. Though the chances of adverse effects actually occurring is extremely low. Especially if you manage your dosage wisely, go here for recommended dosages.

Once again, the chances of adverse effects actually occurring is extremely low. I am merely stating these risks so you are informed about what testosterone has been shown to promote. This does not mean HRT is unsafe, this means HRT has risks albeit minimal.

Major Risks observable with patients taking Testosterone

• Cardiovascular Disease
• Fluid Retention

Major risks are observable amongst every person with male testosterone levels

Minor Risks observable with patients taking Testosterone

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Erythrocytosis
• Acne

Minor risks are generally non-issues and shouldn't be worried about
Minor risks are observable amongst every person with male testosterone levels

This is a video from Dr. Meir Daller, here his assisting nurse is demonstrating how to do a thigh injection at home. If you happen to hit any veins or notice blood leaking out, just know it's perfectly fine. Simply apply pressure onto the injection site if this occurs.

Side Note from Author

When I first did my injection, I was nervous and afraid I'd do something wrong. I didn't put the entire needle in and some of the testosterone oil leaked out. After the more injections I did and as I gradually developed a routine, it all became something of great quick ease. I can now do my injections in less than 5 minutes without feeling pain.

So if you mess up the first one, it's fine. It's the fact that you're trying and the fact that you took such a large jump to get yourself the medical care you need. You'll improve and know that everything has been worth it once you notice yourself masculinizing.

Injection Supplies

Injection Risks

What to Buy

Where to Buy

Note: There are several scam websites out there that pretend to be the ones I listed below. You will see them pop up on several search engines like google. They will take your money and they will not return it. Please use the links I listed below. Always make sure to triple check the amount of money you send and the website you're buying from.

Cryptocurrency Guide

The guide on how to purchase Bitcoin/Crypto is rather long, so I decided to make a separate page here.

When you obtain an Testosterone vial, you will notice some text like "250mg/mL" or some text like "2500mg/10mL"
This shows the amount of Testosterone (mg) within the total amount of oil (mL).

So if you have a Testosterone vial that says "250mg/mL" that means for every milliliter (mL) there is 250 milligrams (mg) of Testosterone. Vials tend to have 10mL of liquid. So if you multiply 250mg by 10, in reality the total concentration is 2500mg/10mL in the entire vial.

How to Calculate Testosterone mL

How to Calculate Life of a Vial

To figure out how long a vial will last you, first you want to figure out syringe & needle deadspace.

Deadspace is a term used to refer to the leftover fluid retention stuck between the syringe and needle. This affects how long a vial will last because it takes extra fluid from the vial in each injection. Typically you can estimate how much deadspace there is by looking at the syringe and needle. Deadspace is usually represented in measurements of microliters (uL), 1uL is 0.001mL.
Here's an illustration of deadspace.

In this segment I'll be discussing testosterone dosages respective to individuals' age. If you buy any other formulations of testosterone like Testosterone Propionate or even TestoGel, please message me on Signal or join the Discord Server so I can provide guidance.

If you want to model the dosage for yourself, try Steroid Plotter. Note that your actual levels may be different, but it provides a decent enough graph for someone to get a better understanding of their levels.

Dosage Information
I've based the following table primarily off of Johns Hopkins Dosing Guide for transgender adolescents. Before actually looking down and learning about your testosterone dosage, I want to explain the differences between shorter regimen versus longer regimen.

Just know it's fine to do either shorter or longer, the only significant difference is stability. When taking shorter regimens you'll achieve more stable levels albeit doing more frequent injections. When taking longer regimens it's the opposite, but with the pro of doing less frequent injections. I personally recommend doing the shorter regimens.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you notice you're continuing to have periods increase your dosage of testosterone until it ceases.

If you're interested in growing or obtaining a bigger, more masculine skeleton this may be of interest to you. Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is a hormone that stimulates bone growth at the growth plates and contributes to systematic cell repair/maintenance. For those who are tanner 5 (end of female puberty), HGH won't be effective for increasing bone length.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH) included in it's name, is responsible for the growth of tissues, organs, bones and cartilage in the body. This is the most notable during the adolescent years when puberty spurts occur. Once the puberty begins to end, HGH levels go down with it.

Though the reason why women typically are shorter than men, is not due to HGH levels, but rather due to the high estrogen levels in women. Estrogen is the female sex hormone, low in men but high in women. Estrogen decreases proliferation (creation of bone cells) and increases apoptosis (bone cell death). As a result, women's bones are less lengthy and dense than mens. So if you aren't tanner 5, you can take aromatase inhibitors (AIs) like Arimidex to decrease the amount of testosterone turning into estrogen in your body. Which would help your growth plates stay open longer.

I just wanted to add this piece of text since I thought it would be useful piece of information for trans teens planning to start HRT to know.

Note: I will not be listing any guides or sources on obtaining HGH or AIs.

When it comes to maximizing the effects of testosterone, the first thing you should know is that you need to care and put effort into your body. Don't expect wildly good results when you only take HRT to meet them. I'll be covering two topics in this article, staying lean and weight cycling. Both having to do with the male fat redistribution aspects of testosterone.

Staying Lean

Weight Cycling

Despite how much you need HRT, you might find yourself wondering if it's even worth it to fight so hard. You might feel hopeless, or like you'll never be able to transition and live your life. We feel your pain.

We know that being trans isn't easy, especially with the recent developments in world politics. However, you cannot let your oppressors win. You could just give up and be forgotten, just an other statistic or you could push through every barrier and come out a winner. You could take that first step, get your HRT, and live your teenage years as the gender you were meant to be. You, yes YOU! Could change your life for the better not just today, but for the rest of your life.

You don't have to succumb to endless waiting lists, unsupportive parents, incompetent doctors, ignorant politicians and evil government. HRT is closer to you than you think, and the earlier you get it, the bigger your head start will be. So, it's time to hear something that no cis person will ever tell you;
Stop waiting! Stop putting your life in the hands of people who will never understand your pain. Take things into your own hands, Do It Yourself, and start living the life they tried so hard to take away from you.

- Best Regards, An HRT4ALL Community Member

Currently working on this guide... Please come back in a week.

Currently working on this guide... Please come back in a week.