The injections are given into a muscle every one to two weeks. Some long-acting testosterone formulations can be administered as injections every 10 weeks. A nurse or technician can give you testosterone as an injection directly into a muscle. You can also learn how to give yourself the injection yourself at home. You will be shown what parts of your body you can use for the injection site, since they need to be rotated.
The injection is usually given once a week. A healthcare provider inserts these pellets under the skin (usually in the buttock area) every 3 to 6 months. To do this, they make a small incision in the skin and use a special instrument to implant 10 testosterone granules. The body slowly absorbs testosterone into the blood stream. It is usually best to administer the injections weekly to maintain uniform levels of testosterone in the blood.
Studies have shown that using a smaller needle and injecting it subcutaneously or subcutaneously is as effective as the intramuscular route, which involves injecting a larger needle into the muscle. In addition to injections, there are gels that can be applied to the skin daily. The gel is applied to the skin and, once dry, you can swim, shower and have casual contact with others. If you are going to have prolonged skin-to-skin contact of a person who does not have testosterone in their body, such as a child or a woman, or are going to have intense skin-to-skin contact, for example, during sexual intercourse, the gel may transfer a small amount of testosterone to the other person.
There is no risk of transfer due to occasional or casual contact. All of these forms work equally well when you adjust the dosage to achieve your desired hormone levels, and the decision about which form to use should be based primarily on your preferences. Testosterone undecanoate (AVEED) is a newer injectable testosterone that a healthcare provider gives as an intramuscular injection into the buttocks. The dose is 750 mg, with the first dose followed by another 4 weeks later. After the initial doses, it can be administered every 10 weeks.
This form allows for less frequent injections compared to other types. TRT is often administered through gel application or injection. With a gel, you spread the daily dose, which is usually the size of a ketchup packet, on the upper arms, shoulders or thighs. Usually, the injections are given into the buttocks once every two weeks. With gels, there is less variability in testosterone levels.
However, you should be careful to avoid close skin contact for a few hours, especially with women, as testosterone could cause acne or hair growth, says Dr. This includes monitoring your testosterone level and having other blood tests done to make sure that TRT isn't damaging your health. Acne can be minimized by using an adequate dose of testosterone that avoids excessively high levels. With injections, testosterone levels may rise to high levels for a few days after the injection and then decrease slowly.
If symptoms of low testosterone are interfering with your quality of life, you should know that you don't have to just smile and put up with it. Testosterone injection is used to treat men whose bodies don't produce enough natural testosterone, a condition called hypogonadism. This document will provide an overview of gender-affirming masculinizing hormone therapy, including the options, risks, and unknowns associated with testosterone therapy. Transgender men can become pregnant while taking testosterone, so if you have sex with someone who is capable of producing sperm, you should always use birth control to prevent a unwanted pregnancy.
Once you've reached male testosterone levels, taking higher doses won't cause faster or more drastic changes, but it can lead to more side effects or complications. It has been suggested that the masculinization of testosterone therapy increases the risk of suffering from other conditions, such as diabetes or being overweight; however, the actual research to support these claims is limited. Men with prostate cancer or with high levels of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) should probably avoid treatment with testosterone. Some experts warn against them because they say that the doctors who administer them tend to prescribe too much testosterone and are not usually specialists in urology or endocrinology (the study of hormones).
In other countries, testosterone is administered to women in an unauthorized way, usually at one-tenth of the dose given to men. Regardless of the type of testosterone you're taking, it's important to know that taking more testosterone won't make your changes go faster, but it could lead to serious side effects or complications. Before prescribing testosterone, your doctor should check your testosterone levels and make sure that your low testosterone level isn't due to something else, such as an illness.
