A Practical Guide to Hormone Preparations in the UK, Part 2 - Testosterone

By: Dr Rhy Brignell

Rhy is the Director of Service Delivery at Eden New Life and is responsible for ensuring all of our subscribers get fast, high-quality care in accordance with our treatment protocols. They hold a PhD from the University of East Anglia and have specialised in gender services for more than 4 years, managing and advising on service delivery for thousands of patients. This is one of a series of articles where they share answers to common questions we receive from our members.

At a Glance

Testosterone hormone therapy is available in the UK as daily gels or long-acting injections, with each preparation affecting the body differently. No option is proven to work faster or produce better results. The most suitable preparation depends on individual health, lifestyle, risk factors and clinical monitoring, particularly regarding side effects such as polycythemia and injection-related complications. 

Understanding Testosterone Preparations

Following on from my previous article on oestrogen preparations, our specialists are often asked about the differences between types of testosterone hormone preparations. As with oestrogen, there’s a lot of anecdotal information online about whether some testosterone preparations are more effective than others or whether you’ll get faster or bigger results if you use testosterone gel or injection preparations. 

This guide offers straightforward information about different testosterone hormone preparations to support your conversations with our specialists and help you consider the right option.

What Do We Mean by Preparation?

In this context, preparation is a term used in medicine to describe the form in which a medicine is available. In gender medicine, it might refer to tablets, gels, patches or injections. These preparations are just different forms of the same medicine. Each form gets the medicine into your body in a different way, which can lead to different effects on your health.

There is no clear evidence of differences in outcomes between preparations, and no preparation works better or quicker than any other. It’s also important to note that taking higher doses than prescribed does not cause desired changes to happen more quickly and can put your health at risk. 

If you are receiving hormone treatment from Eden New Life, our specialists will advise you about the different preparations and dosages in your prescription and review sessions. If you’re looking for treatment options, explore our affordable plans.

What Are the Different Preparations of Testosterone?

Testosterone can be given as a gel applied to the skin daily or as an injection. There are two types of injection available to approved Eden New Life clients. 

• Sustanon, which can be self-injected every 3-4 weeks after receiving safe injection training from our specialist nurses, or

• Nebido, which must be injected by a trained professional, usually every 12 weeks. 

There are currently no oral testosterone preparation options like tablets available on prescription in the UK.

How Do Different Testosterone Preparations Work?

Here are the different types of testosterone hormone preparations, along with their benefits and limitations that we often recommend to our clients at Eden New Life.

Gel

Testosterone gel is rubbed into your skin, usually daily. The medicine is absorbed through your skin and into your bloodstream. 

Potential Benefits of Testosterone Gel Preparations

Gel provides a steady application of hormones into your body, meaning there tend to be fewer ups and downs in your hormone levels over a given period when compared to injections. Your dose can also be adjusted more gradually by our specialists if required. It’s also a great option if you want to avoid the pain of injections or if, like me, you really don’t like needles!

In many cases, it’s far easier for our specialists to adjust or stop your treatment with gel than to stop a treatment that has already been injected into your body.

Potential Limitations of Testosterone Gel Preparations

As with oestrogen gel, testosterone gel absorption can vary depending on multiple factors, including your skin, where you apply it, and your daily habits (such as showering, bathing or sweating). There is some risk of transfer to others via skin-to-skin contact, which should be considered.

How Eden New Life Helps with Testosterone Gel Preparations

If you are beginning hormone treatment with Eden New Life, our specialists will start you out on the testosterone gel preparation to ensure that you do not experience any significant side effects from the hormone before you move to injections (though you don’t have to move to injections if you’d prefer to stay on gel).

Injections

The injections available to approved Eden New Life clients are injected intramuscularly. This means the medicine is injected into a muscle (usually in your thigh or buttock), which acts like a sponge, slowly releasing the medicine into your bloodstream. 

Potential Benefits of Testosterone Injection Preparations

Some of our clients prefer injections to gel because they only need to be administered every few weeks, rather than applying gel every day. Testosterone injections tend to be more affordable than gel, too.

Potential Limitations of Testosterone Injection Preparations

Testosterone injections carry an increased risk of polycythemia. Polycythemia is when your body makes too many red blood cells, which thickens your blood and makes it harder for your heart to pump it around your body. This can raise the risk of problems like headaches, high blood pressure, clots, stroke or heart attack. 

This risk isn’t completely eliminated by using gel, but it’s just more common with injections. This is why our specialists will monitor for this in your regular blood tests, whether you’re using gel or injections. 

There are also risks associated with injections more generally, such as bruising, swelling or infection. For Sustanon, self-injecting carries more risk still, as you could cause significant damage to yourself if you inject in the wrong place.

How Eden New Life Helps with Testosterone Injection Preparations

To avoid bruising, swelling or infection when injecting testosterone preparations, get proper guidance and training on safe self-injection practice. Eden paid subscribers get expert live online self-injection training with a nurse included in their subscription.

Which Testosterone Preparation Is Right for Me?

The preparation that works best for you depends on a number of factors, including your individual health, risk factors, lifestyle and, where possible, your preferences. 

While we hope you found this guide useful for general information on how different preparations work in the body and the factors to consider, it is not a substitute for medical advice from a trained professional.

It’s also important to remember that finding the best fit hormonal preparation is a process that can involve some trial and error.

Your body’s response to testosterone can differ, and our specialists can help adjust the type, dose or delivery method to suit your body best. Eden paid subscribers get a check in session with a specialist every 12 weeks, just for this reason.

Hormone Preparations with Eden New Life

Starting testosterone therapy is an essential and significant step in your transition. During this time, having the right clinical support can make the hormone administration process simpler, clearer and less confusing.

Eden New Life provides specialist-led gender hormone therapy with structured support and guidance for transgender, non-binary and intersex adults across the UK.

Get answers to questions like, “How much testosterone should I inject?” to “Which testosterone preparation is right for me?” in our online sessions.

We offer monthly and annual subscription plans:

• Hormone Advisory Plan

• Hormone Advisory Plus plan

These cover diagnosis, GAHT prescription sessions, e-prescriptions from our specialists, 12-week review sessions and annual review sessions. You’ll also benefit from personalised guidance and ongoing monitoring to help you navigate therapy safely and with complete confidence.

If you are starting hormone therapy with our service, or are all set for a regular review, our expert specialists will be able to talk you through the different testosterone preparations available to you. Accordingly, they will tailor their recommendations to your individual circumstances and health needs.

With the right information and clinical support from experts, make an informed choice that feels right for your body and your goals. Sign up to book your first session today.