Estradiol Injections
Level 1a: This medication has significant evidence for its use in transition and no major specific side effects
Injections are preferred by many as a cost-effective and reliable means of reaching ideal hormone levels without the side effects and risks of antiandrogens or having to take pills or gel daily which many find annoying.
There are two categories of injectables available. You can purchase pharmaceutical-grade factory Estradiol Valerate and Estradiol Cypionate, but it is very costly, especially for Estradiol Cypionate. Sometimes factory-made injectables are sold in the form of glass ampoules, which you have to break and then draw the dose with a filter needle to use safely. If your dose is 5mg and you break a 10mg ampoule, the remaining dose is wasted. You CANNOT save the remaining dose due to lack of preservative and exposure to contamination.
More commonly used are "homebrew" injectables, which are produced by individuals instead of pharmaceutical companies. All homebrewed injectables listed on this page are prepared using correct aseptic technique, including vial washing, filtering, and autoclaving of the finished solution. We would consider the risk of using homebrewed vials from a reputable seller to be better or comparable to the level of risk from a compounding pharmacy. Homebrew vials, in addition to being cheaper, also allow usage of better esters such as Estradiol Enanthate which you can take every 7 days without having sharp peaks and mood swings which Estradiol Valerate is infamous for.
Esters Explained
The major esters of estradiol used in injections are valerate, cypionate, enanthate, and undecylate. In the same order goes the shortest half-life of five days for valerate to the longest half-life of almost a month for undecylate. The half-life affects how often you need to take the medication.
Dosing and Monitoring
Mono-therapy is one of the best options for trans-feminine HRT the following dosing is for mono-therapy; the lower end of the dose range can be used with an anti-androgen.
| Ester | Injection Time | Dose |
|---|---|---|
| Valerate | Every five days or less | 3-6mg |
| Cypionate | Around every seven days | 4-8mg |
| Enanthate | Around every seven days | 4-8mg |
| Enanthate | Around every ten days | 6-10mg |
| Undecylate (MCT Oil) | Around every twenty one days | 15-25mg |
| Undecylate (Castor Oil) | Around every 31 days | 40-60mg |
Note: Undecylate is poorly understood and frequent blood tests should be done.
Adjusting dosing based on blood testing in 1-2mg steps is the best way to monitor levels on injections. The ideal range is 150-250 pg/ml of estradiol when blood is taken right before the next dose (this is to get numbers when your estradiol levels are the lowest), with testosterone less than 50 ng/dl. Before taking blood tests make sure you have reached a "steady state" on your current dose, steady state means you have given the new dose enough time to not have past doses (or past lack of doses) affect levels, for most esters except undecylate, this is about six weeks (six weeks being the max amount of time it could take to reach steady state). Also know that the formula to convert dose to injection volume is the dose wanted divided by the density of the active ingredient (usually in mg/ml). For example, 4mg at 40mg/ml is 4 over 40 which is 0.1 ml.
Safety and Effects
Due to skipping the first pass effect, and having good bio-availability which allows for monotherapy (no anti-androgen), estradiol injections have the best safety profile compared to other routes.
Injection Safety
We understand that some in the community have concerns over the safety of the injection itself but be assured that injections are safe and extremely difficult to mess up.
Blood Clots
Estradiol in any form can increase blood clot risk, however, for injections the increased risk is largely comparable to cis women (Aly 2020).
| Seller | Product | Price | Single $/mg | Bulk $/mg | Stock | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inhouse Pharmacy | AR Estradiol Valerate 100mg/5ml | $475.00 | $4.75 | $4.75 | Unknown | |
| Inhouse Pharmacy | AR Estradiol Valerate 200mg/5ml | $785.00 | $3.92 | $3.92 | Unknown | |
| Inhouse Pharmacy | Depo-Estradiol (EC) 25mg/5ml | $500.00 | $20.00 | $20.00 | Unknown | |
| Vanna Pharma | Estradiol Cypionate 400mg/10ml | $70.00 | $0.18 | $0.13 | Unknown | |
| Girlpotion | Estradiol Enanthate 400mg/10ml | €60.00 | €0.15 | €0.15 | 66 days ago | |
| Silver Maple Labs | Estradiol Enanthate 400mg/10ml | $70.00 | $0.17 | $0.17 | Yes | |
| Girlpotion | Estradiol Enanthate 500mg/10ml | €60.00 | €0.12 | €0.12 | 66 days ago | |
| TeaHRT | Estradiol Undecylate (Castor Oil, no BB) 500mg/5ml | $110.00 | $0.22 | $0.22 | Yes | |
| Vanna Pharma | Estradiol Undecylate 400mg/10ml | $95.00 | $0.24 | $0.19 | Unknown | |
| Girlpotion | Estradiol Undecylate 400mg/10ml | €50.00 | €0.12 | €0.12 | No | |
| TeaHRT | Estradiol Valerate 400mg/10mL | $75.00 | $0.19 | $0.19 | No | |
| Vanna Pharma | Estradiol Valerate 400mg/10ml | $60.00 | $0.15 | $0.10 | Unknown | |
| Girlpotion | Estradiol Valerate 400mg/10ml | €50.00 | €0.12 | €0.12 | 66 days ago | |
| 4NRX Pharmacy | Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10 | £28.86 | £0.29 | £0.29 | No | |
| United Pharmacies (UK) | Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10 | £24.66 | $0.25 | $0.22 | No | |
| Japan Health Center (Bio-Japan) | Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10 | $99.90 | $1.00 | $1.00 | Yes | |
| HealthyAreaStore | Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10 | $65.00 | $0.65 | $0.65 | Unknown | |
| United Pharmacies (US) | Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10 | $38.85 | $0.39 | $0.35 | No | |
| Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals | Estradiol Valerate 400mg/10ml | $65.00 | $0.16 | $0.16 | Yes | This seller is currently suffering delays |
| Felicitas | Estradiol Enanthate 400mg/10ml | €40.00 | €0.10 | €0.09 | Unknown | Janoshik - Test Report (02/06/23) |
| Felicitas | Estradiol Undecylate 400mg/10ml | €90.00 | €0.23 | €0.20 | Unknown | Janoshik - Test Report (18/08/23) |
| TeaHRT | Estradiol Cypionate 400mg/10mL | $80.00 | $0.20 | $0.20 | 66 days ago | Janoshik - Test Report (20/10/23) |
| TeaHRT | Estradiol Enanthate 400mg/10ml | $80.00 | $0.20 | $0.20 | Yes | Janoshik - Test Report (20/10/23) |
| Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals | Estradiol Enanthate 400mg/10ml | $75.00 | $0.19 | $0.19 | Yes | Trans Harm Reduction - Test Report (08/06/22) This seller is currently suffering delays |
| Vanna Pharma | Estradiol Enanthate 400mg/10ml | $65.00 | $0.16 | $0.11 | Unknown | Trans Harm Reduction - Test Report (10/12/22) |
| Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals | Estradiol Cypionate 400mg/10ml | $85.00 | $0.21 | $0.21 | Yes | Trans Harm Reduction - Test Report (26/06/23) This seller is currently suffering delays |
Formulations
- Felicitas is missing due to site being down.
Valerate
Castor, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol
MCT Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol
- Vanna Pharma Valerate
- Astro Vials Valerate (MCT)
- Girl Potion Estradiol Valerate 40mg/ml
- Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals Estradiol Valerate 400mg/10ml
Arachnis Oil (Discard rest of medication inside ampule)
- Bio-Japan Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
- ZeeMoreUncle Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
- HealthyAreaStore Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
- United Pharmacies (UK) Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
- United Pharmacies (US) Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
- Web Order Pharmacy (US) Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
- 4NRX Pharmacy Progynon Depot (EV) 10mg/1ml x 10
Cypionate
Cottonseed Oil, Chlorobutanol
MCT Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol
Enanthate
MCT Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Alcohol
- Astro Vials Enanthate (MCT)
- TeaHRT Estradiol Enanthate 10mL
- Girl Potion Enanthate 400mg/10ml
- Girl Potion Enanthate 500mg/10ml
- Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals Enanthate
- Vanna Pharma Enanthate