[intro music]
Chase: Hey guys, it's me
Today I want to update you finally on
The hormone blocker that I have been on for the last couple of months
I believe the video came out in March or April
So, uh, we're like in October now, so, whatever, how many months that is- Over six months, I have been on
The hormone blocker
Um, now, why was I on the hormone blocker, you ask
So, I was having a lot of issues with my testosterone levels, my testosterone levels were too low
And my estrogen levels were too high
And it caused me to bleed
So, I took, um, progesterone pills
Everyday
To avoid bleeding, but sometimes I would still end up bleeding
And it wasn't every month, it was like, maybe once every six months, or once every three months
But then still, I don't want to be bleeding, right?
So in order for me to not bleed, I would either have to have a hysterectomy or try one more thing
Now, the one more thing that I tried is hormone blockers
Um
The ac- It's not actually like called a hormone blocker
There's a name for it, but I can't say the name of the company or the actual medication
Because this video will be flagged for not advertiser friendly, 'cause it's a brand, so I'll put it in the comments or something like that
Um, so I was, uh, taking an injection
Intramuscula- Intramuscularly
Um, every month
A nurse does it for me, because this is not like a regular testosterone injection
This is very intense
There's like a powder and a liquid, and you have to put the liquid and the powder together
You have to shake it and then you have to inject it
No way am I doing that
So, I had to go to my university and have
Uh, nurses, or some nurse friends, do it for me
Um, every month
So, then I went to get a blood test
And I got my endocrinology appointment and
The endocrinologist told me that my levels are saying two different things
And they're actually very contradictory, so
My testosterone levels
Are low, my testosterone level right now is an eight
So, the issue with that is that
With the scale that we use here, I should be between nineteen and twenty-one
That's the range that my doctor wants me at
And I'm at an eight
Previous to this, last year, I was at a four
That is not good, that is lower than cis women, I should not be at a four for my testosterone
Now, he says that
Because I'm on the gel and I apply gel every day
That my testosterone levels change daily
I don't know if I really believe that, I know he's the expert and stuff like that but
I don't know, to me that just sounds a little mm
So, he says that maybe my application of testosterone that day
Wasn't as effective as the day before
And that's why it's an eight
But then he looks at my estrogen levels and he says that my estrogen levels are high
But the issue is that there is no estrogen in my body
The hormone blockers that I am taking are being used to suppress the estrogen from my body
Because my body naturally produces estrogen
So, when you inject the hormone blocker, it completely suppresses that
Um, which means that the testosterone coming into my body is not being suppressed at all
It's taking over as the na- the, the most dominant hormone
But because I'm on the hormone blocker
My doctor is saying that it is working, because I'm not bleeding, I don't have cramps and all of that stuff
But I still have estrogen in my levels, which is confusing, so he is saying
That my testosterone level is actually higher than an eight
Right now, and that
Some of the estro- Some of the testosterone is being converted into estrogen
Because that's what happens
When a lot of people have a high, high, high dose of testosterone
It doesn't actually change or make your changes faster
A lot of it will actually change and convert into estrogen
Which you don't want that to happen, because you want testosterone to be the number one
Hormone and the dominant hormone in your body
So, because I still have estrogen levels that are
High, or like at an okay range
My doctor is saying that
I have enough testosterone in my body and some of it is being converted into estrogen
So, it's not a bad thing, my levels aren't too high, aren't too low, I'm kind of like
Neutral, I'm okay right now
And he's saying this also because he looked at some of my other levels, my
Hemoglobin, hemoglobin
I don't know what the name is in English
But he says it that way and I think that that's what it's called here
But he's French, so like, he might have an accent, whatever
Something about your red blood cells, is very elevated
And very high and it has
Um, if it's, if the red
Blood count cell is too high, then you have a higher probability of clotting
Now, he's like, we, uh
Th- He's like that could be a problem
So, we have to keep an eye on that
Here's the thing, okay
My grandma had six strokes, my grandpa died of a heart attack at
Forty-two, my dad had a heart attack and a stroke, and my mom had a heart attack
Do you think blood clots run in my family?
Yes, I have- There is heart
Issues, and clotting issues in my family, so I really need to be careful
But because my red blood cells are so high
That can only be attributed to testosterone
In my doctor's eyes
So, that means that yes, my testosterone levels are okay right now, just that day when I got the blood test done they weren't that high
Maybe it's because it was in the morning
Maybe I didn't do my application that day, who knows
So, all in all, the hormone blocker is working and I'm going to continue on it
Now, uh, it's a monthly injection that I was taking, it's about
Three-hundred and sixty-seven dollars monthly, it's covered under my insurance, so I don't have to pay anything
But there is an option to do a three month injection and I ask them for it
And he was a bit like
I'm gonna give you a prescription for the monthly one, and I'm like
Can I please get the three month one, because I don't wanna keep having to go to a nurse outside of my home
And outside of whatever, blah, blah, because I'm going to be graduating from a university soon, I won't have access to those nurses
That I really like
And that like understand why I'm on this and I don't have to answer all these stupid questions
And, um, he
For some reason reluctantly gave me the prescription, but now I have a prescription to take the hormone blocker
Every three months
Do you know how much this shit costs?
Holy- Oh my god, it's literally over
A thousand dollars, I think it was a thousand two-hundred and sixty-two dollars or something like that
That is incr-
That's in- Crazy amount of money, but it's covered under my insurance, thank
God, I just have to pay my out-of-pocket max for the month, which is a hundred dollars
And that includes all of my medications, like my hormones and my
Pills and
You know, my medications
Um yeah, so that's, thank god that's covered
So, what I'll be doing now is taking the hormone blocker injection every three months
And I will still be getting it done by a nurse
And then in a year, about
About a year, I think, no, six months, sorry, in six months
I have another appointment with my endocrinologist to see if
Um, if it's working, uh, still
Or if there's some issues, if we need to adjust some of the levels and stuff like that
But so far, so good, I'm really glad to be
On the hormone blocker, um, I wish that I wasn't on it and I wish that
Um, I didn't have any issues, and honestly, I kind of feel like if I wasn't on the hormone blocker I would still be
Okay, but I don't want to chance having to bleed
Or like the opportunity for my body to be like
Oh, hello estrogen
'cause for some reason, the estrogen just
Dominates my body
Usually testosterone is the more dominating hormone and that really like
It, it takes over
But for some reason my estrogen's like, mm mm
No, no, no, no, I'm number one over here
Always and forever, like god
And yes, I know people are like, why don't you just get a hysterectomy?
Listen toots, I don't wanna get a hysterectomy, it's my body, I don't wanna have to have unnecessary surgery
The only reason why somebody would get
Why- Sorry, the only reason why I would get a hysterectomy is if it was medically necessary
It is not medically necessary, it is a myth
That after five years on testosterone you need to have a hysterectomy or else you're going to get cancer
There's literally no research that proves this
I made a whole video about the myths of hysterectomies and all of that fun stuff
in my Trans 101 series and I will link that video
in the description below, so that I'm not babbling on forever about that. Anyways -
if you have any questions specifically about the hormone blocker that I'm on, let me know
Remember that I have been on testosterone now for over seven years
And I am on hormone blockers and I started that about six months ago
And, uhm,
It's generally used for people who are
either, uh, right before puberty or have started puberty and are trying to repress the testost-
uh, sorry, the estrogen
Uhm, so that they can start testosterone, like, if you're under 18 is usually when it's used, but all of that is explained
in my Trans 101 series videos
But yes like I said if you have any questions let me know, about the hormone blockers specifically
And I also just came out with a video
Not too long ago about a different way of administrating testosterone
I'm no longer doing the gel on my arm and my back
I'm trying something new that no one has ever done before
That, like, no one has ever made a video about before and I don't know anyone who's tried this
I'm sure people have tried this but I've never heard anyone talk about it
It's the, uhm...
The nasal gel, here, I can't say the name of it but [mumbles] I'll put it in the comments below
Uhm, you put it in your nose, you spray, and then- sorry, this way
then you put it in your nose and then you just go like that
and that's it, that's your application for the day
because of the mucosa it really [clicks tounge]
grips on more, uh, please go look at that video I'll put that link in the description below as well
Aaand I'll see you guys later thanks so much for joining me
Love you, byee
[outro music]