u/Expensive_Aside_2494

so i made a post on here 2 days ago about how my estrogen trough levels came back at 73 pg/ml on 4 pumps of gel daily and feel like my transition isn't working. i've been underdosed for 4 years and idk what to do : r/asktransgender

my prescription has been changed to 200mcg patches every 3.5 days and if my levels aren't high enough after 12 weeks i'll go up 300mcg.

so i'm wondering if there's any people here who've found they absorb patches better than gel and what your experiences and levels were like with patches

i apply 2 pumps in morning 1 on arm one on thigh and two 12 hours later in evening on other arm other thigh. my doctor said i'd need to increase to either 6 pumps a day or switch to patches but i don't think it'd help because i think i just don't absorb transmerdal estrogen well? like 6 pumps would barely bring me to 100 pg/ml and i'm unsure about the patches. i was thinking about just switching to scrotal application instead twice a day then doing the other two pumps on my thighs? advice or thoughts?

gonna hate doing this because of dysphoria but i wanna get my levels up and my thighs and arms aren't absorbing well so i was thinking about applying 2 pumps of gel there a day and also another two on my thighs, so 2 pumps spaced out every 12 hours. my current regimen is 2 on thighs and 2 on arms and it's just not working. i've read about how gel is 10x more effective applied scrotally. does anyone have experience with this method? did it work for you?

spoke to doctor today and found out i've basically been underdosed for 4 years. i was on 4 pumps of estrogel a day which is equivalent to 3mg and my estrogen levels at trough are 71.4 pg/ml. he said i should be on 6mg a day by this point he said he's going to increase my dose to 4mg and then to 6mg after 3 months. he said i can continue with gel and add 2 more pumps or switch to patches. i said patches because i think i don't absorb gel very well but i've looked it up and apparently a 100mcg patch is equivalent to around 2mg of estrogen which is lower than my gel dose and he made it sound like i was only going to be using 1 patch every 3.5 days? am i not just being underdosed again???? i'm really exhausted honestly feel like the last 4 years have been a waste of time and i've seen little progress. someone please give me advice idk what to do