Nurse Niki

The library

Why is my hormone dose different from my friend’s?

Because you are not metabolizing hormones the way she is. Absorption, metabolism, receptor sensitivity, body composition, other medications and where you are in your own transition all change what a given amount actually does. A dose that suits her tells you nothing useful about what should suit you.

Comparing medications and doses is one of the most common ways people talk themselves out of a plan that is working, or into asking for one that would not suit them.

Two women the same age, the same height, with similar symptoms, can need meaningfully different amounts by different routes — and both be exactly right. The number is not a score. It is a setting, and settings are personal.

Your own needs also change over time. What was right two years ago may not be right now, which is why we keep monitoring rather than setting a plan and walking away.

So if a friend tells you what she takes, take it as a sign she is being cared for, not as a benchmark for you. Bring the question to me instead — I would far rather talk it through than have you quietly wondering whether you are on the wrong thing.

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