hey just bc Ive been dealing with a lot of trans girlies w this issue. If your doctor ever prescribes weekly injections, ASK FOR CYPIONATE, NOT VALERATE.
If valerate is your only option, then MAKE SURE YOUR DOCTOR PRESCRIBES YOU ENOUGH FOR 4 or 5 DAY INJECTION CYCLES.
Weekly injections (every 7 days) with estradiol valerate leaves you with long periods of REALLY LOW HORMONE LEVELS IN YOUR BODY which can lead to symptoms like LOWERED MOOD, AND DEPRESSION SYMPTOMS.
So far, it's been a common experience that doctors prescribing estradiol injections have NO IDEA WHAT THEY'RE DOING and I've seen some friends deal with adverse effects and worsened mental health bc they don't know this.
So, unfortunately, it falls to us to learn and spread this info ourselves.
When shopping around for injectable hrt, take this rule of thumb into consideration:
Valerate: 4-5 day injection cycles for stable hormone levels
Cypionate: 7 day injection cycles for stable hormone levels
Enanthate: 7-10 day injection cycles for stable hormone levels
Your choice may vary depending on what is available to you, but keep this in mind when shopping around for options or for when you're negotiating with your doctor.
This tool can give you an idea of what hormone levels you can expect for each type of injection:
