Congratulations on beginning gender-affirming hormone therapy! Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida (PPSWCF) is dedicated to ensuring you have the support and resources you need during your transition.
If you are on this webpage, you have been prescribed a medication that is administered through self-injection. There are several different medications administered through self-injection, including testosterone cypionate, estradiol cypionate, testosterone valerate, and estradiol valerate. Your clinician should have spoken with you in depth regarding your medication options and routes of administration. However, be sure to contact us us at 941-567-3800 if you have any unanswered questions.
Types of Self-Injections
There are two types of self-injections: intramuscular (IM) injections and subcutaneous (SubQ) injections.
- An intramuscular injection is a way of injecting medication deep into the muscle tissue. This allows the medication to be quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Intramuscular shots are given at a 90° angle with the needle going straight through the skin into the muscle.
- A subcutaneous injection is a way of injecting medication into the subcutaneous tissue that is directly under the skin. Medication given this way absorbs into the bloodstream more slowly than medication injected directly into the muscle. Subcutaneous injections can be given at a 45° or 90° angle.
Injection Guides
During your visit, you were provided a written self-injection guide for either IM injections or SubQ injections. These guides are intended to serve as in-depth instructions on how to self-inject your medication. If you do not have a copy of the self-injection guide you need, you can download a copy below.
