HRT Source Testing

We organise laboratory testing of HRT sources commonly used by trans people who are self-medicating.

What does testing HRT sources entail?

For the past few years we have been testing HRT sources commonly used by trans people who are self-medicating. This process is complicated and expensive, costing €300 per sample (i.e. one single vial). It involves testing a vial of HRT for concentration (strength) and testing for contamination (impurities). Due to the cost, we currently cannot organise testing on request.

Why is lab testing important?

One risk of self-medicating is using homebrew forms of HRT, which are not subject to the same standards as prescription products made by regulated pharmaceutical companies. Testing indicates whether the advertised concentration is correct and whether a given source might be contaminated or unsafe to use for any other reason.

How can I help?

Laboratory testing is expensive, costing at least €300 for comprehensive tests. At this point, we cannot commit to organising or covering lab testing on request.

However, we would like to be able to organise regular testing of the most common forms of HRT used by trans people who are self-medicating.

If you would like us to be able to continue our work, please consider donating.

Starting from the most recent lab test to the earliest

  • Test date: August 2024

    Sample: vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Felicitas

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 36.97mg/ml estradiol enanthate

    Contamination: GCMS detected only benzyl benzoate, oil components and estradiol in significant peaks. Please note that the testosterone enanthate which shows up in the GCMS result was investigated by the lab technician and turned out to be a false positive.

    Full GCMS results here.

  • Test date: April 2024

    Sample: vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Lena

    Advertised concentration: 50mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 48.38mg/ml estradiol enanthate

    Contamination: No evidence of contamination. Please note that the methenolone enanthate appearing in the GCMS results also shows up in the blank sample test so should be disregarded.

    Full GCMS results here.

  • Test date: March 8th 2024

    Sample: vial of estradiol undecyclate produced by Zelda

    Advertised concentration: 100mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 92.25mg/ml of estradiol undecyclate

    Contamination: No evidence of contamination or anything unexpected in the sample. GCMS analysis detected only benzyl benzoate, oil components and estradiol.

    Full GCMS results here.

  • Test date: March 8th 2024

    Sample: vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Zelda

    Advertised concentration: 50mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 49.25mg/ml of estradiol enanthate

    Contamination: No evidence of contamination or anything unexpected in the sample. GCMS analysis detected only benzyl benzoate, oil components and estradiol.

    Full GCMS results here.

  • Test date: 5th January 2024

    Sample: vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Noirelabs

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 37.26mg/ml of estradiol enanthate

    Contamination: No evidence of contamination or anything unexpected in the sample. GCMS analysis detected only benzyl benzoate, oil components and estradiol

    GCMS data: Noirelabs 2024 GCMS data

    Note: peak 15 in the GCMS results is estradiol enanthate. This isn’t shown in the table due to an issue encountered by the lab in generating the results. If anyone wants further documentation regarding the results email us on transharmreduction@protonmail.com.

  • Test date: 31st August 2023

    Sample: vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Astrovials

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 38.76mg/ml of estradiol enanthate

    Contamination: No evidence of contamination. Testing detected only benzyl benzoate, oil components and estradiol

    GCMS data: Astrovials 2023 GCMS data

  • Test date: 26th June 2023

    Sample: vial of estradiol cypionate produced by Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 39.58mg/ml of estradiol cypionate and 1.37mg/ml of estradiol valerate

    Contamination: all clear, no unexpected compounds or signs of contamination. GCMS detected only benzyl benzoate, oil components and estradiols

    GCMS data: Otokonoko cypionate 2023 GCMS data

    GCMS note: peaks 14, 15 & 16 are due to reactions between the compound and the testing system and should be ignoredOtokonoko cypionate 2023 GCMS data

  • Test date: 3rd March 2023

    Sample: Testosterone Cypionate, produced by Swiss Pure

    Advertised concentration: 250mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 233mg/ml

    Contamination: Impurities present. Resulting either from the breakdown of Testosterone Cypionate or from the manufacturing process. The three major impurities were: Testosterone, Testosterone Enanthate, and Androstenedione. Because Testosterone and Testosterone Enanthate are medicinally similar to Testosterone Cypionate, we would not recommend adjusting the dosage to compensate for the lower concentration of Testosterone Cypionate. Studies on the effects of Androstenedione are inconclusive, but the amount present in the sample is low at <2% (contamination analysis provided by ‘Margaret’, a chemist).

    Paper on impurities in Testosterone used for reference: Bharti A, Kumbhare RM, Jeyaseelan C. HPLC Method Development and Validation for the Quantification of Related Impurities in Testosterone Cypionate Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient.

    GCMS data (control test): control

    GCMS data (primary test): Swiss Pure GCMS data

  • Test date: 3rd March 2023

    Note: We understand this supplier has stopped operating but we decided to go ahead with the test in case anyone has stock from this supplier that they are still using and to provide a general sense of the quality of DIY HRT sources

    Sample: a 10ml vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Spiffy aka Pinkpill Pharmacy

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration: 36.57mg/ml (dose, volume and concentration conversion calculator)

    Contamination: None. The laboratory tested the sample for contamination using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). This test showed the sample only contained compounds expected in an oil-based injectable fluid. There was no evidence of harmful or unexpected compounds.

    GCMS data (control test): control

    GCMS data (main test): Spiffy / Pinkpill Pharmacy

  • Test date: 10th December 2022

    Sample: a 10ml vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Vanna Pharma

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 35.14mg/ml (dose, volume and concentration conversion calculator)

    Contamination: None. The laboratory tested the sample for contamination using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). This test showed the sample only contained compounds expected in an oil-based injectable fluid. There was no evidence of harmful or unexpected compounds.

    GCMS data: Vanna Pharma GCMS data

  • Test date: 15th October 2022

    Sample: a 10ml vial of estradiol valerate produced by OE Labs with

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 42.26mg/ml (dose, volume and concentration conversion calculator)

    Contamination: None. The laboratory tested the sample for contamination using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). This test showed the sample only contained compounds expected in an oil-based injectable fluid. There was no evidence of harmful or unexpected compounds.

    GCMS data: OE Labs GCMS data

    (Please note that while the GCMS results indicate testosterone enanthate in the sample, don’t be alarmed. This also showed up in the control test results, which means that it was due to residue on the equipment and is not evidence of a contaminated product. This was confirmed by the laboratory as well, and this is why they conduct control tests first)

  • Test date: 17th August 2022

    Sample: a 10ml vial of estradiol enanthate produced by a small European supplier

    (The supplier is small-scale and does not have an online presence, so we are not naming them here. However, you can contact us by email if you want more information)

    Advertised concentration: 50mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 48.92mg/ml (dose, volume and concentration conversion calculator)

    Contamination: the results also showed that the sample contained some unexpected and unexplained compounds. Interpretation of the results by the lab and others with experience in GCMS testing was that:

    While these compounds were unexpected, they were most likely in tiny amounts. These unexpected compounds were present, possibly due to interactions between the sample and the lab equipment or from the silicon rubber vial stopper.

    There was no evidence of any identifiably harmful compounds that the lab would generally look out for in this type of sample.

    GCMS results: European GCMS data

  • Test date: 8th June 2022

    Sample: vial of estradiol enanthate produced by Otokonoko Pharmaceuticals

    Advertised concentration: 40mg/ml

    Concentration when tested: 35.98mg/ml (dose, volume and concentration conversion calculator)

    Contamination when tested: None. The laboratory tested the sample for contamination using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). This test showed the sample only contained compounds expected in an oil-based injectable fluid. There was no evidence of harmful or unexpected compounds.

    GCMS data: Otokonoko GCMS data