Which form of TRT fits your life?

There isn't one. Injections, gels and tablets all deliver the same hormone. What differs is how often you take it, how steady your levels stay and how it fits your routine. Weekly or twice-weekly injections give the flattest levels and the most precise dose changes, which is why they are our usual starting point, but a man who will not inject is better served by a gel he actually uses.

No. Gels, creams and tablets are needle-free, and the long-acting injection is given by a nurse rather than by you. If you do choose injections, we teach you to do it yourself at home. Most men find the first one is the hardest and the rest become routine.

With the short-acting esters we usually prescribe, once or twice a week. Smaller, more frequent doses keep levels steadier than one large dose. The long-acting undecanoate injection is given every 10 to 14 weeks, usually at a clinic or GP surgery. There is more on technique and timing in our guide to where to inject testosterone.

It is the standard NHS option, and private clinics can prescribe it too. We rarely use it as a first choice because of the peak after each dose and the dip in the weeks before the next, which some men feel as a return of their symptoms. If you are stable on it and feel well, there is no reason to change.

The monitoring is the same whichever form you use: testosterone, oestradiol, haematocrit and PSA on a schedule, because the risks come from the hormone rather than the delivery. A few things are method-specific: injection-site discomfort, skin irritation and transfer risk with gels, and the need to take tablets with food.

No. Any external testosterone suppresses the signal from the brain to the testes, so sperm production falls whichever way it is delivered. If fertility matters to you, that is a conversation about hCG alongside treatment, or enclomiphene instead of it, before you start.

Yes. Men move from gel to injections when absorption is poor or the daily routine slips, and from injections to gel when they want to stop using needles. A switch needs a dose recalculation and a blood test a few weeks later, so it is done with your doctor rather than on your own.

Tablets and the long-acting injection are the simplest, since there are no needles to carry or, with the long-acting injection, nothing to take with you on most trips. Weekly injections and gel travel fine too: keep them in your hand luggage with a travel letter from us, and check your airline's rules on needles. More on travelling with TRT.

You can and should discuss it. The decision sits with your prescribing doctor, who has to justify the choice clinically, and UK law stops clinics advertising specific prescription-only medicines to the public. We will tell you what we are prescribing and why, in your consultation.