Why now?

In the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, supply channels are disrupted worldwide. It is hard to receive shipments. Some people lost their jobs and are without health insurance. Also, drugs are way overpriced.

Why brew?

Even outside a pandemic, why give your hard earned money to some doctor just so they can write a piece of paper for you to take to a pharmacy? Do you enjoy some clown in a white jacket lecturing you on what you should do with your body and your money? Do you appreciate that pharmacies refuse to sell you drugs you've been taking for years if you don't have the magical piece of paper of if it's expired? Do you like this system created by big pharma under the pretense of "your safety" while it's just to profit from you? We don't.

Why say "brewing" instead of making?

Because it evokes DIY like making beer or cooking drugs at home. This means it may or may not be illegal where you live. Not our problem.

Why brew a gel instead of pills?

Because when swallowed, pills are subject to a first pass in the liver. Besides being bad for the liver, this makes estrone, which can give blood clots. Letting pills dissolve sublingually is a poor workaround, as you'll always swallow some.

Why brew a gel instead of an injectable?

Because of safety first. It is almost impossible to create safely an injectable at home. Sterilization requires many specialized tools like autoclaves, UV lights, aspiration - a pressure cooker in your kitchen is not enough. Even professionals get bacteria or fungal contamination in their batches sometimes. Even if you managed to reduce the risks to some level you find acceptable, what do you know about the contamination of the active substance you acquired? It is very easy for say a virus to sneak in. Contamination during the industrial manufacturing process is also impossible to control without lab tests you can't afford. Also, not everybody is comfortable injecting, and it can be hard to buy syringes in some places, even if insulin syringes can often be found OTC at places like walmart.

Why brew a gel at all given these risks?

With a transdermal gel, you bypass the liver. You put nothing in your mouth or your veins. Your skin is nature best defense against various infections. It is not perfect, but far less risky than the alternatives. Also, the alcohol in the formula will prevent bacterial and fungal contamination

What is the goal?

The composition will be based on https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=762ac371-bb8b-47e7-b48f-e80d452c9dd4

So is it a copy of the commercial drug?

No. Given than most people need more than one dose from the usual estrogel 0.06%, the recipes will aim to make 0.12% estrogel.

Is it dangerous? Will I get in trouble with the DEA?

Maybe? The nih.gov website says "unscheduled", so it's not a controlled substance. But we're not doctors or lawyers. Did nobody warn you about following advice from random people on the internet? For us, your body, your rules. Don't do something if you're not comfortable with the risks you are taking.

YOLO, gimme the recipe!

Work in progress, for 100g at 0.12% based on page 39 of https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070154533A1/en which will also be similar to the US Estreva 0.1%

Dissolve in 100 ml of purified water:

• 17 beta estradiol (active principle) : 0.12 g

• ethanol (lower alcohol, could also be isopropanol) : 59 ml

• carbomer 980 (thickener or gelling agent, could also be carboxymethylcellulose or another polyacrylic acid like 934P or sepimax zen) : 1g

• triethanolamine (penetration enhancer : could be isopropyl myristate or others currently under discussion) : 1.35g cf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triethanolamine

What to buy

Accessibility is the #1 goal. The recipe and material required should be as cheap and simple as possible for all the readers not in rich countries, or on a fixed income.

Preliminary research suggest a $3.99 milk frothier from Ikea will be required.

Simpler/riskier recipe

It should be possible to just add some triethanolamine and estradiol in a base of Purell, however the use of denaturing agent could be a problem. More research is needed