A common question that trans guys and body builders alike have is:

Which is better, testosterone cypionate or testosterone enanthate?

It’s a bit of a moot question since the two are so similar, and as lots of people say, testosterone is testosterone is testosterone… Both are slow-acting testosterone esters with a release time between 10-14 days. They are considered largely interchangeable.

While there is little difference between the two, some body builders swear that cypionate provides a bit more of a “kick” than enanthate. (Though this seems to contradict some of the information below.) Additionally, it’s said to produce a slightly higher level of water retention than enanthate.

Testosterone and Esters

I recently requested a higher concentration prescription of testosterone now that I am injecting 200 mg / two weeks. Having the higher concentration means I can inject less volume.

My prescription has been for testosterone cypionate since the beginning. My local Wal-Mart was not able to get me this in a 200 mg/ml concentration, so I took my prescription to the compounding pharmacy where I ordered my DHT cream. It took two weeks, but they got my new T in today. (The DHT is still not in.) They weren’t able to get cypionate and substituted enanthate instead, the Delatestryl name brand. It came in two 5 ml vials instead of one 10 ml vial.

What’s the difference between cypionate and enanthate?

  • Enanthate is manufactured widely throughout the world, while cypionate is less common outside the USA. Hence, cypionate tends to be more common in the States.
  • Enanthate is suspended in sesame oil; cypionate is suspended in cottonseed oil.
  • Enanthate has a 7-carbon ester chain while cypionate has an 8-carbon ester chain. The more carbons the ester group has, the more soluble in oil and the less soluble in water it becomes. As a result, cypionate has a slightly slower release and longer active life.
  • Due to being one atom lighter, enanthate has more testosterone per mg. The difference is insignificant though, perhaps a few milligrams amount of steroid more.

Cost is another difference that influences people to choose enanthate over cypionate, which tends to be slightly more expensive*. I was paying $35.99 CAD for 10 ml of 100 mg/ml of testosterone cypionate. Today, I paid $60.76 CAD for 10 ml of 200 mg/ml of testosterone enanthate. That works out to just over $10 CAD cheaper, though I don’t know if that’s because it’s enanthate or because it’s the higher concentration (I’ve been told that higher concentration T is usually less expensive.)

Practically speaking, enanthate and cypionate are virtually identical. I doubt I’ll any differences, but you can be sure that if I do I’ll post all the details!

*The cost of enanthate in Canada now exceeds the cost of cypionate significantly. See the price chart here.

Related: DHT – Dihydrotestosterone is an androgen, synthesized primarily in the male prostate gland, testes, hair follicles, and adrenal glands by the enzyme 5a-reductase.