New member and possible FtM in need of guidance!

[ska]

Hello! My name is Charley, aged 18. I have, for a long time, identified as an androgynous/genderqueer lesbian. This past year or so I have realized that I may very well be trans in the future. I hate my breasts and girly clothes/makeup, and I have always dressed androgynously. I have never really been comfortable with the term 'girl' but it's been getting pretty bad lately, where 'she' and 'girl' are becoming painful to hear.

I recently ended up dating my best friend, who is male and gay (a gay and a lesbian, strange I know). This furthers my interest in transitioning even more.

That's some  background info for you. Anyway, I'm looking for advice on how to go about talking to doctors about breast removal, finding a gender therapist, tips and tricks I should know, etc.

I am also very short on cash, what are cheap ways to bind and boost testosterone and masculinity? What should I avoid if I don't want to boost my estrogen?

Apologies in advance if this post is in the wrong place or has been answered already.

[Felix]

Hi Charley, welcome to Susan's.

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Everything's been answered already, by somebody somewhere. You can dig through our FTM forums, but redundancy is fine. You don't have to research for hours before asking questions.

I wouldn't worry too much about boosting testosterone or avoiding estrogen increase. Doing it without exogenous hormones is always going to be subtle and maybe frustrating.

I think most of us are short on cash. There are some pretty useful tutorials out there for making homemade binders. You can use pantyhose, certain sports bras, back braces, etc. Layering is helpful. Look in the FTM Gear thread for more ideas.

Breast removal might take awhile. It costs 5-10k and isn't covered by insurance unless you find a surgeon willing to code it creatively.