Considering T

[Julian]

I've been quite active in the "Hormones for Androgyns" thread over in the androgyne section, and I thought I might come over here and seek a little more input.

Hi. I'm a non-binary individual (neutrois is the closest-to-right label I can think of) who's starting to consider trying T for my gender dysphoria. For those on T, I was wondering what the first physical changes you noticed were. Genital growth? Voice cracking? Changes in body odor and taste? Acne? Something I haven't thought of? Also, how long did it take these first few changes to appear?

I have nasty acne that's resistant to most all over-the-counter and prescription medications. Hormones of the female variety, however, tamed it within a couple weeks. Are there any of you with really resistant acne on T, and if so, did T make it worse, and what helped, if anything other than time?

[Nygeel]

My throat hurt pretty quick, but it didn't crackle. I did start stinking right away. Growth was also fast. I think I noticed those all within the first month. I lucked out with pimples...they didn't start to really come in until maybe 6 months but my skin did get worse pretty soon after starting T.

[Adio]

Noticed some genital growth within the 1st week.  Briefly I had more energy, but I think that could be attributed to having a more positive mood.  Within about 2 months, I had some weight gain, increased facial (chin) and body (stomach) hair, and my voice had lowered to a tenor.

[JesseO]

Julian - similar situation to yours. Andro, taking T to combat dysphoria.

First things I noticed...I started to smell not as lovely, everyone kept asking me if I was sick or had a sinus infection because my voice sounded nasal-y, my skin got oily, sensitivity increased in the junk area.

Not a physical change really, but I became redic horny. Like...had to uh...relieve the horny-ness multiple times a day....

This started within the first month.

[Mika]

Noticed some genital growth within the 1st week.  Briefly I had more energy, but I think that could be attributed to having a more positive mood.  Within about 2 months, I had some weight gain, increased facial (chin) and body (stomach) hair, and my voice had lowered to a tenor.

So. Freaking. Jealous >.<

I'm not on T, and I don't know if I ever will be (it's complicated, as always). I did the whole "natural" transitioning thing for a month then quit (too many mental side-effects and a reluctance to continue without a doctor's supervision). But within the first two weeks, I got a happy trail, my smell changed, and I got some minor bottom growth. I realize this isn't super relevant to the question... >_>

[Wolfsnake]

I'm an FtM, but a very androgynous one. I used to identify as neutrois. I decided to start T a little over two weeks ago, beginning at a low dose (50 mg/two weeks). So far:

1. Clitoral growth (enough to be very noticeable to my partner) nd increased sensitivity.
2. Darker hair on upper lip
3. Easier time hitting low notes when I sing, but no cracking yet
4. Brighter, more even-tempered mood
5. Minimal weight gain (2 lbs, so maybe just water)
6. Increased libido, with less need for foreplay
7. Mildly increased appetite
8. Greater endurance at the gym
9. Change in the smell of my genital area (hard to describe, especially since I avoid interacting with that part of my body)
10. Increase in oiliness of skin (no acne yet...*knocks on wood*)
11. change in the texture of my body--it feels a little more firm and male than soft and female, if that makes any sense

I don't feel like my body odor has changed much. I find men attractive, though, so male body odor is not objectionable to me and I might not have noticed the change.

[dmx]

First changes I noticed were voice drop, eyebrows thickening and leg hair.

While T has increased my acne, it's also had a paradoxical effect by making it less noticable. Since my skin texture is rougher, acne doesn't stand out against it like it did before; when my skin was otherwise smooth and clear. Nah mean?

I've always been acne-prone since age 12 and the only thing that really gets rid of it is antibiotics. Azithromycin specifically cleared it up in a few days max and I was 6 months on T at that point.

[Julian]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'm mostly just letting my vanity get the better of me with all this. I wish I could pick and choose my changes, but chances are if I go on T I'll end up bald like my dad within a couple years.

[Z7Z]

There's always Rogaine, right?  Yeah some of the changes aren't the best. After a few weeks on T I started to get acne again, although it isn't quite as bad as it was during my first puberty. And I hate that I sweat so much more now, I usually shower twice a day instead of once a day now. But I'm really happy with the other changes. I'm stronger, more energetic, have no mood swings anymore except I feel tense and agitated at the very end of my T cycle. And I'm getting a mustache now! It would be visible if I had dark hair, or if I stand about six inches away from the mirror   

At first I had some crazy mood swings for a few weeks but I think it's because my endocrinologist had me on a low dose of T, so (in my uneducated opinion) it was enough to mess with the estrogen cycle but not enough to make testosterone my body's primary hormone. Er, if that makes any sense...  The other changes at the very beginning were growth (after one week), voice cracking, increased hairiness, increased appetite, and a slight (slight at first, now it's completely different than before) change in body odor.

[Sarah Louise]

Baldness is typically inherited from your mothers side of the family.

[Z7Z]

Baldness is typically inherited from your mothers side of the family.

Right, that's the other thing I was going to mention. But then, if you're XX not XY, does it increase your chances of inheriting baldness since you have two X's?

edit: I mean, if baldness runs in your mother's side of the family.

[Julian]

Yeah, I thought baldness was an X-chromosome thing. And I definitely inherited my dad's hair genes.

[wheat thins are delicious]

Baldness is typically inherited from your mothers side of the family.

That is for XY gene'd individuals since baldness is found on the X they look at their mother's side, since the Y comes from the father only.  XX gets to look at both sides and even then it's a crapshoot imo.

[Nygeel]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Androgenic_alopecia

Much research concerns the genetic component of male pattern baldness, or androgenic alopecia (AGA). Research indicates that susceptibility to premature male pattern baldness is largely X-linked, which means it is linked to genes on an X-chromosome. Other genes that are not sex linked are also involved, however. Men whose fathers had experienced hairloss were 2.5 times more likely to experience hairloss themselves, regardless of the mother's side of the family.[4][5]
Large studies in 2005 and 2007 stress the importance of the maternal line in the inheritance of male pattern baldness. German researchers name the androgen receptor gene as a necessary condition for balding.[6] They conclude that a specific variant of the androgen receptor is needed for AGA to develop. This study has been confirmed by other researchers.[7] This gene is recessive. Thus, a female would need two X chromosomes with the defect to show typical male pattern alopecia. Since androgens and their interaction with the androgen receptor are the cause of AGA, the androgen receptor gene plays an important part in its development.
Other research in 2007 suggests another gene on the X chromosome, that lies close to the androgen receptor gene, is an important gene in male pattern baldness. Researchers[who?] found the region Xq11-q12 on the X-chromosome to be strongly associated with AGA in males. They point at the EDA2R gene as the gene that is mostly associated with AGA.[8]
Other genes involved with hair loss have been found, one of them being an allele on chromosome 3. The allele is located at 3q26.[9] This allele is recessive.
There are also genes that are involved in hair loss, although not male pattern baldness per se. In particular, three genes have been shown to both affect hair texture and also cause baldness in some people. One of these is P2RY5. Mutations in this gene affects hair structure "woolly hair".[10] Certain variants can lead to baldness.[11]
In May 2009, researchers in Japan identified a gene, SOX21, a Y-linked gene that may be be responsible for some hair loss conditions in humans.[12]

[kyril]

Just have to get in the obligatory "your results may vary" post.

Here's a fairly comprehensive list of the changes I've had while on T that are "normal:
- Increase in hair on legs
- Loss of body fat
- Increased upper body muscle mass
- Deepening of voice
- Growth of junk
- Change of smell of junk
- Increased sex drive
- Slight facial structure change
- Slightly coarser facial fuzz
- Breast atrophy
- Slightly higher red blood cell count
- Slightly rougher facial skin
- Increased energy
- More stable mood

These are the things that have not changed, even though we're told to expect them:
- No balding or hairline changes
- No change in body acne
- No change in chest or arm hair, no back hair, no butt hair
- No adult-quality facial hair, even after a year (well, OK, I have one little baby chin hair that I shave once a month)
- No dryness of junk
- No increase in sweating
- No skin changes outside the facial area
- Can't really say much about my general body odor, since it's generally imperceptible because I don't sweat

These are the things that have changed that are completely opposite the expected changes:
- Loss of weight
- Reduced facial acne
- Lower blood pressure
- Lower bad cholesterol
- Slightly higher good cholesterol
- Reduced appetite
- Reduced abdominal fat and waist size

Basically, so far I've won the "if you could pick and choose your changes" lottery, except that I'd take some more muscle mass if I could get it, and my voice could stand to be deeper. I'm clearly an outlier, though. Most guys' acne gets worse, not better. Pretty quickly, too. Acne and voice are likely the first things you'll see, and for many of us, really the only things you can expect to see if you just go on T for a short time. For me, the first several months were really just voice, skin, genitals, and leg hair; the body shape stuff really kicked in around 6 months and has leveled off again recently.

[Superrad]

I haven't been on T for that long, somewhere between two and three months but I'll give my input.
I think the first thing anyone noticed was my attitude. I felt a little more confident and was a bit more willing to go when people 'came at me'. One of my friends helpfully pointed it out when he said something rude and I replied (without pause) with a generally good quip. He said I was 'unusually sassy'.
Then I noticed energy and strength. I got down and did push ups and sit ups 'till I was tired because I was pretty pent up. Libido went up fairly early too. My voice dropped to a distinctly male level within the first month. I couldn't speak and sound female and if I do now it sounds like a man trying to imitate a girl. Facial 'fuzzies' came in before the first month but they're just pretty much chillin' on my chin/upper lip. They don't grow that long and look weak but if I shave they regrow the same way. Acne came too, horribly swiftly, but I'm dealing with it. Cessation of menses didn't happen until the second month because I remember the last one pretty distinctly. :I
Also some body hair growth. Probably some genital growth too but to be honest I didn't look down there much pre-T so I don't have a good point of comparison.

[Julian]

Wow, Kyril, looks like you really got lucky. I'm so afraid of losing hair and getting a pot belly and terrible acne.