What happens if you stop taking hormones?

[JoanneB]

I only stopped the spiro, long term. I have had and still do have the WTF meltdowns with my life so out of control on about every aspect you can imagine which leads to thinking... Well, I have control over my meds.... NOPE. You'd think after 4, 5, 6.... how many times I'd know better. A month or so later I know...
Which Pain is Worse

[Dani]

So 5 years ago you decided to stop HRT only to go back to it. So how do you feel about your decision? Are you happier now?

Many of us had or still have issues with doubt. All we really desire that our dysphoria would just go away. How many times have we purged all our female clothing when our crossdressing was just not satisfying and transition was thought to be not an option? I had many doubts for over 50 years. I was in a state of denial. Finally, I confronted my real issues and sought counselling.  Also conversations here at Susans's Place helped me as much as counselling. Once it was clear to me what I had to deal with, I made a plan. Then I worked the plan and I never looked back. Do your counselling first and then make your plan. Self doubt is normal. Just be sure of yourself.  Then do it.

[Antonia J]

I stopped E, spiro, and finasteride after 5 months - all cold turkey - and had hot flashes for a couple of weeks. My libido came raging back at about the 3 week mark. My skin softness disappeared after about 10 days, and got oily in my face. I started losing hair on my head at about 3 or 4 months, other hair became more course and grew faster (face, legs, chest). And i experienced anxiety and dysphoria about 1 - 2 months in similar to what I did before.

Basically, the drugs were out of the system at about 2 months, and my normal old endocrine system took over soon after. I was left with my old self.

Other physical changes - I had a small A cup breast size with buds and ducts forming. Most of that disappeared and shrunk. After a couple of months I looked like a skinny dude with small moobs. Same with my face - it was beginning to change, and feminize, and after stopping hormones it began to revert to old self after a couple of months. By 6 - 8 months post stopping HRT, all effects were largely gone.

That said, I detransitioned medically to get through divorce, start a new job, find a place to live, and rebuild my life when my family and friends left me. I did this for about two years. Since that time, I started HRT once again, got remarried to a supporting wife, bought a new house, made new friends, and got a new job with a trans friendly company. I do not know how far my transition will take me - just taking it one day, and one pill, at a time. If it did not feel right, I would detransition again with the help of a counselor. There is no right path, only your individual path. You decide what transition means to you, and how you want to present, and experience life. Everyone is different. There is no right way to be transsexual, female, or male.

[Alanna1990]

For me it also helps with my blood pressure issues, if I miss a day or take it too late it will wreck my blood pressure and I'll have to sleep all day to recover a little, it's a serious issue to me, don't stop your pills, I don't know if it only happens to me but please try to keep taking your pills

[Amy_Bennett]

I can second what Antonia has said as I have had very similar experiences when after my first 3-4 months on HRT I pulled the plug. Pretty much all reverts to your original position after 2 months or so apart from breast development. This does shrink, but only the fatty tissue part, the actual nodular/glandular parts do stay and you tend to look like you have larger pecs. I dealt with this by working out my upper body to help reduce the image having had a skinny chest and masking it with muscle.

I have been very much like JoanneB and totally empathize as first time I was on HRT I went 3 months and as soon as changes started to show I freaked and had the WTF moment. Second time, 6 months, later I went 4 months on HRT until I lost my job (redundancy and nothing to do with HRT etc). It hit me hard and I dropped HRT as a side effect as I wanted to ensure I got the best possible job with no hormone clouding and would be totally focused. Whilst I got a new job 2 weeks later, I kept off the HRT and again by 2 months everything was back to pre HRT stage, although nipples were substantially larger and now I looked like I had small moobs but nothing unusual.

Roll on 6 months, I'm happy and successful in the new job with good security and I've restarted on a low dose. Already 2 weeks in the breast are starting to 're-inflate' and have a little sensitivity in the nipples but no major changes. Thinking as I type, I did also get facial changes of fat to my cheeks and under eyes giving me a more feminine appearance but this also dissipated to a fair extent.

In short, early on, any changes do reverse, but the longer you are on HRT, it is the breasts that will ultimately remain if you decide to stop. But if you re-start, after a few months of catch-up you can effectively pick up from where you left off. I will add though that I do not know how this effect full breast maturity etc and rounding and I would add that to stop and start is probably the worst thing you could do for your body so please try not to do as I did.


Love and hugs and hope you have a fun and successful transition

Amy xx

[Lois17]

Does it sometimes take much longer to revert to normal again if you stop HRT? I was taking fairly high does for about 10 months... <dosages not allowed> estradiol valerate & <dosages not allowed> Androcur every day. Just had my testosterone level checked, and its still only at 39 ng/dL after 4 months of being off HRT. Starting to get worried it won't come back.



<edit by moderator>

[Harley Quinn]

It take a while for T levels to come back after extended Hormone therapy. Age and genetics play a big role in how you will detransition. High doses of Estrogen can damage the testes, and could take 3 months to a year before they recover.

[JeanieB]

For me the decision was not an easy one. I had to be honest with myself and my lot in life. Stopping the hormones was just a result of many decisions made prior to the actual action. My age is a big factor at stopping my attempts to transition. I would say I've tried several times in my life and find there isn't much support still to this day for Transgender persons. I am always broke, isolated, lonely, unemployed, homeless and in dire circumstances. I will never have the resources to have facial surgeries, breast implants and SRS. I will never have the ability to recover from those as well. I still find the world highly transphobic even here in California which is supposed to be one of the best places to transition. I'm lucky to get bloodwork twice a year, never get my appointments kept or scheduled for other services. They always have an excuse for not seeing me when I arrive. Haven't had any progress whatsoever and just being honest with myself. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't want to headaches, the muscle pain, the low energy, zero motivation, dizziness, zero stamina, heart pain, low blood pressure, zero libido, constant urination, incontinence and depression. I've wanted so many times in my life to transition but at this point in my life I will be an old lady by the time I do. I'd rather pretend to be a guy and not suffer from mistreatment anymore. I can still go out as my true self and that will be fine for me. For me transition has and always be a dead end. I'm done. Maybe in my next lifetime.

[mako9802]

You will revert back slowly...to pre hrt status.  breasts won go away but they will decrease a bit

[KathyLauren]

For me the decision was not an easy one. I had to be honest with myself and my lot in life. Stopping the hormones was just a result of many decisions made prior to the actual action. My age is a big factor at stopping my attempts to transition. I would say I've tried several times in my life and find there isn't much support still to this day for Transgender persons. I am always broke, isolated, lonely, unemployed, homeless and in dire circumstances. I will never have the resources to have facial surgeries, breast implants and SRS. I will never have the ability to recover from those as well. I still find the world highly transphobic even here in California which is supposed to be one of the best places to transition. I'm lucky to get bloodwork twice a year, never get my appointments kept or scheduled for other services. They always have an excuse for not seeing me when I arrive. Haven't had any progress whatsoever and just being honest with myself. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I don't want to headaches, the muscle pain, the low energy, zero motivation, dizziness, zero stamina, heart pain, low blood pressure, zero libido, constant urination, incontinence and depression. I've wanted so many times in my life to transition but at this point in my life I will be an old lady by the time I do. I'd rather pretend to be a guy and not suffer from mistreatment anymore. I can still go out as my true self and that will be fine for me. For me transition has and always be a dead end. I'm done. Maybe in my next lifetime.

Hi, JeanieB!

Welcome to Susan's Place.

I am sorry that your transition attempts have been so difficult.  The decision to transition is a hard one, and the decision to detransition must be even harder.  I wish you well on your path, wherever it takes you.

Please feel free to stop by the Introductions forum to tell the members about yourself.  Here is some information that we like to share with new members:

Things that you should read

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