What were some of the first psychological changes after starting hrt?

[pebbles]

Personally when I started HRT I felt like complete ass.

It felt like someone had stuffed my head full of cotton wool, The changes began quickly tho. I felt much lower sex drive under 24 hours. I also noticed changes in taste and scent also nipple sensitivity. I felt more relaxed overall and less anxious because I knew no matter what I didn't have to worry about my my body becoming more male even if nothing else had changed.

So there were certainly some changes no doubt.

http://forum.sofeminine.co.uk/forum/maternite1/__f71_maternite1-Crying-during-pregnancy.html

There is no doubt that they do play on your mind... Although that thought scares me.

[pretty]

Umm, I've been on HRT for 2 weeks-ish and absolutely no mental or emotional changes.

I didn't expect any though, so I think a lot of the reported effects are more of a placebo effect.

[Stephanie_b]

Its almost indescribable.  I mean, I went from being deeply depressed to ecstatic happy!  All in just 5 days! 

My emotions are different.  I have been happy at times before hrt, but being happy now is waaaaaay better.

I also want to socialize a lot more now.  It still drives me nuts that I can't go full time yet, but even so I'm not withdrawn anymore.  I just have the urge to chat up a storm with people, especially other women. 

And there's the giggles.  Love them! 

To sum it all up I think I'm starting to feel like a 12 or 13 year old girl...lol

And I smile a lot now too.   


Almost forgot.  The tiny bit of sex drive I had is now gone completely!  Happened on the second day.

[Claire25]

I have had some...thankfully in the positive aspect

day 2-4- REALLY tired. Like all the time tired..It eased up on me eventually but I become physically and emotionally exhausted very easily now.

Week 1 through 2..Got used to the "tired aspect" of things and went more "normal" but less "depressed" feeling...overall feeling good.

Week 3- Stupidly happy!!! I would go into random giggle fits...Wife thought this was quite funny..

Coming on week 4- Mood is fantastic!! Always in a good mood about everything, even at work. Giggle fits still happen 

Hope you get the good side of it when it comes 

[Dannii]

Some don't lose their sex drive.. I haven't, at least not significantly..

+ 1 for me!! For me the sex drive is a different urge, before it used to be just primal and raw, but now I yearn for sex from my partner that is more tender and passionate (with definitely lots more kissing!!)
   However, my need to ejaculate has dropped and I mean dropped. Before I couldn't concentrate on the tasks at hand because I would need to masturbate at least 3 or 4 times. Mind you I was just passing the peak of manhood (eughhh..) anyways, now I can last for a few days- and the need for it now is just to empty the old stuff out. Haha.

Also like others here... within one month I was definitely feeling more emotion and becoming more sensitive especially with my boyfriend who would say something completely harmless and I would totally get insulted. Poor him. Regardless, I definitely agree you are definitely more emotive once on HRT

Anyone else notice it's harder to concentrate? Maybe it's just me but I'm currently studying at University and when I'm doing my assignments I feel so out of touch with my sense of focus, mind you I take Androcur (which does affect your ability to concentrate dramatically) towards the end of the night right before bed, so I don't think its that

.... hmmmm thoughts?

[A]

I do get more tired late at night, but I find that rather healthy. And overall, my concentration is much better. Not sure why it does the opposite for you.

[Stephanie_b]

Anyone else notice it's harder to concentrate? Maybe it's just me but I'm currently studying at University and when I'm doing my assignments I feel so out of touch with my sense of focus, mind you I take Androcur (which does affect your ability to concentrate dramatically) towards the end of the night right before bed, so I don't think its that

.... hmmmm thoughts?

Yeah, I do find it more difficult to concentrate also.  Plus I have ADD so that doesn't help.  I'm on Androcur too and its kind of weird.  Like, in the middle of the afternoon I could just sleep so easily and for hours.  But on the other hand, if I'm up and have things to do I'm like full of energy and hyper.

Definately not what I'm used to, that's for sure.

Oh, and I take my Androcur in the morning at 8am.  I know we dare not mention doses here, so with that in mind, maybe you're on a higher dose than me.  Without saying what it is, I'm on a starting dose right now.

[Siobhan]

Feel calmer and generally happier, but also worried about what the future will bring. Dysphoria reduced so much I wonder if I imagined the whole thing, but I imagine that if I stopped it would come flying back.at the same time as testosterone.

[Tammy Hope]

Yes, I feel like that too. For me being able to do this also has something to do with not being seen as male and therefore not a potential partner.

I find that I let things go more easily.

I have a lost a lot of intellectual drive, and a lot of ability to concentrate on difficult concepts and learn new things....and I don't really mind!

On my list of effects i hope for, that one is high up near the top.

I KNOW (before anyone says so) that it reads like a misogynistic stereotyping, but one of the things i don't like about my maleness is that know-it-all answer for everything have-to-have-the-last-word win-every-argument attitude.

I really feel like i'd enjoy trending a lot towards to "oh look a puppy!" personality rather than the "Let me tell you why you are wrong in extensive detail" personality.

[Tammy Hope]

Hmmm I would mind a lot if I start being unable to learn difficult things! I wouldn't want to be thought of as a dumb girl...

I'd be fine with it as long as it wasn't ridiculous. I'd readily concede all my "IQ" above average, and a few points more, in order to gain a more "girly" attitude and emotional outlook on life.

Being cold and analytical feels, well, cold to me.

[Carolina1983]

Feel calmer and generally happier, but also worried about what the future will bring. Dysphoria reduced so much I wonder if I imagined the whole thing, but I imagine that if I stopped it would come flying back.at the same time as testosterone.

I have the same feeling as you. Its almost surreal :S.


But I wont stop now knowing that I spent most of my life hating my body, surely it could not just have been imagination .


Anyway I am almost 1,5 months in now and feel calmer than ever before, happier and also feel the urge to talk to others which is new to me because I used to keep away from other people before .


There is also one funny thing that I have noticed. When I say hello to people I do smile (which I never did before) and afterwards I go like "what did I just do??"  and I also use facial gestures and hands in conversations alot more than before. I am not sure about where this all comes from but it just started to happen 3 weeks in or so without me actually thinking about it.

[Jeneva]

I'd be fine with it as long as it wasn't ridiculous. I'd readily concede all my "IQ" above average, and a few points more, in order to gain a more "girly" attitude and emotional outlook on life.

Being cold and analytical feels, well, cold to me.

Ummm, there is no correlation between being cold and analytical and IQ.  Being cold and analytical would be more of an autistic correlation.  In any event I am not always cold and analytical in real life

[pretty]

I'd readily concede all my "IQ" above average, and a few points more, in order to gain a more "girly" attitude and emotional outlook on life.

It sounds misogynistic because it IS misogynistic. And as to what you said before, I think it's a form of stupidity to be obsessed with your own ego and proving other people wrong about every little thing.

[Tammy Hope]

It sounds misogynistic because it IS misogynistic. And as to what you said before, I think it's a form of stupidity to be obsessed with your own ego and proving other people wrong about every little thing.

I know. that was an admission, not a question.

the thing is though, i'm not hung up on all the politics of gender stuff. Just not my thing.
I LIKE being a girly girl, I like being "taken care of" and all that stuff.

your approval on that, or lack thereof, isn't a factor

As for the ego thing - I don't think I'd use the word stupidity, but it is a part of me i do not care for and hope to see fade.

[Kadri]

Anyone else notice it's harder to concentrate? Maybe it's just me but I'm currently studying at University and when I'm doing my assignments I feel so out of touch with my sense of focus, mind you I take Androcur (which does affect your ability to concentrate dramatically) towards the end of the night right before bed, so I don't think its that

.... hmmmm thoughts?

I was never really quite sure whether it was the Androcur doing that to my concentration, or whether I had broken down from just having handed in a thesis. I started just a few weeks after, you see. Since reading more people's experiences here, I think that this is definitely the reason. Once I get rid of that thing between my legs, I won't need to take it any more.   

I also take mine early in the morning, and have to have at least half an hour of snooze in the afternoon, plus be asleep before midnight, but I get into a beanbag after dinner, I won't be leaving there for a while.

[helen2010]

I have the same feeling as you. Its almost surreal :S.


But I wont stop now knowing that I spent most of my life hating my body, surely it could not just have been imagination .


Anyway I am almost 1,5 months in now and feel calmer than ever before, happier and also feel the urge to talk to others which is new to me because I used to keep away from other people before .

I felt alive for the first time  More intense sense of smell and touch  I felt much more connected with others  I could read and sense emotion much more readily  The sore nipples and very tender breasts followed but so did 'fluffy' thinking and I felt like I was losing control or at least my ability to think clearly and analytically/rationally   Perhaps it was the impact of a rushed puberty on my brain  What really surprised me was that my sex drive and need to present as female just evaporated  I was no longer stressed and tense  I felt that I had more options available to me as to how I could relate to others and to myself  The elixir of life - yes The blind folds were removed from my eyese and the plugs removed from my ears - I was sensate

[Naturally Blonde]

I'm curious as to how it affected you in that respect, just want to know about some of the possible psychological changes that are in store for me once I start someday. Thanks for your time. 

I didn't have any psychological changes just an improved sense of smell and taste!

[pretty]

I know. that was an admission, not a question.

the thing is though, i'm not hung up on all the politics of gender stuff. Just not my thing.
I LIKE being a girly girl, I like being "taken care of" and all that stuff.

The misogynistic part was that you implied that being intelligent and being a girly girl are mutually exclusive. 

A lot of actually really smart (and still feminine) women pretend they are dumb to conform to that stereotype but it is not true. Women are just not given credit for their intelligence by men who treat them like children. And they are discouraged from making use of their intelligence.

Just saying... it is possible to be smart and feminine and like being taken care of. And you don't have to be actually helpless to enjoy a little help sometimes. I don't know why MTFs, of all people, would sit here acting like women are the stupid sex. But I see it a lot.

[Carolina1983]

I felt alive for the first time  More intense sense of smell and touch  I felt much more connected with others  I could read and sense emotion much more readily  The sore nipples and very tender breasts followed but so did 'fluffy' thinking and I felt like I was losing control or at least my ability to think clearly and analytically/rationally   Perhaps it was the impact of a rushed puberty on my brain  What really surprised me was that my sex drive and need to present as female just evaporated I was no longer stressed and tense  I felt that I had more options available to me as to how I could relate to others and to myself  The elixir of life - yes The blind folds were removed from my eyese and the plugs removed from my ears - I was sensate

Thank god that you said that. I feel the same way and it made me think "whats going on"?

[Tammy Hope]

The misogynistic part was that you implied that being intelligent and being a girly girl are mutually exclusive. 

A lot of actually really smart (and still feminine) women pretend they are dumb to conform to that stereotype but it is not true. Women are just not given credit for their intelligence by men who treat them like children. And they are discouraged from making use of their intelligence.

Just saying... it is possible to be smart and feminine and like being taken care of. And you don't have to be actually helpless to enjoy a little help sometimes. I don't know why MTFs, of all people, would sit here acting like women are the stupid sex. But I see it a lot.

Believe me I know and have a TON of respect for the VERY intelligent women out there.

I do not in any way believe the stereotype to have any validity.

I do not, in fact, consider this feeling I have to even be rational, certainly not something I would suggest to anyone else.

It's just an irrational emotion that makes me feel like a lot of the things I don't like about my personality flow from being (I think) intelligent and I see the appeal of being something else.

I do not mean to defend that position, I'm just being open about it.