Questions regarding temporary T usage

[androgynoid]

I'm considering going on T for a limited time in order to gain a few subtle changes and make my appearance a little more androgynous. My questions to those on T are:

a) How long did it take for your bits to start to grow, and do you know if it's permanent even after stopping T? This is the change I'm definitely the most interested in.

b) How long did it take for facial hair to start to really come in? I wouldn't mind my body being slightly hairier, but I don't want to grow a mustache or beard. I'd be okay with having to occasionally shave though.

c) When did your voice start to drop? And one that might be harder to answer: if I were to stop taking T as my voice began to drop, would it stay in the crack-y, partially-dropped phase forever? Could I possibly train it to stay in my current range, similarly to MtF voice training? Based on the men in my family it shouldn't drop too far.

Thanks in advance!

[Adam (birkin)]

Hm, well. I generally warn people to be a bit wary about taking T temporarily in hopes of becoming more androgynous-looking. because it really is about genetics, and it doesn't happen the same way for everyone.

For example, I'm 7 months on T, but I have not changed in the same way as others. I don't pass as male, in fact, people now read me as a heterosexual woman when they used to see me as a lesbian. My voice is cracky and flatter, but it doesn't pass for male just yet. I have had hardly any downstairs growth compared to anyone else. However, I have been very lucky in other departments. I seem to be able to gain muscle pretty quickly (if only I could stick consistently to exercising, lol), my fat redistributed, I am getting pretty hairy.

If you want, I can show you some videos of me pre-T and then me now.

[wheat thins are delicious]

Don't do it.  If you might regret any of the changes that could happen (for which there is no timeframe or order in which they happen btw) then don't go on T.  It's not something to be played with like that.

[Robert Scott]

Most all the changes from T are permenant.  Voice change, facial hair, clit growth, body hair --- the changes that go away from stopping T is that your body fat will revert back to the female placement and you will lose muscle mass.  The body hair might get thinner and less noticable but going from ftm you can expect most of the hormone changes are there for good.

[JohnAlex]

I'm considering going on T for a limited time in order to gain a few subtle changes and make my appearance a little more androgynous. My questions to those on T are:

a) How long did it take for your bits to start to grow, and do you know if it's permanent even after stopping T? This is the change I'm definitely the most interested in.

b) How long did it take for facial hair to start to really come in? I wouldn't mind my body being slightly hairier, but I don't want to grow a mustache or beard. I'd be okay with having to occasionally shave though.

c) When did your voice start to drop? And one that might be harder to answer: if I were to stop taking T as my voice began to drop, would it stay in the crack-y, partially-dropped phase forever? Could I possibly train it to stay in my current range, similarly to MtF voice training? Based on the men in my family it shouldn't drop too far.

a)  That was the first and most immediate change for me.  It took about 1 month to notice drastic change, and it seems to have stopped growing any more after 3 months.  These are permanent changes.

b)  facial hair is the most slowest change for me.  Currently, at 7 months, I have very thin and sparse sideburns. I probably shave once a month.  but probably within 3 months, all the rest of my body hair became darker, thinker, and just more of it.  I started growing hair on my lower stomach right away, but no where else on my chest yet.

c)  My voice started to crack at 3 months.  I was passing as a gay guy at 5 months.
I don't think your voice would stay cracky forever, I think it does that as it's getting used to be stretched to the new normal pitch.

[mangoslayer]

Don't do it. If you can't handle everything that comes with testosterone then don't take it. T is not a beauty product, its a medication. It's also unhealthy to mess around like hormones with that.

[Nero]

I got a full beard pretty rapidly. It really is genetics. It sounds like you only want clit growth? Facial and fat changes seem to take awhile (months instead of weeks)compared to clit, voice, and beard. Voice for me, started changing immediately. Facial hair followed very closely after. Unless you're only planning on going on it for say, a couple days to a week, steer clear if you don't want these things.

[Darrin Scott]

Don't do it.  If you might regret any of the changes that could happen (for which there is no timeframe or order in which they happen btw) then don't go on T.  It's not something to be played with like that.

Agree.

[Magnus]

A: Almost immediately, and yes, it is PERMANENT.

B: Once again, almost immediately and it is PERMANENT.

c) Thrice, almost immediately and it is PERMANENT.

I have been on T since 9/19/2012. Believe me, the difference is like comparing night and day and it happens very quickly (or so that is my own experience, from both endogenous and exogenous sources of androgen).

Further, in the beginning of penile growth (and yes, I consider it penile rather than cliteral), trying to please it is very difficult. There is both too much and not enough there to get the job done and I don't feel you would be very satisfied with it. Trust me. It takes, or so I hear, a minimum of five years for you to achieve full growth and potential with your erectile tissues downstairs. A short, temporary basis on androgens will NOT give you the results you are undoubtedly looking for in only a couple of months or less. You will be frustrated, I feel.

It (also in my personal experience) is PAINFUL in the beginning of the changes (and I suffer from nerve damages, and also have a high pain threshold). From the larynx, to the penis to even the muscle and ligaments. Why? Because it happens a lot more quickly for us than for cismale adolescents. By the way, ligament and connective tissue development, unlike muscular development, is PERMANENT also, and happens just as rapidly as the rest of the changes.

To sum up, this is a very big and permanent decision to make and so I hope you will give it the time and care it deserves. If you have even a shadow of a doubt that you can live with these changes to your body for the rest of your life, then DON'T do it.

[Lord of the Dance]

Don't do it. If you can't handle everything that comes with testosterone then don't take it. T is not a beauty product, its a medication. It's also unhealthy to mess around like hormones with that.

Thirded.

Testosterone will NOT make you androgynous. It will make you a man. None of the "subtle" changes will make a huge amount of difference — you'll likely need to go on and off T periodically in order to maintain those changes (during which time you will continue to develop) which will wreak havoc with your body. Testosterone changes are largely permanent (especially genital growth) but I would imagine that being off T for some time would cause some gradual feminisation as estrogen becomes the dominant or "active" hormone.

Testosterone is a medication. It is dangerous. There is a reason that we have such "gatekeepers" and you require frequent monitoring/bloods etc. You can seriously damage your health. If you want to appear androgynous, please consider non-medical alternatives.

[Jayr]

Don't do it.  If you might regret any of the changes that could happen (for which there is no timeframe or order in which they happen btw) then don't go on T.  It's not something to be played with like that.

Don't do it. If you can't handle everything that comes with testosterone then don't take it. T is not a beauty product, its a medication. It's also unhealthy to mess around like hormones with that.

Thirded.

Testosterone will NOT make you androgynous. It will make you a man. None of the "subtle" changes will make a huge amount of difference — you'll likely need to go on and off T periodically in order to maintain those changes (during which time you will continue to develop) which will wreak havoc with your body. Testosterone changes are largely permanent (especially genital growth) but I would imagine that being off T for some time would cause some gradual feminisation as estrogen becomes the dominant or "active" hormone.

Testosterone is a medication. It is dangerous. There is a reason that we have such "gatekeepers" and you require frequent monitoring/bloods etc. You can seriously damage your health. If you want to appear androgynous, please consider non-medical alternatives.

AMEN.

I don't think I can add more. You have your answer right here.

[Nygeel]

My voice still hasn't settled at 2 years on hormones. I'm still sort of in a teenager phase. It can take up to 5 years to fully settle. I noticed growth down there pretty quickly. I do know one person who went on T for two years then stopped. Growth wasn't completely permanent. There might be some shrinking depending on how long you're off T and how long you've been on it before stopping.

I don't shave regularly. I have hair covering my stomach and chest, some on my back, my buttcrack is VERY hairy. I didn't have noticeable facial hair for a very long time. After 1 year, I guess there was some.

I do know there is voice training (just don't do the boom your voice stuff, it can wreck your vocal cords).

[Nygeel]

Don't do it. If you can't handle everything that comes with testosterone then don't take it. T is not a beauty product, its a medication. It's also unhealthy to mess around like hormones with that.

Negatron. All of the changes are really things that could possibly happen. You could die taking T, you could have increased cholesterol, but you also could have zero changes. It's not exactly unhealthy to take testosterone for the short term, for some people there are negative side effects which they can't handle. They go on it until these negative side effects pop up or become too much and stop. I know one trans guy that was on T for 3 years, stopped T, got both top and bottom surgery, and continued not taking T.

[Zerro]

Negatron. All of the changes are really things that could possibly happen. You could die taking T, you could have increased cholesterol, but you also could have zero changes. It's not exactly unhealthy to take testosterone for the short term, for some people there are negative side effects which they can't handle. They go on it until these negative side effects pop up or become too much and stop. I know one trans guy that was on T for 3 years, stopped T, got both top and bottom surgery, and continued not taking T.

Even if you can't see them, there are changes to your system that can permanently alter your body's functions.

[wheat thins are delicious]

Negatron. All of the changes are really things that could possibly happen. You could die taking T, you could have increased cholesterol, but you also could have zero changes. It's not exactly unhealthy to take testosterone for the short term, for some people there are negative side effects which they can't handle. They go on it until these negative side effects pop up or become too much and stop. I know one trans guy that was on T for 3 years, stopped T, got both top and bottom surgery, and continued not taking T.

The off chance that you might not experience negative medical issues from taking T short term is not a good enough reason when the only reason you want to take it is you want your clit to grow. 

[Zerro]

...And if you want your clit to grow, there are pumps for that. Just sayin'.

[AdamMLP]

The off chance that you might not experience negative medical issues from taking T short term is not a good enough reason when the only reason you want to take it is you want your clit to grow.

I agree that it's probably not a good idea to use T unless you are male because you can't "pick and choose" what changes you have, or how it affects you internally, but I don't think the only reason they want T is for clit growth.

Sorry, I just feel like quite a few people are reading this and thinking they only want T for the clit growth when they only said that it was the one they were "most interested in."  I don't know anywhere else on the internet where you can get this level of support and wouldn't want someone to get completely put off posting here, and getting information to make better informed choices.

[wheat thins are delicious]

I agree that it's probably not a good idea to use T unless you are male because you can't "pick and choose" what changes you have, or how it affects you internally, but I don't think the only reason they want T is for clit growth.

Sorry, I just feel like quite a few people are reading this and thinking they only want T for the clit growth when they only said that it was the one they were "most interested in."  I don't know anywhere else on the internet where you can get this level of support and wouldn't want someone to get completely put off posting here, and getting information to make better informed choices.

Based on only the information in their post that seems to be the only reason.  They say they wouldn't mind their body being more hairy but that they don't want facial hair, they don't even want their voice to change.  All in all it's a bad reason to start T. 

[AdamMLP]

Based on only the information in their post that seems to be the only reason.  They say they wouldn't mind their body being more hairy but that they don't want facial hair, they don't even want their voice to change.  All in all it's a bad reason to start T.

Maybe I read it differently to other people then, and put too much emphasis on "make my appearance a little more androgynous".  I assumed that they would want some other changes than clit growth if they wanted to appear more androgynous, because generally 99% of the people you meet don't see your genitals.  Looking back on it I think their post could be read two ways, but I'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt if it makes them keep coming here for support and information.

[wheat thins are delicious]

Maybe I read it differently to other people then, and put too much emphasis on "make my appearance a little more androgynous".  I assumed that they would want some other changes than clit growth if they wanted to appear more androgynous, because generally 99% of the people you meet don't see your genitals.  Looking back on it I think their post could be read two ways, but I'd rather give someone the benefit of the doubt if it makes them keep coming here for support and information.

They do mention wanting to be more androgynous but T in the short term will not do that.  Instead they should work on changing their hair, clothing style, and mannerisms.