Question:For those who have chosen not to take hormones

[Shawn Sunshine]

How many of you live as a woman or somewhere in between (genderfluid and transgender) and do not take hormones. Did you do other things like hair removal and other ways to feminize yourself. Are you comfortable with this level of transition or do you feel like you need more. I ask this because i might want to do the same thing but I am not sure yet.

[Zumbagirl]

I can't speak for myself obviously but I have met a few very dedicated CDers who basically lived two lives. Two in particular did extensive electrolysis for hair removal, grew out their hair and kept in a pony tail for work, and as soon as Friday night hit, the change was pretty amazing. You would be surprised at what complete facial hair removal can do. They needed little makeup just like most full time living TS, and they knew how to ham it up and have a good time. A little too wild for my tastes, but whatever floats your boat

The only thing I remember is that when I was doing my electro at the same time and it took them a lot longer because the male hormones wanted to keep producing hairs BUT...with enough treatments it really does work.

[Shawn Sunshine]

Well I already am intersex, and have a few feminine features (real breast tissue and a micro penis, low testosterone) as a result of mild or partial ais. There is a part of me that wants to go all the way, and a part of me that wants to try just being in between but more feminine than now.

[Zumbagirl]

. There is a part of me that wants to go all the way, and a part of me that wants to try just being in between but more feminine than now.

Well one thing I can tell you is that there are 2 things you can do that do not require, shrinks and/or letters: electrolysis and facial surgery. You can do either as long as you have the money to pay for it. Try electro then. Do it for a few months and see how you feel when you hardly have to shave anymore. Facial hair removal shaves years off of your face. I remember when I was transitioning and still in guy mode and doing electro and I had people at work think I had cancer because I kept getting younger looking.

[Shawn Sunshine]

Yeah I had found a place that does laser for $50 bucks per session for the face, but I had not looked into electrolysis. But this was in Oakland, CA

I am stuck here near Dallas for a while.

[Isabelle]

Well I already am intersex, and have a few feminine features... ...as a result of mild or partial ais

Interesting, have you been diagnosed with an intersex condition or, is this something you've worked out yourself? The reason I'm asking is, if you have an intersex condition you may find you have acsess to medical transition options without jumping through psych "hoops"

[big kim]

Check out glam/punk Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) though  the make up is OTT for anything other than night clubs or stage,I had a partner who had electrolysis no HRT and long hair who manned up for work but was a girl for nights and weekends,it can be done.

[Shawn Sunshine]

Interesting, have you been diagnosed with an intersex condition or, is this something you've worked out yourself? The reason I'm asking is, if you have an intersex condition you may find you have acsess to medical transition options without jumping through psych "hoops"

Yes, well the endocrinologist that I saw in Texas, had no other explanation for my symptoms, other than AIS, and she did a whole bunch of tests/blood work. I took that to my Doctor/therapist at the time and she mentioned  "well there's something going on here physically as well as mentally for sure".

Check out glam/punk Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) though  the make up is OTT for anything other than night clubs or stage,I had a partner who had electrolysis no HRT and long hair who manned up for work but was a girl for nights and weekends,it can be done.

Yeah I see a few photos that look feminine, still rather androgynous , and sometimes more male

[Isabelle]

Cool beans. So you weren't diagnosed as a baby then? That's slightly unusual, also it's unusual that you'd have full facial hair and a male hair line but, seriously if you're an intersexed person it changes your eligibility for medical treatment (in the standards of care at least)

[Shawn Sunshine]

Ahh well yes and I hate that I have facial hair, although it started growing faster and thicker as i got around age 30, before age 20 I did not have to shave but every 3 days. I tried to find out 1st if i had Klinefelter's syndrome back in 2001 but my insurance would not pay for the karyotype, then i had it done 7 months ago finally. But since I was XY , the doctor sent me to an endocrinologist , it also turns out my pituitary gland numbers are low, so they did an mri to check for tumors, thankfully nothing.

The endo offered to put me on testosterone, but i told her i did not wan't that, she mentioned it on 2 visits, but i told her i felt i was transgender, and was moving to San Francisco to get treatment there, she was nice and said shed send over papers to my next doctor.

I had no symptoms that would have been readily visible as a baby, when i was 16 I started getting breasts of sorts, and got teased for it, also my penis never grew, it stayed small like a young child's would. Then the testosterone levels have been abnormally low since i was 30, but i never tested them before or worried about it till i was 30.

Now i really have even bigger breasts, but also I am overweight, but yeah I have gynecomastia

Cool beans.

You can't use that , that's my catch phrase!   

[LizMarie]

If you are in Dallas, look up E3000. They are supposed to be super for electrolysis but they do full face sessions, each 8-10 weeks apart. After 5 or so sessions, you'll be very close to facial hair free. But they are pricey because two electrologists will work on you at once for the first couple sessions. Still, it's one of the fastest ways using electrolysis to get it all done.

[Dahlia]

and I had people at work think I had cancer because I kept getting younger looking.

Huh??

[Aleah]

Since everyones suggested everything else..

Even though I identify as transsexual (not genderfluid or a CD/TV), I'm not sure how fast I want to transition, so I'm only on Spiro. I want to sort out my life and family before I start finding it hard to present as male.

It might be better to just be on Spiro for a while, however you will grow some breast tissue but not as much or as quickly as with Oestrogen aswell. You will also get reduced hair growth, which makes laser way more effective. But you won't get the fat redistribution which has a big impact on facial presentation.

Also if your worrying about people asking you about what your taking, Spironolactone has many other uses while Oestrogen does not.

Just an option..

[Isabelle]

If Shawn is androgen insensitive, Spironolactone isn't really going to do anything though is it?

[Aleah]

If Shawn is androgen insensitive, Spironolactone isn't really going to do anything though is it?

Hmm probably not, but then again I'm not an endocrinologist.

[Annah]

Interesting, have you been diagnosed with an intersex condition or, is this something you've worked out yourself? The reason I'm asking is, if you have an intersex condition you may find you have acsess to medical transition options without jumping through psych "hoops"

I was diagnosed with Klinefelter a very long time ago and I had to jump through the same hoops as every other MtF transgender person had

[Annah]

I had people at work think I had cancer because I kept getting younger looking.

You don't get younger looking when you get cancer. You look older and you start to waste away to nothing. I am sure no one at work ask if you had cancer because you were getting younger looking

Sometimes I really have to practice grace and civility when I read some of these comments.

[Zumbagirl]

You don't get younger looking when you get cancer. You look older and you start to waste away to nothing. I am sure no one at work ask if you had cancer because you were getting younger looking

Sometimes I really have to practice grace and civility when I read some of these comments.

That is exactly what some of my coworkers said to me. Honest and truthful They could see me changing and couldn't figure out what was going on. I found later when I announced my transition what was happening with one person in particular. He thought I had a terminal disease (assumed it was something like cancer) and started asking others in the office what was wrong with me. You know how office rumor mills work, right? For the record this was a company that had a perfect 100 score with the HRC and I was still fired from a job, although they called it job elimination. So who knows what they thought the day after I left.

[Isabelle]

That sucks Annah but, look on the bright side, you're obviously one of the tiny percentage with that condition who were able to reproduce, and also avoided all the neurological problems that occur in people with that syndrome. Every cloud has a silver lining

[Annah]

And you think my diagnosis did not have any complications how exactly?

It costs us a lot of money to conceive and I suffer from a myriad of digestive complications from my diagnosis not to mention having to bind my chest as a boy throughout high school and having to see a child therapist as a result of my diagnosis for five years.

What makes u think I got away with everything scot free??