Quote from: Gothic Dandy Luca on March 27, 2015, 12:25:26 AM
Thank you darksymphony, that did help! I opened this thread because this is one of the options I'm considering for myself. I want the changes that come with T, but I don't like the idea of taking synthetic hormones for the rest of my life...I never even went on hormonal birth control. I even avoid taking things like Tylenol as much as possible!
If you're still reading this thread, can you go into a little detail about how T affected your autism symptoms? I suspect I am on the spectrum myself and wondered if my symptoms might change on T.
I was going to tell the OP that there are trans men who live as men without ever even starting hormones, but looking at her signature, I suppose that isn't necessary anymore...I hope that information reassures somebody else out there.
Yes, I'm the same way - I don't take medication unless I'm dying of something.
I think your feelings about T are very valid. It's worth pointing out that hormonally transitioning and then de-transitioning again is somewhat stressful for your body, and for me there was an uncomfortable adjustment period when I stopped T after that long - understandable since my body had to get used to producing its own hormones again. However, this transition route worked very well for me, and I'm very happy with my decisions. As it happens I'm actually much healthier at this point in my life than I've been before.
It's certainly possible that your autistic symptoms could change on T. Recent studies show a correlation between autism and ->-bleeped-<- (their co-incidence is far higher than it would be by chance) and both conditions seem to be affected by the hormonal environment during brain development. It therefore makes some sense that, although there's little available information about the effect of HRT on people on the autism spectrum, from the personal accounts I've seen hormones do seem to affect the symptoms. I used to post a lot on Wrong Planet, and discussed this with several other trans autistic people, both FTM or MTF, who were on HRT. Some people said it made their symptoms more easily manageable, some less, and some just "different". Of course, hormones affect everyone differently, but in my case, the changes on HRT made some of my autistic symptoms sufficiently noticeable that I was able to finally identify that that was what they were and seek a diagnosis, something I found very helpful and have no regrets about at all. Some examples were more difficulty with verbal comprehension/expression (other linguistic skills, such as writing, were unaffected), increased "detachment" from what was going on around me/being in my own head more, and increased ability to concentrate intently on things, particularly in the area of my special interests. While I can't say for sure whether stopping T is one of the factors which has helped me manage my autistic symptoms better because I've made a lot of behaviour and lifestyle adjustments with that aim, I think it was one of the things which did, and that's certainly happened, so it's all good.
I hope this helps, and good luck with your decisions. I wish all the best to the OP as well.
