This seems like something I've been waiting for for a long time. I've dabbled with hormones before, self-medicating when I was younger and couldn't see a way to transition outwardly but still desperate to make changes. This time though it's being done officially with an endo, blood tests and my own doctor on board. I'm so happy to have started. REALLY HAPPY.
I'm only on a low dose so I'm not expecting much feminisation but I'm hoping that it will take the edge of my dysphoria and let me become more contented over the next few months. To qualify for higher does I need to change my gender role formally including changing my name. I'm okay with this and looking forward to it in some ways. The thought of coming out to everyone is a little daunting though but I'm hopeful that taking hormones now will make me feel more like myself. I know talking about doses is not allowed but I'm wondering what other people have found with low dose estrogen. I think it is now a recognised treatment for gender dysphoria but this is all new to me.
I would like to share a final thing though. When I was collecting my prescription the pharmacist took me to the side to talk about my medication. I had come from work where I exclusively present as male for now so they wanted to check why I was being given estrogen. I honestly didn't look that great either. I've been having a lot of electro lately as a final push before going full time. This has left me with a red face and often some scraggy hair which I hate. Shaving makes it worse though so I've been trying to grin and bear it. Anyway I explained I was changing gender which she was happy with. When I left though she said she hoped things would go well. This was such an encouraging response that I left with a big smile. These little kindnesses from people really do make a difference.
