HRT - 18 (and a bit) months update...

[Ms Grace]

I started HRT at the end of June 2013, I can still remember the absolute excitement I felt as I washed down that first little E pill. My journey and transition had well and truly begun (for the second time!)...

Flash forward some 18 months and the HRT pill routine is fairly, well, routine. Plus I have an estrogen implant. Caught up with the endo today and he was very happy with progress. I last saw him six months ago when he popped in my second implant so it has been a while since my previous visit. He was quite enthusiastic about my physical changes (more apparent to him after six months than to me I guess). Hormone wise things seem to be going well, I'm at 137 estrodil thingys and 0.7 testosteronies... all well within range which is very encouraging.

He wants to see me in three months when he expects to replace the implant, so that'll be nine months out of a tiny crystal pellet... I highly recommend them, speak to your endo to see if they will oblige you!

Anyway, I know I'm still getting changes out of my HRT, even at 18 months - I guess (hope) I can expect it for at least another 6 to 12 months? Anyone on 24 months plus want to share?

[Lady_Oracle]

My endo doesn't offer pellets or else I'd be on them. I'm pretty happy with injections though!

Congrats on your progress and milestone Ms Grace!

I'm 34 months in and I'm still seeing changes. I'm in a new phase of breast growth, a lot of my body hair seems to be growing finer and is much more sparse than before. My scalp is becoming a lot thicker. I think my face has changed a tiny bit more but its hard to tell. In the past 6 months I've lost all of my muscle mass in my back finally so my bras feel even more comfortable than before. I also recently measured myself and lost two inches off my waist so I'm guessing the fat redistribution is working its magic lol. I mean I did lose a bit of weight recently (was sick) but it wasn't much at all like 4-5 lbs soo I doubt that's what made my waist become smaller or who knows maybe that really was it, idk but I'm happy with the change! 

Hmm I'm trying to think of other changes but its pretty late and my brain is a bit poopy right now lol. If I think of anything else I'll post it here.

[Ms Grace]

Cool, those are pretty impressive changes coming up to the three year mark!

[Jennygirl]

I've been on a butt-load of pellets (lol, that's actually where they go) for 25 months and still noticing improvement in skin softness and fat redistribution. I recently gained a bunch of weight in prep for a fat transfer and already a ton of it is going to new places... I am starting to get a saddlebag. Most women would find this on their hip and say eeewww omg! But dare I say HECK YES!

[Cindy]

Oops fell asleep at the computer!

I also was at the endo today, five months after the last implant E at 1000, don't need another for a few more months. Liver is fine, my GP cut my blood pressure meds again. Left boob is aching! Start of another spurt!

Spent the afternoon perving on the Tour Down Under cyclists with a cisgirl friend, compared our love lives, had a glass of champagne. If they have cute bodies men in Lycra do bulge in interesting places, Probably very naughty to play guess the size of the cyclist (blush) she lead me astray.

Jeez my life has just changed so much.

I have to keep pinching myself and keep telling myself that there is nothing wrong in being happy!

[Jenny07]

Looks like someone got a bit excited today and needs cool off.


Yes that's our Cindy when she was younger.

Can't help grace but I could have never imagined to feel so happy.

[Ms Grace]

[Jenny07]

How could eye resist Grace it would be torture.

[katrinaw]

good news Grace 

hmmm, still on pill popping, but intend to push for implants on my next visit to my GP in 2 months time... seem to be missing so many good hormones... hmmm, maybe that's another reason for slow progress 

L Katy

[rosinstraya]

Good news, Grace! I'm still a few weeks away from the start line.........

[stephaniec]

good news your an inspiration to us younger transitioners

[androgynouspainter26]

Not to derail, but what are your experiences with the pellets?  Are they really that costly?  I can't inject myself with anything and oral isn't working so well, so I wanted to look into it but not sure what to expect.

[Devlyn]

The Aussie girls swear by the pellets.  Of course they swear by the barbie, they swear by the beach, they swear by the car, they swear by the grocery checkout... <wandering off muttering>

[androgynouspainter26]

Well, I'm twenty-k short of being beach ready, but anyone who can appriceate a good car, slow-cooked rack of meat, and grocery checkout might have a right idea about something

[Cindy]

Not to derail, but what are your experiences with the pellets?  Are they really that costly?  I can't inject myself with anything and oral isn't working so well, so I wanted to look into it but not sure what to expect.

I think you have to do a cost analysis, and remember Aussies have health insurance. It cost me about $180 for the pellet and for it to be inserted, a small incision in the skin, the pellet is pushed in and a single stitch all done under a local. But the current one is lasting me about 10 months, I don't have to remember to take pills and the E levels are retained at a steady level.

With insurance I'm about $20 out of pocket for 10 months.

Oh, mine are put into my tummy, but lots have them in the bum.

As Devlyn knows, we swear by them

[androgynouspainter26]

Hmmm...well, my insurance has been paying for my hormones thus so far, so it'd be worth looking into.  Thanks!

[Ms Grace]

Pellets/implants=#%*&ing awesome! See, we do swear by them!

[herekitten]

Grace, I have been well beyond the time measure you mentioned. Around 43 years to be approximate. Began at 13/14 years and going strong.  My changes, if you could call them that, are more related to aging but one thing I have noticed is my hips. I don't want any more fat accumulating there. Exercise is a must at my age. My breasts are perky as ever (thank you E) and I do compare them to my sisters of which there are 9 pairs to compare with :-).  Also, my skin is much much younger looking than other women in my age group and that "glow" which we all know about will always be there (again, thank you E).  So as long as you continue on your steady regime of estrogen you can look forward to being all aglow, young looking, curvy and perky! 

[Obfuskatie]

Pellets/implants=#%*&ing awesome! See, we do swear by them!

You koalas have all the luck.  The clinic I go to in the East SF Bay Area only prescribes estradiol pills.  At least I can offset the liver damage by not eating meat and rarely drinking.

I'm getting close to the 2 year mark for my HRT, although I had to quit it for half a month before and after FFS a few months ago.  I feel bad for ciswomen, menopausal symptoms are the worst. My hair and skin are very different from when I started, and I had to buy new bras recently because I outgrew my B cups.  I think 18 months is about when I started presenting full time, and that's when I finally gained some confidence about my appearance. Since the world didn't end when I dressed up and wore makeup outside the house, I got rid of my old guy garb and am loving it.  Supposedly there's another few rounds of breast growth, until about 4 years of HRT. Then it's supposed to peter off for the most part, unless you're looking more than a decade into the future.  And I hear SRS/Orchiectomy causes another round of feminizing effects.

Oh and my hips have shifted a bit wider than they used to be.  I think HRT did that, or I'm lucky because they used to be super narrow.

[luna nyan]

Pellets/implants=#%*&ing awesome! See, we do swear by them!

Yeah, they're €<>^|^>}> awesome. 

No dealing with sharps, no dealing with sublingual admin, just plain convenient save for the minor incision once every 6-9 months.

Glad to hear things are going well Grace.  The only thing is that your levels are freaking me out in the fact that it's maki me think I've overdone it on my low dose... It may not be so low after all...  Cost of being lazy and of not wanting to be jabbed and cut every 3 months I suppose.