What does HTR really change - time-spectrum.

[SwedenMtf]

Hi!
Since I started my HTR a week ago, I have a few questions. Obviously I've been reading about HTR more than enough.. but I have a few questions since it's some of different information on webpage to webpage. So here's a list of questions.

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)
2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)
2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)
3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)
4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?
5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?
6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)
7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)

I think that's.. enough for now.. haha I will probably have more questions later on!
Thank you in advance!

[jeni]

Results vary a lot.

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)

For some people, yes. I am almost a month in and I have personally experienced significant changes to my skin (softer, drier, and "different"). I think I sweat less, or it's less smelly. I've had some psychological effects, also. The most noticeable was in the last couple days, when I have had sort of hard to describe "huggy" urges when I'm feeling happy.

2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)

No, this is decidedly not true. Bone structure does not change, but fat redistribution is common and sometimes quite significant. I have not experienced this more than perhaps a tiny bit, it's hard to say, but there is plenty of clear photographic evidence out there.

2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)

Reports are mixed, possibly due to posture changes, muscle loss, etc. I would not count on it, but I'm personally planning to measure periodically to see.

3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)

Yes, it can do either. I think generally oiliness is reduced, but the changes differ for different people.

4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?

If it does, it's almost certainly not significant. It does not directly affect your vocal chords, but *might* have secondary effects just because the muscle/fat structure has changed, which may have some effect on resonance. It will decidedly not make a male voice feminine.

5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?

Different.

6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)

Apparently people do, but significant development that fast is probably uncommon.

7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)

Same as height. Maybe. People say it has happened to them, but if it does, it's due to muscle/fat adjustments. Your bones are set (assuming you're an adult).

[galaxy]

My experiences:

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)
No.

2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)
In my case the face was the only thing changed at all.

2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)
No. Thats nonsense.

3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)
Yes, i lost a bad acne completely.!

4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?
No.

5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?
Yes. It has a real effect. Spiro cant decrease yout t-level much.

6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)
Dont know, i never had any breast growth. I guess you will feel first things until the first 3 month.

7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)
No. Your feetsize is defined by your bones.

[michelle666]

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)
Not much during the first few weeks for me except for tenderness in the breasts.

2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)
My face has changed dramatically.

2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)
When I started I was 5'10", at my last checkup in January they measured me at 5' 8.25"

3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)
My skin is very clear.

4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?
My voice has slightly changed. Not sure if it's my manner of speaking or a voice change but people have noticed.

5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?
No clue on this one. I'm on spiro.

6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)
I had a bit before, but it really kicked in after the 8 month mark.

7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)
Started at a mens size ten. Now, depending on the brand of shoes, I'm a womens 9.5 or 10. It may have to do with weight loss but they have gotten smaller.

[Carrie Liz]

Hi!
Since I started my HTR a week ago, I have a few questions. Obviously I've been reading about HTR more than enough.. but I have a few questions since it's some of different information on webpage to webpage. So here's a list of questions.

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)

Psychological, definitely. The drop-off in sex-drive will happen pretty quickly, and there may be a near immediate change in emotions to go with it... feeling calmer, feeling more at-ease, or possibly what I experienced, extreme mood swings between elation and depression. Physically, none of the effects will be noticeable at that point. Maybe at about the 2-week mark you'll be able to feel a little bit of skin softening, maybe the absolute infancy beginnings of breast buds, but that's about it. It took a month or so for me to really start noticing the changes beginning in full force, and it was another several months before anyone else noticed. 9-10 months was when it began to become very visually obvious.

2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)

Definitely a myth in my opinion. Maybe it won't change if you're so extremely thin that you have no bulk in your face whatsoever, but HRT does a LOT to feminize the face in a lot of people. No, it doesn't change the bone structure, so the face will overall look similar-ish, but it does change the fat distribution (more fat in the cheeks,) noticeably thins out the musculature and skin of the face, (which can make noses, chins, and brows look smaller, and make the eyes look more open,) but a lot of this depends on bone structure. Someone with a very strong bone structure probably won't see much change from HRT because the bones are the most prominent features of their face, where for someone with a more androgynous bone structure, it can completely be the difference between night and day just by getting rid of that male facial "bulk." I can personally attest to this. I can't even recognize myself anymore when I compare my face now to how it looked pre-hormones.

2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)

Yes, sometimes a little bit. I did. I was 6' 2" pre-transition, and shrunk down to 6' 1/2". It's unknown why, maybe the joints get looser, maybe the hips rotate a bit, I dunno, but a little bit of shrinking, an inch or so, is pretty common.

3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)

It could be either honestly. Any hormonal change has the chance to make your skin break out. I personally didn't experience it, but then again, I didn't really get acne during my first puberty either, so I'm probably just not predisposed for it. I think acne problems are a bit more common in trans guys than trans girls, (my FtM friend Drew got it BAD,) but it's possible either way. With time, though, estrogen definitely makes the skin look smoother and clearer, while testosterone makes it look thicker and splotchier. Both have the potential to produce acne during the initial "shock" phase, though.

4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?

It doesn't change the pitch. That can only be accomplished through voice training. (Or being around cis-women all the time and mimicking their speech patterns and pitches, which actually does come pretty naturally once a trans woman goes full-time and is socially accepted.) HRT does, however, have a significant impact on vocal "power." Because it causes the muscles in the vocal cords atrophy a bit, so the voice naturally becomes softer in tone, and less forceful. So it does change the voice, and does feminize it. It just dosen't change the pitch of the voice.

5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?

Androcur worked better for me, but I think it's very much an individual thing which hormones work for who. Some people develop best under low-dose Spiro, some need high-dose Spiro, for me Spiro just didn't do it, I only saw significant feminization progress while I was on Androcur, but again, the comparable effectiveness of anti-androgens honestly hasn't really been scientifically studied. So all that anyone can do is provide idle speculation at this point over which forms of estrogen and which anti-androgens are the most effective. It's best just to let your doctor figure that one out, and then if you're dissatisfied with the results, see if they're open to requesting something else. In my case, Androcur dropped my T level down from whatever my normal male pre-hormone levels were all the way down to 22, the basement of the female range, in only 2 months. So I'd say it's pretty effective, and personally if I had the option between Androcur and Spiro I'd take Androcur, because a lot of girls seem to have a hard time getting their T levels down with Spiro. But at the same time, Androcur gave me some HORRIBLE mood swings between sheer elation and suicidal depression which none of my friends on Spiro endured, so I really don't know if the rapid fall in T levels is really good for someone, so I don't know.

6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)

Bull. "breast development" as in full breasts, yeah, definitely not, but breast buds can happen almost immediately. I noticed my nipples becoming ever-so-slightly more conical in shape by the 2-week mark. Some other girls here report that they saw no breast development whatsoever until 3-4 months, others had full c-cup breasts by 4 months. It's very much a genetic crapshoot with absolutely no guarantees. They could either hardly ever grow at all, or spring up like daisies in April.

7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)

Some people do experience it, I've heard of it before, but I'm not one of those people. I started transition as a size 11W, and I'm still an 11W 2 years into HRT, (although maybe the 11W's fit a bit better? Like, early in transition I often had to try 11s on to see if they'd fit or not, where now they mostly do tend to fit?) Anyway, yeah, dropping a full size definitely isn't going to happen for me.

[jeni]

They could either hardly ever grow at all, or spring up like daisies in April.

Let's see, I started HRT in January, so April would be the three month mark. Heere daisies daisies....

[Jenna Marie]

I definitely had changes, including breast development, in the first week. Similarly, I'm quite sure my face change dramatically; people who didn't know me before don't recognize my pre-HRT pictures.

I lost about an inch in height and a shoe size, but voice didn't change at all.

[Sydney_NYC]

Hi!
Since I started my HTR a week ago, I have a few questions. Obviously I've been reading about HTR more than enough.. but I have a few questions since it's some of different information on webpage to webpage. So here's a list of questions.

Ok here is my experience at 14 months HRT:

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)
For me yes, I felt a difference especially around the 10 day mark. The peeing effect of Spiro was almost felt within 24 hours, but as time went on, the diuretic effect lessens.

2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)
No True. Face changes are huge. It doesn't change your brow or bone structure, but it does change fat distribution and the shape of the face. Also the eyes change a little, they seem to pop more and don't seem as far back. Here are a few timeline pictures:

July 2012	June 2014, 7 months HRT	December 2014, 1 Year HRT

2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)
I'm 6'7" and my height hasn't changed at all. However, my height has never clocked me. Everyone just sees me as a very tall woman.

3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)
My skin became smoother, but pimples really didn't increase or decrease with me.

4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?
It doesn't change your voice, but it seems to make it easier to do higher pitch voice, but then again it could just be practice. Now I can't hardly even do my old male voice anymore since I've been using it for almost a year 24/7. Occasionally a cough or sneeze may suspiciously sound male, but because I'm so tall, most people don't even notice and I usually follow it by a feminine sound (like a feminine ahem sound) and that masks it pretty well.

5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?
Can comment on this since Androcur is really used in the U.S.

6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)
I did get some at 2 weeks, but I was already on Finasteride for 4 months prior to HRT and one of it's side effects can be breast development.

7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)
Mine did shrink about a size and a half. I use to wear a mens 13. Now I wear a women's 13W which is about a 11 1/2 mens.

[April_TO]

Hi,

I just switched from CPA to Spiro and according to the study done that both are both effective AA.
Please read the link below:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1827125

[Mariah]

1. Strength loss and real calming affect along with clearer mind were some of the first affects both mentally and physically.
2. Bone structure doesn't, but other aspects can and do round things out a little bit. Certainly I have softened up a little bit so far.
3. I have heard of it, but I have noticed it in my case, but still early yet.
4. I haven't noticed any changes in regards to my voice that I could relate to Hrt.
5. I have only been on Spiro for my Blocker so I can't compare, but Spiro works great.
6. I started seeing development much sooner than that. I'm at least an A cup now working my way up already.
7. I went from being an 11w/ 12 to 10w/ 11 depending on the make. The loss of fat and muscle in the feet results in this occuring.
I hope this helps.
Mariah

Hi!
Since I started my HTR a week ago, I have a few questions. Obviously I've been reading about HTR more than enough.. but I have a few questions since it's some of different information on webpage to webpage. So here's a list of questions.

1.) Are there really any noticeable differences in the first weeks? (Psychological as physical)
2.) Is it true that your face doesn't change at all?(Been looking at before and after pictures here on the forum, and I think some faces has changed)
2.) Some people are talking about that you could get shorter? (Is that so? I'm 5"10.. shrinking I wouldn't mind.. even tho Taylor Swift is 5"11)
3.) Can HTR - MtF remove pimples and make your skin more clear? (Some pages says the opposite)
4.) At some places it says HTR doesn't change your voice as MtF, whilst on some it says it can slightly change?
5.) Androcur is better the Spiro?
6.) You can't get breast development until after 3 months? (I've read several storys about getting breast development after 3-4 weeks)
7.) You're feet can shrink a size or two since your body fat replaces itself?(This and length seems unreal, but I've read stories about it)

I think that's.. enough for now.. haha I will probably have more questions later on!
Thank you in advance!