I am really confused

[fluttershy1617]

Hi I'm 19 years old MtF pre-hormones and pre-op trans girl. I went to the endo for hormones and she told me that they can't prescribe hormones until they know I am sure about transition, so she told me they will probably prescribe hormones in 6 month but I feel like I am growing and also have hair loss so I need these medications as soon as possible. She told me that some people regret transition rarely and they have to be sure about me and I know it is a formality. I told her that I have a hairloss problem and ask about finansterid and she told me that finansterid has many side effect that can be harmful for me.


So my first question is;

What can I do about my hairloss before HRT?

Will I grow more after 19? ( I mean will I get taller or my feet and hands get bigger? )

And I am planing getting SRS in my 24 and I heard that using AA more than a year can cause cancer then I thought getting orchi but my friend told me after I get orchi I have to get SRS in 1 year because If I dont get SRS in one year after orchi, my skin will shrink and It will be harder to make a vagina etc. So what should I do? 

[Ms Grace]

It sounds like you are sure about transition so why does the endocrinologist believe that you are not?

[Maybebaby56]

Hi Fluttershy,

You may have a couple of options. Since you are over 18, and presumably have access to health insurance or subsidized health care, I would recommend you see a therapist who is knowledgable about gender-related issues.  He or she could presumably write a letter to the endocrinologist after a few sessions. 

If that isn't quick enough for you, you could see if there is an LGBT center near you that can prescribe hormones on an informed consent basis.  In either case, you should continue to see a therapist, even if you feel like you don't need one.  Transition is hard, and you should always try to have some form of support in place, be it professional or your friends, before you start.

Anti-androgens such as spironolactone or cyproterone acetate (CPA) do not cause cancer.  Spironolactone has been used by millions of patients over the last 50 years and is safe and effective as a diuretic (its intended use) and as an anti-androgen.  CPA is not available in the US; there is some concern over hepatotoxicity (liver damage).

Finasteride is well tolerated by most individuals. The most significant side effect is loss or reduction of male sexual performance. For most transgirls, this is not an issue.  Spiro and CPA cause this as well, so it really is part and parcel of hormone therapy. The other possible side effect is depression, but that is fairly rare.  I have been using finasteride for about ten months now, and have seen regrowth of hair at my hairline, where male pattern baldness really took a toll. I think you're endocrinologist is not taking you seriously.  If you can get a letter of referral from a therapist, that may help.

With kindness,

Terri

[StillAnonymous]

I was able to get finasteride just for hair loss before admitting anything to anyone or speaking to a therapist.  They did make me take a blood test and my physician told me it was because they wanted to make sure I had no liver problems.  I was warned about the side-effects, but I was told that the these effects are more often reversible after discontinuing treatment and with a little bit of time...  of course there has been a few reported cases where the effects were irreversible.

[JS UK]

Be careful with Finasteride. I took it for about two months and felt the most awful depression - it was like I was being mentally dragged into a black hole. I stopped it immediately and within a few weeks I felt much better.

Juliex

[Richenda]

Hi I'm 19 years old MtF pre-hormones and pre-op trans girl. I went to the endo for hormones and she told me that they can't prescribe hormones until they know I am sure about transition, so she told me they will probably prescribe hormones in 6 month but I feel like I am growing and also have hair loss so I need these medications as soon as possible. She told me that some people regret transition rarely and they have to be sure about me and I know it is a formality. I told her that I have a hairloss problem and ask about finansterid and she told me that finansterid has many side effect that can be harmful for me.


So my first question is;

What can I do about my hairloss before HRT?

Will I grow more after 19? ( I mean will I get taller or my feet and hands get bigger? )

And I am planing getting SRS in my 24 and I heard that using AA more than a year can cause cancer then I thought getting orchi but my friend told me after I get orchi I have to get SRS in 1 year because If I dont get SRS in one year after orchi, my skin will shrink and It will be harder to make a vagina etc. So what should I do? 

Hi Fluttershy and thank you for sharing this with us.

You will probably receive as many different pieces of advice as there are responses. We all react a little differently to different medications and one person's medicine may be another's poison. Most, if not all, of the drugs commonly used in HRT serve a different primary purpose than that of transitional treatment. This is important because they are generally not clinically tested in trials on our community. In fact I cannot think of a single one that has been properly double-blind clinically tested on MtF patients. That's a kind of gentle warning. If you're told such-and-such may be fine, it may not be for you. So please do remain 'in the system' and have yourself regularly checked. I'll put some flesh to that:

Some people love spironalctone: it nearly killed me (ultra low bp)
A few swear by biculatamide: I had a horrible reaction.
Some people hate finasteride: I seem to love it - 18 months and no problems.
etc. etc.

So, re the last one, finasteride is generally believed to be well tolerated in hair loss dosages (I can't say more than that on here but there's an obvious hair loss dose and another for prostate treatment). I've not had any problems with the drug but some people are sure it causes depression, and I've no reason to doubt them (see Julie's example of her bad reaction above ^^^).

There's one other thing to add, which to me is the most important of all. When I was 15 I wrote off for hormone treatment. At that time (1979) it was pretty unusual. But I bottled it out of fear of my father and society. I cannot speak of regret in the sense that I since had wonderful children. But if I had my time again and those children could still exist (see how hard it is to write even that?) I wish I were your age to transition. You have the world ahead of you, a world which is far more tolerant and savvy about transitioning and the treatment for it. So don't you let anyone put you off. Be safe, but be bold. Go girl xx