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The whole thing or just anti-androgens?

Started by sakuranbo, August 19, 2007, 12:18:41 AM

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sakuranbo

I'm not ready coming out as a female cuz I am afraid of losing my friends and everything at school.
Are people going to tell the differences after having the full HRT (estrogen & anti-androgen) if I act and dress the same as before?
Is it a better idea to just take just anti-androgen for the moment if I want to have transition in stealth?
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Keira


For most people, especially if your young, it becomes VERY obvious in the face and if genetics is on your side, elsewhere too, from 6-12 month region and hiding it won't work. For some, within 3 months, it becomes hard to pass as a man if you've got little beard. If your early 20's that's often the case.


Using anti-androgen could work to remain "stealth", since it de-masculinize and only slightly feminizes; but not sure that will be enough. The face shape won't change too much, but the complexion will clear and the skin will get smaller pores. If you suppress testosterone enough (which is required for a anti-T treatment to make sense) and don't take estrogen, your energy level will be low and you may have cognitive problems. Long term, you get osteoporosis problems. Of course, there is the also possible problem of permanent sterility after more than 6 months (but in all probable case, its more of a decrease in fertility that occurs, if fertility is low enough, you're in fact incapable of having children through normal courses, though test tube procreation may work).

My feeling is that if your not ready to face the risk of losing your friends (which may not be the case), you're not ready for this. You should really think this through. I don't think you have!


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HelenW

I wonder what the purpose of "transition in stealth" would be or even what that really means.

If your relationships are more important to you than becoming your true self, then I think you should by all means avoid any and all transition related drugs and try to make a go of it the way you are.  For me, transition has been such a huge life altering event, for my closest friends and family as well as myself, that I could not bear to do it unless it were the last option available short of suicide.

sakuranbo, I think you may be best served if you went to a gender specializing therapist to discuss your feelings and for help in deciding which way you want to move in your journey.

hugs & smiles
Emelye

Ashley, take a look at this article for ideas on what changes could happen under HRT: https://www.susans.org/wiki/HRT  :)
FKA: Emelye

Pronouns: she/her

My rarely updated blog: http://emelyes-kitchen.blogspot.com

Southwestern New York trans support: http://www.southerntiertrans.org/
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gothique11

I'd have to agree with everyone else. You're going to have to face your friends and family eventually -- and if you did the "stealth transition" are you just going to all of a sudden vanish from everyone's lives and live female the next day?

I'd really think hard about things before doing anything. What is the most important thing for you and how much are you willing to risk for it?
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Alexandria

I will add my little ditty as well.  "stealth" transition is a fantasy.   I found that when my therapist finally let me start hrt, it was like this huge rush that my life could get going. 

(In a former life, I was in this deep dark place and there was like nothing going anywhere).
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Melissa

Quote from: Keira on August 19, 2007, 02:13:17 AMFor most people, especially if your young, it becomes VERY obvious in the face and if genetics is on your side, elsewhere too, from 6-12 month region and hiding it won't work. For some, within 3 months, it becomes hard to pass as a man if you've got little beard. If your early 20's that's often the case.
Yep, sakuranbo, what Keira says here is true.  I started at age 28.  It was probably around 3-4 months (a little after I started laser hair removal) when I got to the point where I had difficulty passing as a man (while wearing male clothes) and went fulltime about a month later (due to my workplace making preparations).  I started passing just fine immediately upon going fulltime, since the clothes were obviously female.  Now that I've been on HRT for over a year and a half, there's no way I could even begin to pass as a male (not like I have any desire to do so) and I haven't ever had any FFS (and in fact this last May, I had difficulty even passing as TS at a TG conference I went to ::)).

So, just make sure you have a plan in place to be able to go fulltime in the event that you have changes happen faster than you want.  I originally planned to go fulltime after about 11 months of HRT, which I ended up cutting short by a whole 6 months.  However, I was nearly going insane from the wait, so this was a very welcome thing.

Posted on: August 21, 2007, 02:20:50 PM
Quote from: Alexandria on August 21, 2007, 04:01:16 PM
I will add my little ditty as well.  "stealth" transition is a fantasy.   I found that when my therapist finally let me start hrt, it was like this huge rush that my life could get going.
Hehe, my "stealth transition" involved not telling people I wasn't born female. ;)
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Sara

mmmmmm, fear of rejection, I remember what that felt like but at the end of the day you can either hide it away and be a basket case after 40 years or lose a couple of what you thought were your friends and be happy. Don't get me wrong it can be lonely and you can feel completely outcast but you will still have someone to love and who loves you and that person is YOU.

Hugs,

Sara.
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Icephoenyx

hey i have been on anti-androgens for about 3 months now and i have not really noticed any differences yet..what are some of the things I can expect to see? I think I am starting to develop slight breasts, I have noticed I am getting bigger in that area and my chest hurts, but I might be just getting fat lol. So any ideas?

Phoenyx
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deviousxen

I'm kind of in the same boat as the threadauthor.

Only problem is that my moms recently been through my dad walking out after cheating on her and possibly having another manic-midllife crisis. Telling her this would really be overkill. I'm not 100 PERCENT sure either, but I don't want to get older and not be able to go anywhere with this. No way in hell she'd take me to a shrink or therapist again either. After us going through all that crap back then she'd think of it as pathetic or something. Most shrinks in CT are SOOO DUMB.

So I'm kinda stuck. My dad wouldn't really buy it. He'd probably secretly think (or write in his dumb notebooks. I shouldn't say dumb cause at LEAST HES DOING SOMETHING OTHER THAN WORK) that it were just a call for attention or some new thing of this generation. I've ignored my feelings at times to progress in life (its always a DISTRACTION to me for some reason), but I doubt it can be done anymore.

So I do the whole stealth thing and tell friends I know are open minded. I haven't even told my best friend cause the guy seems more like a brother. He's a rarity and I don't wanna lose even 2 minutes hanging out with him. He's the last thing from my childhood thats mostly intact. The fondest memories of all time were our shenanigans and general badassery and pranks. I usually save it for my newer friends (which seems the opposite) cause I'm around them more often these days. I like the ones who are smart and devious who have the, "EFF IT! Lets do this today!" mentality. Ones who may see bad stuff coming for Earth, and feel depression from it, but in the end go, "Screw it. Lets mess with people."

My mom believes in old values, god, NO BULL>-bleeped-< ETC, polar virtues or vices, and I tend to be her punching bag. She was a total hardcore XXX psycho about baggy jeans back in 2nd grade when my friend (who's mother is a freaking crazy one. EVEN WORST. Repressing old skool bad parent who is afraid of change) got to even wear them. So what makes me think this will even GO, not smoothly for sure? She thinks you, "Make yourself" more than "finding yourself". Its kinda hard when I feel like I've "lOST MYSELF". Disconnection sucks especially when your mom cant empathize and thinks alot of it is just self inflicted bullshiza.

Of course, even the friends I know only know the TIP of it. Only one knows a big chunk of it and thats cause shes out with her gender identity issues and bisexuality. I feel I can trust her too. Shes one of the few people who would never screw me over I think.


As for my chest...not too much to report. Minimal development. Areolas bigger, and water retention is noticed, but other than that not much. I was trying to make a log with pictures but my laptop died. Frick.
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