Nearly a month on HRT

[emma-f]

His name is Tim

Not the same then. I didn't want to say his name as I'm sure many people like him (and to be fair I got on with him. Like me he's well read and knows lots of useless information, so we'd spend ages at a tangent, talking about complete irrelevancies, only to be told no at the end of every session when I asked for hormones) but he's well known for being awkward on hormone treatment, and requiring RLE before hormones, and being very binary on his views on gender.

Afterwards I went to Dr Curtis who was brilliant, but I understand was driven from the profession because he was more liberal in his prescribing of treatment. Whenever a doctor becomes known for prescribing hormones easier (and in my view, correctly) they get all kinds of trouble from parts of the press and some of the more conservative gender psychologists in London, and they made his, and other, psychologists lives hell!

Emma x

[April_TO]

I am sorry you have to go through such an ordeal to find a medical doctor to prescribe hormones. Is there a way that you can request a blood work from your regular GP so you can check your own levels? I also want to second the opinion of everyone here that HRT takes time. I have been on hormones for the last 4 years and I am pretty happy with the results but it's going to take some time.

It is extremely slow - However, you will find that the only people that can see your changes is the people around you. I find that we are extremely critical of ourselves and it's hard to gauge our progress without the help of our peers/family.

[Shellie Hart]

Twenty-six months for me. The YMMV idea is so true for HRT. I started one particular change at 3 weeks and it hasn't stopped for me. Unfortunately I have had only that one major change. I really do wish the changes would have evened out for me more (even though one other minor change has been the body aroma improvement). Again, YMMV....

[TranSketch]

I am sorry you have to go through such an ordeal to find a medical doctor to prescribe hormones. Is there a way that you can request a blood work from your regular GP so you can check your own levels? I also want to second the opinion of everyone here that HRT takes time. I have been on hormones for the last 4 years and I am pretty happy with the results but it's going to take some time.

It is extremely slow - However, you will find that the only people that can see your changes is the people around you. I find that we are extremely critical of ourselves and it's hard to gauge our progress without the help of our peers/family.

In theory yes you could ask a GP to do bloods however someone whom I know who wants to transition was told by there GP were they to self medicate they'd get no help or support, I assume because they would be going over the NHS's appproved protocols and as such were not really covered or they weren't prepared to deal with said person if they took the risk of there own accord and may cause complications in the foreseeable future, this is of course speculation as I don't know the whole story but honestly it's not encouraging to hear that in the first place a trained professional would basically leave them to there own devices no matter the end result.
I have a Mental Health Assessment with a GP next month as he has has to fill in details to pass my paperwork onto a GIC which has to go through my Therapist before the GIC, I could query about this with said GP but with already self medicating for a month they may very well turn me away as I've basically put my own health as the bartering chip in a risky game of poker.
Regarding being our own worst critics it's true but no one has said I look any different or better outside of my own views so one can assume it's making no difference as of yet, honestly the problem is the image in my head is not the one I can achieve as I'd have to be much smaller and the "ideal" overall perfect look which my build just wouldn't accomodate for unless I surgically removed bones and many extremities to have a petite body, something that being over 6ft and a wide build is just so far removed from reality one would think I must smoking the wacky tobaccky to even entertain the idea I could ever be the ideal female build/appearance.

[April_TO]

Give it some time and let HRT do it's work. As I have said, it is hard to gauge how we will turn out based on many factors beyond our control when it comes to hormonal therapy alone.

I hope that you take this journey day by day. We all have our wants but sometimes what we need is enough.

Re-affirm yourself everyday and be the best version of who you are. Take care.

[gloria6]

I've been on HRT for 15 months and for me the feminization process was imperceptible but then one day I noticed that I was looking more feminine than before. I think it was after about 3 months. At the moment my figure is definitely more female but there's been hardly any breast development (I suspect this may be genetic).  In my case I didn't take T blockers, possibly wrongly, because I had small shrunken testicles and didn't think I was producing any T to speak of.  I had an orchi in April this year so I'm hoping now that my balls are gone (hooray for that) things will speed up.

[pamelatransuk]

Here in lies the problem, I do not in anyway condone or say it's the safe way but all my HRT stuff I get online at least until July when I see my therapist again and hopefully this time he signs off my HRT and doesn't refuse it again, the point is devils advocate aside I have no blood tests or reports to compare were I'm up to or even what dosage I need so whilst the whole process is guesswork based on the fact HRT works at different paces I also have no official means to gauge anything on.
Again I do not wish to promote self medicine as I'm playing risk but I wasn't prepared to wait any longer for HRT, I'm impatient and frankly in 3 months I may have more physical developments that I wouldn't have had, touch wood I've had no ill effect with them thus far, I hope at that point I can get them through NHS officially as this method is not the cheapest compared to proper subscriptions so I advise against it because of cost to, just I'm not patient enough to wait around for some guy with a degree to say yes I should have them.

Hello Transketch

We have chatted before as you know.

I am sorry you are feeling pessimistic and frustrated and at present unable to have HRT supervised by a medical doctor but I do not judge you for that, as the system is against you.

I decided to take the private route to get therapy and HRT and then to have a shared care agreement between private transgender doctor and my NHSGP thus preventing me from having to satisfy the ridiculous rule of "hormones only with living publicly as female".

I truly hope you are able to get NHS supervised HRT in July (without the RLE rule) as you intend. I wish you the best of luck in July with your therapist.

Hugs

Pamela

[TranSketch]

Hello Transketch

We have chatted before as you know.

I am sorry you are feeling pessimistic and frustrated and at present unable to have HRT supervised by a medical doctor but I do not judge you for that, as the system is against you.

I decided to take the private route to get therapy and HRT and then to have a shared care agreement between private transgender doctor and my NHSGP thus preventing me from having to satisfy the ridiculous rule of "hormones only with living publicly as female".

I truly hope you are able to get NHS supervised HRT in July (without the RLE rule) as you intend. I wish you the best of luck in July with your therapist.

Hugs

Pamela

My understanding is I may get it by then, I have actively at least on weekends in groups presented as female because safety in numbers, and also because as I said maybe to you or at least in another forum he said in a way that did not put his profession on the line had I been taking hormones they would have been bridged,considering my appointment was initially in Spetember and it got forwarded to July instead so nearly 3 month quicker after informing the receptionist at the cliniic to pass on the information to my Therapist I was essentially self medicating which ended up in a phone call literally a few days later from him, I forced them to play ball how I wanted and hopefully by July the HRT I'm doing now will have yielded at least some results, next month I have  doctors appointment for a psychological assessment IE fill in the medical details for the form needed for the GIC that the Therapist did not know but I'l ask them about getting bloods to see if my self done HRT is having any effect or if the dosage I need is higher etc.

[LaserGirl]

That is a ridiculous and utterly devastating rule.  Stealth transitioning is a right.  Nobody should be forced to emerge from their cocoon until they are the butterfly they will be.  So sad to hear that.
This is not the case in the US.  I would go private if I were you.
I am about as stealth as one can get and understand where you are coming from.
That said, the estrogen doesn't work it's magic without blockers. 

I had super low test and high estrogen for a man and was actually on test injections for a while until I realized that wasn't helping me at all.  So I stopped and my test plummeted and I began to feel like me again and allowed myself to feel feminine.  Then came the wonderful effects of spiro with the occasional E.  I'm also diy.

[TranSketch]

That is a ridiculous and utterly devastating rule.  Stealth transitioning is a right.  Nobody should be forced to emerge from their cocoon until they are the butterfly they will be.  So sad to hear that.
This is not the case in the US.  I would go private if I were you.
I am about as stealth as one can get and understand where you are coming from.
That said, the estrogen doesn't work it's magic without blockers. 

I had super low test and high estrogen for a man and was actually on test injections for a while until I realized that wasn't helping me at all.  So I stopped and my test plummeted and I began to feel like me again and allowed myself to feel feminine.  Then came the wonderful effects of spiro with the occasional E.  I'm also diy.

In the ideal world I would go private however I don't have the money for it (as well as electrolysis hair removal etc, way out of my range of wages) so this is all done at the NHS's cost hence the lenghthy waits to get appointments or surgeries etc the whole "prove your commited" attitude with RLE even if your not anywhere near the appearance you need to pass safely, it's a joke alright however for people such as myself who don't have the sort of money for private there's no alternative other than to do it this way.

[TranSketch]

After nearly 2 months I have got 38 A Breasts of course because bra's are designed with female bodies in mind and I have a male upper torso the back part where they hook up are not long enough in A cup size, I need a C cup for the right hook/back strap length which is annoying as it means I'd need specially made ones and screw paying for tailored clothes, to expensive but I don't see a point in getting C's till I transition full time I'd rather a smaller bra for subtly I can still wear under male clothes.

[Northern Star Girl]

After nearly 2 months I have got 38 A Breasts of course because bra's are designed with female bodies in mind and I have a male upper torso the back part where they hook up are not long enough in A cup size, I need a C cup for the right hook/back strap length which is annoying as it means I'd need specially made ones and screw paying for tailored clothes, to expensive but I don't see a point in getting C's till I transition full time I'd rather a smaller bra for subtly I can still wear under male clothes.

Dear TranSketch:   Go to a larger department store and talk the the clerk in the women's lingerie section...  or you can go online ...   what you are looking for to solve your problem is Bra Extenders or Bra Band Extenders... 
they are like this:


They come in all kinds of colors and 2, 3 or 4 hook versions.

I hope this helps,
Hugs, and well wishes,
Danielle

[Dena]

38 A, not a problem. Just go to Hanes, click on a manufacture then search for the size I found two manufactures with that size but I stopped looking at that point.  For a long time it was a big problem for me because I was AA and it was really difficult to find something in that size.

[KathyLauren]

I am also a 38A.  The lingerie store I went to had several different 38As in stock, none of which fit really well.  I'm kind of a small 38A: with conical breasts, I have the projection to be an A, but not the volume to fill the cup of most bras.  They also had bras sized in small-medium-large.  The medium fit 34C, 36B and 38A.  The band is a little snug, as you would expect, but it fits and doesn't require extenders.  My backup plan, had I not found that one, was to get a 36A or B with an extender.

[pamelatransuk]

Transketch

I agree with the advice provided.

Good luck with the bra extenders but also importantly as were now so close to July, good luck with your July Blood Tests and psychological assessment such that you can get HRT and further help under NHS GIC.

Hugs

Pamela

[TranSketch]

38 A, not a problem. Just go to Hanes, click on a manufacture then search for the size I found two manufactures with that size but I stopped looking at that point.  For a long time it was a big problem for me because I was AA and it was really difficult to find something in that size.

Unfortunately there is no Hanes in the UK, I am under the impression it's an American chain only.

[TranSketch]

I am also a 38A.  The lingerie store I went to had several different 38As in stock, none of which fit really well.  I'm kind of a small 38A: with conical breasts, I have the projection to be an A, but not the volume to fill the cup of most bras.  They also had bras sized in small-medium-large.  The medium fit 34C, 36B and 38A.  The band is a little snug, as you would expect, but it fits and doesn't require extenders.  My backup plan, had I not found that one, was to get a 36A or B with an extender.

Kind of the same boat, 38 A but not enough development to fill a bra cup properly either.

[gloria6]

I'm 34A with pointy nipples and traffic cone breasts. They don't fit properly in any bra I've tried. Until I get bigger I'll go without.

[TranSketch]

Kind of the same boat, 38 A but not enough development to fill a bra cup properly either.

Frustrating isn't it, even though there's growth there's not enough shape to justify a bra either, not to mention the right chest and nipple are clearly larger than the left side.

[gloria6]

I don't know if any other girls have this but as well as my nipples getting very pointy they are also very hard. Lately I've taken to wearing nipple guards to protect them.