How long after starting hormones do MTF people usually present female full time?

[Liv_J]

Hi there, I know there's a similar thread.. and was reading some of it and it's interesting. But I was wondering specifically how long after starting hormone treatment people usually go 'full time' presenting clearly as female - presumably you get to a point where the changes are kind of obvious and it would be awkward not to?

I am expecting to start hormones in August, probably. But I've done various body hair/beard laser sessions on and off for years and have been wearing a lot of not-too-obvious women's clothes for years and wear mostly androgynous women's stuff or the odd neutral and not too masculine men's thing, and I pluck my eyebrows and remove body hair etc, so don't exactly look massively masculine. But it's not really obvious, unless I add more androgymous touches like nail polish or ear rings etc, which I only occasionally do and only with friends, not eg. at work.

But at some point after the hormones have some effect and maybe after a couple of more beard sessions etc, I'll need to sort out my hair, start dressing more obviously female and using some make-up, asking everyone to call me Liv, etc, but I've not quite decided exactly what timeframe I should be looking at yet. I'm looking at my calendar and thinking - could I take a bit of time of work at such-and-such a time to start my social transition without too much stress, and will I be in a female role for such-and-such a thing that's coming up towards the end of the year etc.

[Devlyn]

I was presenting fulltime and had done my name change before my first HRT appointment.

There are many paths through these woods.

Hugs, Devlyn

[Liv_J]

OK.. thanks :-) I guess there's no one answer to my question really.. And I suppose the same goes for how quickly the HRT has a really noticeable effect

[Charlotte F]

Hi Liv

I'm coming up to a year on HRT and only changed my name & started living as the real me full-time last month.  I expect I could easily cover up the effects for another year or so if I really had to but for me it's not the effects of HRT that are driving me forward as much as the desire to just be me and stop hiding

Charlotte x

[Liv_J]

I see, thanks, yeah, I kind of want to get on with it too, but I guess I need to keep taking things one step at a time and not try to have it all figured out in advance as to exactly where I will be by a certain date and stuff ! I guess I need to chill about it more and not try to be in control of everything..

I also want to lose some weight first, and could do with some more laser. Am hoping the hormones reduce facial/body hair a bit too.

Anyway... like I say, I've been doing some beard laser and I'm just now sorting out an appointment to freeze some sperm just in case... (not likely I'll need it but you never know) and have already had a lot of therapy and got a psychiatrist's letter that says I'm gender dysphoric and have seen an endocrinologist who asked me to do blood tests, so... I am finally doing more about this rather than just thinking about it or having tentative gender explorations such as dressing as a woman once in a blue moon with friends or trying to see if it's enough for me to try to be a bit androgynous in my look and identify as non-binary (which it isn't, not least because I do have physical dysphoria).

[Dena]

I was on hormones a couple of years before starting RLE but it really wasn't hormones that were the limiting factor. I needed to have facial hair removal and needed assistance polishing off my image. Unlike today, I didn't have the internet where I could rapidly dig this information out so I had to do it the hard way and that took time. Once I had everything working, I lost my job and that pushed RLE several months earlier than I originally planed. Hormones really did very little as far as appearance and had the information been available earlier, I could have started even earlier.

[Dani]

This really depends on how old you are and how masculine you are at the start of HRT.

For the younger transitioners, many start presenting as female without any HRT. An example are the many cross dressers who are on the thin side. The same is true of someone who intends to fully transition.

For the older transitioners like myself, about 3 years of HRT is what many of us need in order to pass reasonably well. Two of the most important things in passing, in my opinion, are weight loss and facial electrolysis. Although heavy make up can conceal facial hair, it is obvious in bright outdoor daylight. Weight loss includes a losing muscle mass as well as fat. Both are needed to pass well during the daytime.

The changes from HRT began to show at 1 year, so I started dressing more androgynously for the next two years. After 3 years of HRT, my changes were sufficient enough that I felt comfortable presenting as female in public.

Of course, everybody's experience is different, but my experience may give you some idea of what to expect.

[Mendi]

I´m 40 and I went full time about a month before any HRT. Name change after few weeks on HRT.

Never looked back...

[Megan.]

In the UK with the NHS we often go full-time before HRT. I started my RLE about 3 months before starting on HRT.

Personally, BOTH steps gave me huge mental health benefits [emoji4].



Sent from my MI 5s using Tapatalk

[KathyLauren]

I don't think the word "usually" applies.  It can be anywhere from a few years before to a few years after.

In my case, I started RLE three months after HRT.

[Chloe]

. . . I am expecting to start hormones in August, probably.

I concur with 'all of above' . . . We're all unique and it chiefly depends on you, your circumstances & values regarding level of 'social acceptance' plus natural predisposition towards. Some pursue "RLE" in a hurry and some, like me, never do. Started at age 20 and am now 62. Accepted a good paying union job at a company where my father was Exec VP so pressure to conform outweighed transition desire and to this day No Regrets, father (and family) have since applauded this decision and accepted my TG status 100%.

A cop-out? Not really 'TG'?  Perhaps but with a b-cup bra size, a still full head of over shoulder length hair and a body to match (do need to lose some weight!) I jokingly sometimes tell people I'm FtM which, in a way, is closer to the real truth?

[Charlie Nicki]

Hi Liv

I'm coming up to a year on HRT and only changed my name & started living as the real me full-time last month.  I expect I could easily cover up the effects for another year or so if I really had to but for me it's not the effects of HRT that are driving me forward as much as the desire to just be me and stop hiding

Charlotte x

This! I'm like 10 months on HRT now and already started living full time. I just couldn't bare being in "gender limbo" anymore.

[Gertrude]

My therapist won't write the letter for hormones unless I go FT for three months.  In that case, hair removal would have to happen first.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[kaitylynn]

For me, About a year after starting HRT.  I started October of 2015 and changed my name and gender officially in October of 2016, at which point I began to transition my appearance.  This is the point also in which my therapist started her "timer" for a year.

It really all happened once I changed my driver's license, my company updated my information and they have introduced me as Kait or Kat, "she" ever since.  Not possible to hide at that point and I found myself having need to get things in to a higher gear for presentation.  It has gotten A LOT easier since the beginning of this year.  Something really sparked a change and I am no longer passable as a male.

Most of my peers waited till after year 2 to do make the shift.  They were well enough along that they had no trouble stepping from one to the other.

[MissyMay2.0]

I waited 5 years, but I'm a very patient person, and I wanted to feminize my face and body as much as possible before going full time. If someone is already retired, they have enough savings to comfortably pay for everything related to transition, and their significant other is accepting, etc., then nothing is holding them back, however, for those who rely on their job, don't have a lot of money, have a significant other who is unaccepting, then it may be more prudent not to rush into going full-time.  And while you are waiting to go full-time do some work (e.g., practice voice, deportment, grow out your hair, get electrolysis/and or laser facial hair removal, present as your true self as much as possible, etc.) to ensure success.

[Donna]

We all do it differently
For me I started on herbals in May of 17 then proper meds in October 2017. Came out in December to my wife started dressing fem in January and started estrogen. February came out at work and March I went full time real life and haven't looked back. Came out to the world on Facebook in March. Legally changed my name and birth certificate In May and changed my gender marker and drivers licence last week.

[emma-f]

For me it was years. The thing is that whilst HRT can do huge things, it's so gradual that people you're around all the time, work colleagues and family, often don't even realise. I was constantly Male failing with strangers about 1 year into hormones, but still have work caolleagues not realise anything was happening even after 4 years of hormones and a breast augmentation! I've taken it at a pace that suits me and only made the decision to go full time when I felt I was ready. Which is now

[allisonsteph]

I started presenting female full time 5 months before I began HRT. I lost my job and seeing I didn't have the obstacle of navigating transitioning in a work environment, I jumped at the opportunity. I got home after getting fired, threw my male clothing in the trash and told myself I would never wear male clothing again. And I haven't. It took 5 months to get insurance to be able to pay for hormones. In the 5 months between going full time and starting HRT I legally changed my name and gender.

You will likely find that everyone has a different experience. There's no right answer. I think most people would say they started presenting full time the day they couldn't bear wearing male clothing one more day.

[Donna]

I started presenting female full time 5 months before I began HRT. I lost my job and seeing I didn't have the obstacle of navigating transitioning in a work environment, I jumped at the opportunity. I got home after getting fired, threw my male clothing in the trash and told myself I would never wear male clothing again. And I haven't. It took 5 months to get insurance to be able to pay for hormones. In the 5 months between going full time and starting HRT I legally changed my name and gender.

You will likely find that everyone has a different experience. There's no right answer. I think most people would say they started presenting full time the day they couldn't bear wearing male clothing one more day.

That's a very interesting though. After I went full time I had a very dirt job come up at work so I thought I'd just put my old jeans and tee on. Well I finished the job and they went straight in the garbage with all the other male cloths. I just could not stand the feel of them on my skin

[Liv_J]

Thanks for all the interesting posts, I feel like I have a better grasp of it now... and can see there's no one solution. I'll just see how it goes x