Third Year Of HRT Changes

[ChrissyRyan]

Yes! I didn't notice it, but my dental hygienist said that she noticed my skin being smoother and softer. I think I notice it mostly after shaving my legs. I love how soft and smooth they get.

It is a lovely and welcomed change, for sure.

Chrissy

[NancyDrew1930]

Not just at the three year milestone, but earlier, my face filled out.
My rear has not, thus there is not a 10-12 inch difference between my waist and hips.

Smooth skin?  Or perhaps better said as smoother feeling skin?  Yes, some of that too.  Not to be mistaken with softened hot water and soap when taking a shower, that feels smooth too. 

Chrissy

I'm noticing that my face is getting more feminine—-of course because of my intersex condition it never really developed the brow ridges and other masculine features (from what my doctors can tell for most of my life before HRT my testosterone was sitting right on the border of the "crossover" zone where the say if males are in there they have low testosterone but if women are in it then they have high testosterone.  So they figure my natural estrogen during my puberty was doing more than most males—-however I also carried a lot in the stomach so they think a lot of my testosterone was converted to estrogen from the aromatase in my belly fat), so I never had those strong masculine facial features and it also helps explain why I have managed to maintain my early-twenties look when I am in my early-forties.

Last night I was out for dinner with a group I volunteer with, and I'm not out to them, however I just saw a photo on Facebook and I was in the back in the photo, and at first I was like "Who's that woman?  I don't recall seeing her there."  Then I realized that it was me!  The way I had my hair, I really had that feminine look even though I was presenting male.

[LoriDee]

I was told that T is a much more powerful hormone than E. Which is why we get T-blockers in addition to E. They suspected that like you said, my T was being converted from E. So they took me off Spiro and put me on two other blockers. One prevents T from being produced. The other blocks the T receptors, so if any E is being converted it will have no effect. They still haven't figured out why my E is so low despite continually increasing my dosage over four years. But the small improvements I have experienced are very affirming, like seeing a photo or a glance in the mirror and realizing that is you!

[NancyDrew1930]

I was told that T is a much more powerful hormone than E. Which is why we get T-blockers in addition to E. They suspected that like you said, my T was being converted from E. So they took me off Spiro and put me on two other blockers. One prevents T from being produced. The other blocks the T receptors, so if any E is being converted it will have no effect. They still haven't figured out why my E is so low despite continually increasing my dosage over four years. But the small improvements I have experienced are very affirming, like seeing a photo or a glance in the mirror and realizing that is you!

No, for me my E levels are good.  However, before I started HRT, I had been tested a few times for my testosterone levels over my life, and they always showed me testosterone back then being on the border of being low.

[NancyDrew1930]

I was told that T is a much more powerful hormone than E. Which is why we get T-blockers in addition to E. They suspected that like you said, my T was being converted from E. So they took me off Spiro and put me on two other blockers. One prevents T from being produced. The other blocks the T receptors, so if any E is being converted it will have no effect. They still haven't figured out why my E is so low despite continually increasing my dosage over four years. But the small improvements I have experienced are very affirming, like seeing a photo or a glance in the mirror and realizing that is you!

Sorry, I got interrupted earlier, however, before I started HRT, what the doctor's think was happening was that a vast majority of my testosterone was being converted to estrogen by the belly fat (dietitians have concluded that I'm genetically disposed to being overweight) that I had, and since I had had the situation since I was a baby, possible even in the womb (or I might also have PAIS), my body developed as intersex, because my estrogen was probably at the same level as my testosterone or slightly higher, to where my body developed both male and female characteristics and neither to a fully developed form.  (https://health.usnews.com/health-care/for-better/articles/extra-abdominal-weight-in-men-health-risks) (It's interesting how U.S. News mentions 'Belly fat converts naturally-made testosterone into estrogen, which promotes the development and maintenance of female characteristics.')

So as I was saying, before I started MTF HRT, I had never really fully developed my male facial features or other male things. Of course I didn't fully develop my female features either.  However, since starting MTF HRT it is helping my female features to come out more to the world.