First puberty worse for MTFs than for FTMs?

[jacob.ayden.averi]

I would have loved to start HRT in like. Fifth grade, because I went through puberty in sixth. Sigh. It's such a battle.

[spacial]

I would have been satisfied to have my feelings acknowledged as being valid and sane. Some sort of pubitry blockers would have been wonderful.

But, at least we can feel some, (or a lot) of satisfaction that, whatever we went through, it has started to make the process a bit easier for today's generation of kids.

That's what keeps me going.

[Gray]

I think it has much more to do with dysphoria than gender.

That said I would much rather be a FTA than MTA :/

[jmaxley]

I would have had to start at age 9.  By age 13 I was already fully "blossomed".  >_<  Ugh.

[rejennyrated]

It really depends on the luck of your biology which group has it worse.

I have to say that I probably had a reasonably easy ride in that respect being at least partially resistant to androgens.

I also think that it definitely WILL one day be possible to diagnose early with good enough accuracy by using a combination of genetic testing and brain activation scanning.

I expect that within 10 years, assuming the political will to do so, it will be possible to treat at least some of us from the age of perhaps 5 or 6, and as I was one of the rare few who came out fully prior to that age I expect that were I born now I might just be one of the lucky ones.

[pretty pauline]

-Non-hairy guys are okay, even (in my opinion) more beautiful than hairy guys. However hairy girls just don't do.

But the fact that phalloplasty is not regarded as giving results as good as vaginoplasty should also weigh in the balance.

Well hair can be always got rid of by laser.
But Iv often thought FTM have it harder when it comes to the final surgery, vaginoplasty is more successful than phalloplasty, even my Husband couldnd tell the different, my vagina is now just as natural and just like any other woman.

But Iv often wondered will science in the future be able to do transplants, liver, lungs hearts, etc even limbs can now be got, when I think about it when I had my vaginoplasty 25years ago I had a good set of healthy testicles & penis removed, its a pity I couldnd have donated them to a worthy FTM guy, this girl certainly didn't want them, it may seem a crazy idea, but maybe medical science will make something of that in the future, I know some of the old parts are used but some just gets thrown out.
p

[kyril]

Well, the problem with transplants is that any transplant (not using self-donated or cloned tissue) requires lifelong use of some very unpleasant anti-rejection drugs which compromise the immune system, can impair other body functions, and have other nasty side effects. Doctors are, and will be for the foreseeable future, very reluctant to do transplants of any organ unless its absence/malfunction is a serious physical threat to the patient's life and can't be compensated for by drugs or hormone replacement. Hearts, lungs, kidneys, livers, etc - organs that play a direct role in the body's metabolic processes - are worth transplanting, but thyroids, reproductive organs, and the like - organs whose primary life-sustaining function is to produce hormones or chemicals to support other organ function - are usually not.

(and just from a psychological point of view, I personally would have a very hard time using someone else's genitals...especially if they were producing that person's sperm...kind of creeps me out, actually, even more than what I've got)

I think the best potential new advance for trans people is the developing capability of bioengineering to grow/manufacture organs from a patient's own cells. Even a limited form of this - manufacturing erectile tissue for trans men, or mucosal tissue for trans women, even if they couldn't grow a complete penis or vagina - would dramatically improve current surgical options and reduce the trauma of self-transplantation.

[pretty pauline]

(and just from a psychological point of view, I personally would have a very hard time using someone else's genitals...especially if they were producing that person's sperm...kind of creeps me out, actually, even more than what I've got)

I know, your so right Kyril, it would creep me out as well, I was just thinking about a FTM having a successful phalloplasty just to feel complete as a man, nothing more deep than that, you made some very good points, thank you for that.
I know originally from my own experience it didn't bother me if I didn't have srs, I just wanted to be a woman, but when I did have srs and finally have a successful vaginoplasty, having a vagina I did finally feel complete as a woman, now being married to a guy being a housewife and having a husband is just awesome for me as a woman, just my feelings as a woman.

p

[pebbles]

I want to say yes but I can't say because I don't know. However it is a biological fact that T dose a whole lot more than E. Although that's not counting the dysphoria associated with the lack of change FTMs may experience. And I do envy there experience of transition as they get alot more from there hormones and they don't have to deal with Electrolysis, Damaged vocal cords, ect ect

[cynthialee]

As I have been sterile all my life I would be ok with having anouther persons overies. It would not squik me out to have anouther womans eggs if it made it so I could have a baby.

[kyril]

As I have been sterile all my life I would be ok with having anouther persons overies. It would not squik me out to have anouther womans eggs if it made it so I could have a baby.

Yeah, for you ladies, there's the whole pregnancy/giving birth process that I can imagine would make you feel like your baby was a part of you even if the genetic material weren't yours. And the parts being inside, I imagine it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to feel like they're a part of you.

For me, though, since I'd be doing the impregnating (if I were to do any such thing - more likely I'd be having sex with men exclusively), I just can't get past the idea of having sex with someone else's penis and then ejaculating someone else's sperm into my partner...very uncomfortable. Whether or not there's a baby involved, it's...just not right for me. Especially under the "parts swap" idea, where I'd be constantly aware that I was using a woman's unwanted penis. Just the idea of that makes me squirm.

[A]

Well, not necessarily the whole other person's stuff. Maybe, un, erectile tissue and stfuu like that. Would you still feel that way?

[kyril]

No, I think I'd be cool with "inside" components like erectile and vascular tissue. It's the outer stuff, the skin and hair, that I don't think I could handle...that and incubating someone else's sperm-producing testes. If they were sterilized and only produced hormones and fluid, that would be fine.

(it might seem odd that I can be gay and be this squeamish about someone else's male genitals, but the truth is I only like them when they're firmly attached to another man)

[YellowDaisy]

there's quite a bit more to it than that though. the thing is genetic females go through puberty earlier and at a much more rapid pace. many genetic females are considered full grown by the time they are between 16-18. genetic males however, start puberty later, and change slower. they usually aren't considered fully developed until between about 18-21.

[A]

But if we're going to go there, we mustn't forget the fact that estrogen's effect on body is smaller than testosterone's. Someone with very low and equal amounts of both hormones has high chances of looking more feminine than masculine.

And I'll say again that we're in no position to try to judge who of FTMs or MTFs have it harder, as we have biaised opinions. And, as it's been said, it probably actually isn't harder for one or the other. Harder in some fields, easier in some fields, but overall it's probably the same "level of difficulty".

[Bluetraveler]

I can definitely relate on the FTM side, especially boobs, periods and "childish features".
When I actually was a child, I always seemed one-two years older than I was (I loved this).
Then puberty happened, had "lady changes" but, minus that and a lotta body hair (and eyebrows, I love them!), my face and bone structure remained those of when I was 10 (and looked 12). So now I'm 20 but people I don't know routinely mistake me for 14-15. Only Asians seem to guess my real age (and I can guess theirs more accurately than other Caucasians, because of this and also because I study faces and facial aging for drawing), some thought I had some Asian blood but I don't, I'm all Mediterranean. I still am not seeing any of the benefits I'm supposed to see when I get older (my mom is near 50 but can look late 30, and my face is even more paedomorphic than hers), so this situation is very irritating. I hoped that when I would start T I could shake off the "paternalistic gaze" I often get (I would have looked like a even younger male but with the benefit of facial hair which my family is quite generous with and the maleness I hoped that would stop). As for puberty itself, that was hell (the first thought I had: I LONG FOR MENOPAUSE!!) and so distressing for me I tried to hide it (both physically and emotionally) as long as I could. Even now, if I could change my body for vain reasons, I wish my bone structure was more adult. 

[YellowDaisy]

But if we're going to go there, we mustn't forget the fact that estrogen's effect on body is smaller than testosterone's. Someone with very low and equal amounts of both hormones has high chances of looking more feminine than masculine.

And I'll say again that we're in no position to try to judge who of FTMs or MTFs have it harder, as we have biaised opinions. And, as it's been said, it probably actually isn't harder for one or the other. Harder in some fields, easier in some fields, but overall it's probably the same "level of difficulty".

well, i don't really agree that estrogens effect on a genetic female's body is smaller, i think it's about the same, but it's just in different ways. you really can't measure those two things against one another because they are just incomparable. it may seem like genetic females aren't changing as much as a genetic male does, but really they are, just differently. it's just the balance of nature. every unborn baby starts off as female, but if a y chromosome is introduced, it changes into a male eventually in most cases. so there would have to be one that stays more soft and femenine, and then one that becomes more masculine. and then, the menstrual cycle. the menstrual cycle and monthly pms/bleeding is an emotional/physical experience that no genetic male or unfortunate female would ever know. i'm sure that many ftm respond just as negatively to their inability to be as male as they desire, because they know they won't be getting any of the masculine characteristics they desire without hormone replacement therapy. even at that, ftm may seem to benefit better from hrt than mtf do, but i've seen many mtf on here who look like really convincing women from hrt. everyone's cases is different. i've seen many cisgendered males who are not all masculine looking, then i've seen many men who are masculine. i've seen many women who are very feminine, and then there's some who have an even more masculine bone structure or peculiar deep voice, but they are still genetically female. it's not all black and white.   

[A]

I agree less to your long text without clear lines, but that's off-topic.

I agree that we mustn't put everything in the same boat, but I'm pretty sure I read on Andrea James' site something about the body developing more along the female lines without hormones. And please take into account that what I said was to balance things : you seemed to say females changed more in some aspects, so I tried to say males change more in some aspects. I was just trying to say that all taken into account, if it really is easier for one of our groups, we will most probably never know which and how much.

[YellowDaisy]

I agree less to your long text without clear lines, but that's off-topic.

I agree that we mustn't put everything in the same boat, but I'm pretty sure I read on Andrea James' site something about the body developing more along the female lines without hormones. And please take into account that what I said was to balance things : you seemed to say females changed more in some aspects, so I tried to say males change more in some aspects. I was just trying to say that all taken into account, if it really is easier for one of our groups, we will most probably never know which and how much.

mainly, i was just trying to explain that male and female are two different things. i think the whole point should be, anyone who is transsexual is uncomfortable with their genetic sex. trying to compare apples and apples just won't get anyone anywhere. plus, if there is that kind of competition between the groups, it just loses the support. everyone has their own life to live, and should worry about their own problems rather than someone else's.

[A]

Gosh, you make me dizzy with all those missing capitals. Don't sweat it though, I'm a maniac.

But thanks, I like discussing with you. I fully agree with you on that.