T Side Effects I Did Not Expect (But Are Awesome)

[M.Grimm]

I went into HRT knowing it would give me more muscle mass, cause me to grow some body/facial hair, give me extra growth below the belt, and deepen my voice. I also knew there could be side effects such as a rise in blood pressure, acne, and head-hair loss.

What I didn't expect were side effects such as:

No longer freezing if the temperature dropped below 74F (if anything, it has to be at least 50F before I suspect it might be a good idea to wear a shirt). No more bruising when I brush against a hard surface. No more painfully sensitive fragile skin. No more twisting my ankles or over extending my other joints (my ligaments are tougher and far more stable). Enormously increased bladder capacity. Glossier, thicker hair on my head. Cessation of insomnia (a lifelong malady). My body temperature no longer being consistently too low and finally hitting normality (am I finally getting a normal metabolism?). My cellulite vanishing!

All of this stuff is just icing on the cake, of course, but wow are they welcome changes. I finally feel like a normal, strong person instead of a fragile bag of bones.

[ForWantOf]

That sounds really, really awesome! It's honestly getting me excited to start taking T myself.
Congrats though, my friend, I hope everything continues to run smoothly for you. 

[Nick Aiden]

A lot of those things happened to me as well. Its kind of ironic that as soon as we get the "right" hormone flowing through our bodies, that all kinds of problems solve themselves

[Ryan]

Most of those happened to me too. It's strange how people never really mention these things.
I also found that I'm now less prone to constipation. Just to put that out there

[Squirrel698]

A lot of those things happened to me as well. Its kind of ironic that as soon as we get the "right" hormone flowing through our bodies, that all kinds of problems solve themselves

Yes!  That is exactly how I look at it as well.  I was always meant to have an adequate amount of T in my body.  All of those little annoyances that have bugged me all my life were just a reaction to not enough of what was expected to be there.  Now that my levels are equalizing I feel much more physically balanced.  So yay for that!

[M.Grimm]

It's pretty great that you guys are finding similar beneficial side-effects. I was so used to so feeling constantly frail; at first I chalked it up to a normal part of being a woman. But then I met a lot of women who didn't suffer regular bone fractures, horrific bruising with minimal trauma, or constant joint sprains. I figured I was just naturally fragile and learned to cope with it. I never liked it, but what can you do? Having so much of that nonsense get solved really reinforces my conviction that I've been running on the wrong hormones since puberty.

[lilacwoman]

the standard text books about sex change rarely mention effects as listed by M.Grimm. 
the text books were written by non-TS people

[Sean]

The problem is that there just aren't a lot of quality studies looking for or exploring the effects of T in FTMs.

Self-reporting in an individual capacity is not particularly helpful for figuring out what can be ascribed to T, what the likelihood of any potential side effect would be in the population of FTMs at large, and what is simply a mistake in self-reporting (you notice something that was always there & you did not know about it).

I like reading different guys' reports about what they experienced, and I find it help in getting the big picture. But it's not exactly control group data collection or anything, and while some of the reported effects seem obvious (thicker skin membrane), some reports from other FTMs are incredulous (height gain from people too old to still be growing).  Hopefully, our collective experiences will be used in improving the standard guides that people use in providing us with our healthcare.

[Aikotribs]

yesssss wonderful, thank you for reporting ! Pretty much everything you wrote, has also been a life long bother (especially the insomnia ,fragile skin and the bruising easy, and the cold ... ->-bleeped-<-, just everything D: )

I know its not a 100% guarantee but I can't wait for T. Thanks

[xAndrewx]

The problem is that there just aren't a lot of quality studies looking for or exploring the effects of T in FTMs.

some reports from other FTMs are incredulous (height gain from people too old to still be growing)

M. Grimm thanks for posting this. All side effects I hope for

Sorry for the thread steal man. I'll move this to a new thread if you want.

Sean: I hear a lot of guys say they grew and inch or two or that their hands/feet grew. So the question is, is it possible for them to actually have grown? I mean like you said, there aren't a lot of studies so is it possible for the growth to be able to happen due to going from one hormone being predominate to another? I've heard of trans women throughout the years who got an orchiectomy saying they shrunk. Maybe an increase of muscle makes a person appear taller and a decrease appear shorter? Or maybe it's really happening?

[Sean]

Sean: I hear a lot of guys say they grew and inch or two or that their hands/feet grew. So the question is, is it possible for them to actually have grown? I mean like you said, there aren't a lot of studies so is it possible for the growth to be able to happen due to going from one hormone being predominate to another? I've heard of trans women throughout the years who got an orchiectomy saying they shrunk. Maybe an increase of muscle makes a person appear taller and a decrease appear shorter? Or maybe it's really happening?

I'm talking about guys who claim to have grown more than an inch. I think more muscle mass in the core can account for at most an inch of difference for FTMs. I'm not well versed in MTFs who have lost muscle mass and their HRT changes, so I'm not clear on that.

Standing up straight can actually give you more height. Lots of guys slouch - either because of chest or because of lack of confidence or just bad habit. Some people take T and stand straighter, with attitude. That will make you appear a few inches taller.

Some guys start T when it's not clear if they are finished growing and plates are closed. That also makes it hard to judge. Some people are done growing at 15. Others may not be done til 20 or even 25.

Like I said: part of the problem is that there is no one really collecting this data and we are suspect. I always thought I was 62 inches. But it turns out, I'm closer to 63 inches. So without taking T, I just gained an inch. Or...if I was wrong to begin with, future measurements are off. When I first cut my hair, my Mom thought I got taller. Maybe she was reacting to me not having a ballcap and ponytail, I dunno. Maybe I stood more straight with confidence, since I was being true to myself. Hard to say.

As for feet, this one is more plausible, because it's fairly common for people's feet to gain in shoe size as they get older and heavier. I haven't gotten taller in 15+ years. My foot size has changed, though. If you gain weight or redistribute your weight on T, your feet may grow too.

I know that there are some wonderful full service transgender clinics out there, like the one in Boston. I would hope that researchers are paying attention and starting to collect some quantifiable data about the FTM experience on T.

[xAndrewx]

Thanks for taking the time on the response man. I wish someone would start collecting data because that sort of thing really does interest me.

M. Grimm: Just curious, how long have you been on T?

[Nikolai_S]

Those all sound like awesome changes... except for the temperature difference. Whenever the temperature reaches 75F I start shedding clothes like mad. 65 is about perfect for me in a t-shirt, and above 80 I have symptoms resembling heat stroke. I wonder if T would make me even less heat tolerant, or if it would just regulate my ideal temperatures? Makes me nervous considering the lack of air conditioning in this house.

[Devyn]

I'm so jealous. >< I wish I could start T.

[Elijah3291]

cool changes I have noticed so far that i didnt think would happen would be my change in body odor, it doesnt smell bad to me, but its a more musky masculine scent and i love it. 

also.. junk scent changes.. those are nice.  

[rexgsd]

wow, man now i cant wait even more haha. stupid girl body, i want a metabolism so i can eat some real food and stay the same weight >3

[M.Grimm]

Oh heck it's not a hijack to discuss this matter, it's not a thread about me! I'm glad it's been helpful to others. Unfortunately I'm not at home so I can't really respond properly, but I wanted to pop in while I had a moment.

Edit to add: Now that I'm home; I've been on T for 4 months, which is why I'm amazed at all of the changes I've undergone already. Between my top surgery and the T changes my dysphoria is nearly gone.

I had the body scent changes, too, which have made me really happy.

[insideontheoutside]

I do find it interesting reading everyone's individual results with it. But like Sean says it's definitely not a scientific study. I'm sure there's a trans scientist out there somewhere that could make it their life's work though!

Also, not everyone can expect the same results all the time. It's like any other "medication" taken. There's those (like myself) that just can't take it and there's those that their body just loves it.

[Griffin]

I'm sure there's a trans scientist out there somewhere that could make it their life's work though!

You rang?  I would do a research project on it if I could get enough young trans guys (ie under 35) together to report on their experiences.  Trans guys have been way, way, waaay too suspicious of researchers in my experience.

My benefits of T:
Morning wood (self-explanatory)
My psoriasis gets mostly-clear (a godsend, as it's on my face and head)
reduced constipation (TMI! LOL)
Better skin overall
I grew two inches (started T when I was 18 and grew two inches that year)
Cellulite reduced


The downside is my extremely luscious, thick hair got slightly less thick (boohoo) which was not a big deal to me.

[Kareil]

I want the height and the heat.  I think I've shrank an inch and a half, so maybe there's a chance of regaining that, at least, if I get some?  And circulation would be nice, for a change.  I've always been a walking ice cube.