Muscle changes?

[Melody Maia]

I am closing in on three months on HRT with the last month being close to what is likely to be my final dose after a slow ramp up.  I have started to see significant changes like increasing breast size, general breast aches with sensitive nipples, emotional changes, softer and less oily skin, and some fat redistribution in face and buttocks.

I think I am starting to notice the beginning of my muscles starting to slim. Forearms look thinner and my biceps feel smaller too. I tried making a muscle with my arm and it just seemed like I couldn't make as strong a one as I remember in the past. My wife commented that my muscles seem slimmer, so it doesn't seem like it is only in my head.

Did any if you ladies start to see the beginning of this at three months?

[CaitJ]

I was rail thin pre-HRT, so my muscles were wiry and lean. Due to the weight I gained I'm unable to tell, visually, how my muscles have changed. I'm certainly less strong though.

[ClaireA]

Yep - muscle mass definitely decreases when on HRT. Since I was 17, I've maintained a ~120 mile a week biking habit (exercising was my way of not acknowledging GID) during the spring and fall months, and I could easily bulk up my legs in a couple of weeks, and they'd stay that way even through the winter with very little effort. This year, since I spent both spring and fall on HRT, I'd gain little muscle mass over the entire season, and when I stopped biking, it would go away pretty fast. It also took a lot longer to build up endurance. Then again, since I'm finally resigned to stop fighting GID and embrace my real self, this is probably a good thing. 

So not only should you definitely see a decrease, but it will also take much MUCH longer to gain any muscle.

[Cindy]

I work out at the gym three to four times a week. My muscle mass has declined and my strength has declined. I have to be a bit careful because what I could do three months ago is now too heavy, I did make a mistake of picking a weight I used to use and nearly pulled my arms off , by the way I do not do muscle building work, just flex and cardio. Strength and definition have gone mainly in the upper torso. My legs seem to be fine and maintain their strength. My flexibility hasn't really changed.

There has been one massive change this week. One of the female trainers came to me and asked if she could review my program. Previously only the male trainers ever reviewed me. And I've never seen a guy having their program reviewed by a female trainer. Oh well, they must be short of trainers .

Cindy.
BTW keep working out. It really helps in several areas, including, for me, depression.

[Rock_chick]

Yes, i've had significant loss of muscle mass. I won't document my yo-yoing weight over the past year, but i always had a lean, muscley frame with very little body fat, but from the weight i was in 2009, which i've been most of my adult life, i've lost 15 pounds most of which is loss of muscle mass.