How long can you manage a Stealth Transition?

[Melody Maia]

The biggest, time versus change, criteria is age. If you are early twenties 4 months can make significant difference, on the other hand, if you are in your 40s 4 months or even year can make visible, but not shocking to public nor friends, changes. Go with transition and when the question arises then you will deal with it. From my own experience, all the planing, dreaming and strategies went out the window in split second last Christmas. So go with the flow and enjoy this time like never before!

Alexia, I agree with your sentiment in general about the unpredictability of transition, but I also think you need to apply that to results. You can't predict how the E is going to change you at whatever age. There are just probabilities.

I've posted this before, but here I am in August 2010 age 39.



and here I am after exactly three months of HRT at nearly 40 (I just turned 40 two weeks ago now).



You might not, but I think those are shocking results. Perhaps I am a statistical outlier, but it can happen.

[alexia elliot]

WOW, all I can say, I wish your results onto everyone, simply fantastic!
But as you point out, you might be one of very few "fortunate genetic club" galls with these results.
Love, Alexia.

[Melody Maia]

WOW, all I can say, I wish your results onto everyone, simply fantastic!
But as you point out, you might be one of very few "fortunate genetic club" galls with these results.
Love, Alexia.

Thanks hon. I wish everyone my same luck too. I am starting to forget what it was like to be him. It was certainly a dull and grey life.

To get back to the original topic, the funny thing about the above examples is that nobody seemed to notice much throughout that change. Local friends and neighbors, once I came out to them, would remark that they didn't see it. It seems the only thing they noticed was my hair was getting longer. LOL! I moved out of town about a week after the second pic, so it will be interesting to see their reactions from this point on.

[Skyanne]

This is me before



And this is me after roughly three and a half weeks of Estrogen



I was originally planning to wait like a year before saying anything at work..but stuff seems to be changing so fast I'm not sure if that's gonna work now.  I dunno if things will continue to change at the same pace, but if they do for me at least I think a stealth transition is gonna be hard.

[JessicaH]

I turned 41 in December so I know I wont get the results of a 20 something. Luckily, I never had much in the way of masculine features to start with so it's not going to take as much as some others, to tip the scale...

[Melody Maia]

I turned 41 in December so I know I wont get the results of a 20 something. Luckily, I never had much in the way of masculine features to start with so it's not going to take as much as some others, to tip the scale...

I think you look pretty good already Stacy! I think the only thing you can say is that you might not get the results YOU would have gotten had you started at 20. As you say, your features aren't terribly masculine and should translate from one to the other.

[Skyanne]

I think you look pretty good already Stacy! I think the only thing you can say is that you might not get the results YOU would have gotten had you started at 20. As you say, your features aren't terribly masculine and should translate from one to the other.

This totally, with all the absolutely goregeous 40+ transitioners, the whole 'you've gotta do it before 25 or you won't get good results' thing just seems like a lot of nonsense.

[alexia elliot]

This totally, with all the absolutely goregeous 40+ transitioners, the whole 'you've gotta do it before 25 or you won't get good results' thing just seems like a lot of nonsense.

Oh, how I want it to be just that, "lot of nonsense" and as much as I seem to be, sometimes too pessimistic in my view of reality, I too have experienced visible change and might you believe, it turns out all was the result of my minds power and tremendous want to change. I was self meding Natural( soy based) form of estrogen, and recently when finally committing to real HRT and my blood test showing normal male hormone levels I was astounded when comparing my pic from 1 and half ago:

Image on the right is before real HRT begun and with all the male hormones within normal aspect( testosterone on the lowest spectrum though)
BTW, Skyanne, get your date book ready, your transition, given time, is remarkable!

[Janet_Girl]

Alexia, no fair posting your brothers picture and claim it is really you. 

Don't worry, Babe I get accused of posting a picture of my Dad.  And I know I did not do that, and you did not ether.

Sexy woman.

[alexia elliot]

Alexia, no fair posting your brothers picture and claim it is really you. 

Don't worry, Babe I get accused of posting a picture of my Dad.  And I know I did not do that, and you did not ether.

Sexy woman.

Janet, you have always been my rock when at times I couldn't bare the weight. You are awesome friend and as I told you many times before, you too are morphing into this gorgeous woman you are. No wonder the remarks about your fathers pictures

[MarinaM]

Image on the right is before real HRT begun and with all the male hormones within normal aspect( testosterone on the lowest spectrum though)
BTW, Skyanne, get your date book ready, your transition, given time, is remarkable!

Okay, I'm confused. The picture of you on the left is one of you while you were tinkering with soy based estrogens, and the one on the right is on real HRT? for how long?

[alexia elliot]

Okay, I'm confused. The picture of you on the left is one of you while you were tinkering with soy based estrogens, and the one on the right is on real HRT? for how long?

The image on the left is after 1 year of Natural hormones, image on the right 1 and 1/2 years later but before real HRT. I do not have HRT images yet to show for because I just started week ago. I suspect some help from Naturals but since blood test revealed little hormonal change I am pushed to credit results mostly to power of our mind in absolute devotion to change.

[MarinaM]

Very cool 

[Just Shelly]

I was wondering similar thought. I have noticed facial differences, but I'm not even shocked at the differences, and most close to me think the same. (I suppose)

I present male 90% of the time although I don't push it, I'm fairly androgynous. In a matter of 10 minutes I can go from being misgendered at a store and then go to dealing with a business associate, family or freind and I'm still that guy.

This does give me some anxiety, as I'm not trying to present female.  I have asked a freind (mtf) and my therapist what specific marker is identifying me as female. My freind of course says everything, my therapist can't pin point it.

Shelly

[Terra89]

Congrats on making it that long! I don't think I could start something like this without telling my wife.

[Melody Maia]

I was wondering similar thought. I have noticed facial differences, but I'm not even shocked at the differences, and most close to me think the same. (I suppose)

I present male 90% of the time although I don't push it, I'm fairly androgynous. In a matter of 10 minutes I can go from being misgendered at a store and then go to dealing with a business associate, family or freind and I'm still that guy.

This does give me some anxiety, as I'm not trying to present female.  I have asked a freind (mtf) and my therapist what specific marker is identifying me as female. My freind of course says everything, my therapist can't pin point it.

Shelly

I think they can't pinpoint it because it is not any one thing. I firmly believe after awhile we just give off a feminine aura. I don't know, something softer, the way we cary ourselves, stand, tilt our head, speak, look at people, it is just a mass of things. The line between masculine and feminine can be very thin once we are generally physically in the andro phase.

[JessicaH]

I am the friend and both my wife and I were shocked when we were video chatting...... So keep in mind that since I am TG and three months into HRT I am OVERLY sensitive to the changes... lol

It just freaked us both out because we wondered what other people see.

After spending 5 days with you and your wife, at least you don't have to WONDER what other people see! lol   

[melissa42013]

No, no, Not at all, it's not like I got outed to my neighbor by my wife after she thought there was "something special" about you.... lol...
Didn't know at that time she had studied TG in college for her Psych degree..........
We tried to explain it off as "He's just from Texas but that didn't work....
LOL.... at least my wife has another outlet she can share with now.
Crazy girl.....

[JessicaH]

And I thought I was pouring on the manliness for the neigbors benefit, when they came over for the party. 

[ZeldaHeart]

I actually don't think age plays a huge role in the changes that happen.  I mean, none of the changes are bone-related or anything that would be permanent if you went off HRT (except boobs).  So, the changes are soft-tissue related and stuff.  I'm 18 and have been on estrogen for 9 months and spiro for 17 months.  No one has said anything about me looking different, but I have been called "ma'm" a few times, when I'm with another female we are a lot of the time called "ladies" and when I exited the men's bathroom an old man said to me "Hey, you went in the men's room!"  Things like this never happened before HRT (except when I was 13 or 14 and had very long hair and was very petite.)  It also really depends how you present yourself in public along with the (sort of subtle) effects of hormones!  Like, if you dress in very masculine outfits and have short hair and hide your breast development and grow facial hair, people won't think too much!  However, if you sort of dress more androgynous with baggy clothing, have a clean-shaven face and grow your hair out combined with the effects of hormones, people will start to notice more!