Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Just like the thread title says, I am interested in seeing how long people are giving HRT to work it's magic before taking the plunge and going full time.

I started HRT on 5 June 2011 and went full time on 16 September 2011. My plan had been to wait until January 2012 but I just couldn't take it any longer started after only about 3 months on HRT.

I am on HRT for almost 6 months...not been out even partial time yet, but I am struggling to do it soon.

I'll go to a party this next saturday and I pretend to go as myself. Wish me luck girls!

I believe that as time passes and you are on HRT, each new day becomes harder to be lived as a boy...at least this is what I feel...a extreme urge to start going out asd a woman even if you cannot pass very well....

But I know that I must be reasonable and this wouldn't work too well right now.

Quote from: Natalia on March 25, 2014, 03:55:37 PM
I am on HRT for almost 6 months...not been out even partial time yet, but I am struggling to do it soon.

I'll go to a party this next saturday and I pretend to go as myself. Wish me luck girls!

I believe that as time passes and you are on HRT, each new day becomes harder to be lived as a boy...at least this is what I feel...a extreme urge to start going out asd a woman even if you cannot pass very well....

But I know that I must be reasonable and this wouldn't work too well right now.

Good luck at the party!

About three months here. I dressed for one simple little Therapy visit and could not change back when I got home that night. I went full time immediately and it was so liberating. I have had a great time since. :)

Four months; at three months on HRT it was becoming clear that I couldn't hide things much longer, so I came out to my boss. The next month was spent negotiating with HR and getting everything planned out.

I was full-time except at work at around the two-month mark, though. (I didn't really do it on purpose so much as notice that now I was never actually going outside in guy mode after a while, so I'm not exactly sure when that happened.)

Good question don't really know how to answer it. It kinda just happened I can say I started having a harder and harder time passing as a male around the 11th month but I would guess it was somewhere in between the 9-12 month. I just started dressing fully as a woman and didn't make no announcement I was doing so. But mentally I would say about the 11th month. :)

Wow, brave girls...

I'll be at 17 months before I go full time.   Between work requirements and a wife and just fear, I have waited.   Six weeks to go!

Jen

I was FT 24/7 about 2 years before HRT or anything. HRT isn't magic. It won't change your looks, voice, hair, mannerisms, and desires overnight. You either do or do not. Yes, there have been a few amazing transformations which have been powered by HRT... but those are few and far between. Trust me. A whole bunch of other stuff is way more important than HRT. The E is a small stepping stone along the path at most.

Quote from: JennX on March 25, 2014, 08:42:56 PM
I was FT 24/7 about 2 years before HRT or anything. HRT isn't magic. It won't change your looks, voice, hair, mannerisms, and desires overnight. You either do or do not. Yes, there have been a few amazing transformations which have been powered by HRT... but those are few and far between. Trust me. A whole bunch of other stuff is way more important than HRT. The E is a small stepping stone along the path at most.

I have to dissagree in someway...

sure hrt wont change your voice , mannerism , hair etc...
but even if you do all these and look like a guy , you are a guy in everyones eyes and pretty much end of story...
thats why I believe that hrt and ffs are the most important aspects of transition,,,because personally I know some cis girls who act more manly than you can imagine...nobody is gonna call them guys , cause they look female , thus at least in society eyes they are female , regardless of the mannerisms...

I dont know if its right or wrong , but in todays society , image is everything...
:/

I'm at 14.5 months, and unofficially went full-time about a week ago.

Feelings of inadequacy kept me held up in limbo land for a long time. As did the fears associated with potentially transitioning on the job in front of people who came to know me as a guy. (What finally triggered the switch was basically getting fired, and realizing that I couldn't put myself through that again.)

It technically won't be official until I get the thumbs-up from my therapist in a couple of days, but yeah, I definitely took the long way around.

Quote from: FalsePrincess on March 25, 2014, 08:48:27 PM
I have to dissagree in someway...

sure hrt wont change your voice , mannerism , hair etc...
but even if you do all these and look like a guy , you are a guy in everyones eyes and pretty much end of story...
thats why I believe that hrt and ffs are the most important aspects of transition,,,because personally I know some cis girls who act more manly than you can imagine...nobody is gonna call them guys , cause they look female , thus at least in society eyes they are female , regardless of the mannerisms...

I dont know if its right or wrong , but in todays society , image is everything...
:/

I agree that image and presentation is everything... But disagree that HRT and FFS will work wonders. I've met plenty of drop-dead gorgeous postop MTFs that from looks alone due to tons of surgery look flawless... But as soon as they open their mouth or sit down in a chair, still are seen by the world at large as something other than a cis-female. It takes work. Trust me.

I've landed jobs at both a Fortune 500 and 100 companies post transitioning... So I'm familiar with the concept of presentation and image. When a corporation flies you across the country for an interview in front of a panel of people in suits that sit there and analyze your every thought and gesture, yeah you become aware of image and presentation... fast... especially when you're trans. I've also not had any FFS whatsoever. Not saying that I won't get any in the future either... But it is vastly overrated IMHO compared to things like voice, hair, makeup, clothes, walk, mannerisms, and body language. Looks are looks... But there are some things that no amount of surgery will change. Just saying.

Also FFS at best smooths over some rough edges... It won't make you look like Angelina Jolie nor the confidence to face life everyday either.

Quote from: Carrie Liz on March 25, 2014, 09:56:22 PM
I'm at 14.5 months, and unofficially went full-time about a week ago.

Feelings of inadequacy kept me held up in limbo land for a long time. As did the fears associated with potentially transitioning on the job in front of people who came to know me as a guy. (What finally triggered the switch was basically getting fired, and realizing that I couldn't put myself through that again.)

It technically won't be official until I get the thumbs-up from my therapist in a couple of days, but yeah, I definitely took the long way around.

What do you mean thumbs up from your therapist? Nobody else can say your full time but you girl. Carrie it seems like you keep waiting on something or somebody else to verify your full time when it's obvious you already are. You don't need your therapist to tell you that you are full time you tell your therapist you are full time. ;)

I've been on a full strength transitioning dose of HRT since Oct 8 of 2012.

My work is complicating my coming out because I am smack dab in the middle of a high visibility, huge, high risk project where I might have to travel internationally to provide on site customer support; because of that coming out right now is a really bad idea. I plan to tell them sometime around the first of July if things slack off a little by then. That's within the 6-12 month option that I picked.

I did after I was on HRT for 18 months.

About a month. I was ready and I didn't give a damn about what people thought about me. I didn't have any issues from other people and it meant RLE was started straight away.

Beginning to realize I may never make it.

When I started transitioning I thought it would take a year or so. After the 3 month mark, I was failing as male, but sometimes failing as female. I thought, well, I might as well go all female since I feel more comfortable present female now and it seems that it makes things go a little faster. (Plus practice makes perfect.) I can't believe tonight I was buying tops for business casual at Lane Bryant for a business conference next week we are exhibiting at in Orlando, when I only went full time a little less than 2 weeks ago. I'm registered with my female name and ironically one of the big topics this year at this conference is Women Cargo/Transportation.

Quote from: TiffanyT on March 26, 2014, 01:41:57 AM
Beginning to realize I may never make it.

Yes you will Sis, just one step at a time. I'm here whenever you want a hand, a hug or anything.
:-*

Full time was a little over two years, but they had been about 60% time from day 2.  I had a window to complete a 40 year career that I needed, even though during the last year, I could have transitioned on the job too, but it would have complicated things and maybe delayed my retirement.  As retirement day drew near though, I received a jury summons that ended up putting me off another two months, the hormones did however keep me relatively sane to get to my drop off day.  I knew who I was though thanks to the E.

Err what was the question again?

Nearly 6 months on E an not there yet. :(

524 Days, 6 1/2 hours. Give or take.  ;)

-3.5 months, although it was more like -3 months because my mother forbade me from dressing female in her house, and I had to travel as male because of the TSA and identification. I went full time on 12 Dec. and am going to pick up my prescription in just a few hours.

5 months + and not there yet.  Starting to male-fail a bit but having major hair loss "helps".  I expect 12 to 15 months in total.  Family issues (son having difficulty at the moment) aren't helping.  Started sorting wig stuff and whatever other female accoutrements I want to adopt.

There are times when I wonder if it will happen too but I snap out of that downward spiral pretty quickly - not good thinking that!  My wife has commented that she would prefer it if I don't go full time at work just to avoid the stress of it - she is right but I think the alternative might be worse.  I understand her point since she is absorbing a lot of the pressure of this and is so calm about it all at the same time.

2015

For me it was 8 years. I started HRT at 17 and SRS did not become available until I was 24. (In those days there was no legal route to transition without surgery.) By age 19 I couldn't pass as male even if I wanted to so transition was a snap.

 I would have preferred to be on HRT for a time before going full time, but life throws us curve balls and we have to adapt.

I was full time for four months before I began HRT. The gender clinic I go to has a five month waiting list to be seen for HRT. I had an appointment set with them for December 2013 and had begun discussing HRT with my personal doctor in August 2013 as well. Then I lost my job in September 2013. The last day I worked is the last time I wore male clothing. I came home that day and told my self I would never wear that male costume ever again.

I was eventually seen at the Gender Clinic in December and received my prescription for Spiro and Estrogen patches in January 2014.

I was on hrt for a little over two years before I officially went fulltime which I count for myself as being when I legally changed my name. Although, I did somewhat present female for a time before that, but then I was also being gendered female even if I wore a baseball cap and a dirty flannel shirt at that point.

I am more than 13 months on HRT, but I am still afraid to go out en femme... I think I am still far from passable, although there are lot of people, who refer to me with feminine pronouns, despite I am with unisex clothing.
Nevertheless, at this stage I don't see myself going fulltime soon... :(

20 months HRT before full time.It gave me time to grow my hair and get a lot of electrolysis done

At exactly 6 months and 7 days. Although I had minimal changes (just the boobies), did not pass well and did no to any voice training or whatever, but I was quite tired of the double identitity and one day I felt I had o reason to go back. Out of the blue, just like that. I never did any plan.

PS: Oh, I did not have any beard shadow and my hair lenght was passable. The main factor on me going full time possibly was... when presenting female did not require me a wig and breastforms.

I was full time before i started HRT, i even had a part time job, lol omg i must have looked awful :)

Interesting, it seems like the vast majority so far take the plunge in the first year; I have been planning to go full time at roughly 1.5 years, but I am starting to imagine the changes would be incredibly obvious based on my breast growth so far...

I however don't do things like change my plans quickly, I think all of this information so far has helped me get a bit more insight into how others are doing it, all of the doctors I have talked too tell me HRT takes about 2 years to work 90% of what it is going to change, and if that holds true, then most people are going full time before HRT has done it's full effect.... I have to admit since I started HRT, I really have seen my desire to full time seem to increase at a rate that far outpaces whatever physical changes I am seeing.

Once you kind of let yourself go, and stop hiding, often it's a slippery slope where you just can't stand to have that female self pent-up any longer. I've heard many people say that they went full-time not because they thought they were ready or thought that they were completely passable, but just because they couldn't stand the in-between state and the hiding any longer.


Also, to add a few more to the survey, here's when my five closest real-life trans sisters went full-time:

Arianna: full-time after about 5 months on hormones (transitioned on the job)
Ariel: full-time before even starting hormones (not employed)
Anne Marie: full-time before even starting hormones (not employed)
Jeanette: full-time before even starting hormones (not employed)
Dale: full-time after about 1.5 years on hormones (transitioned on the job)

I waited so long so that any changes would be blaringly obvious to everyone. It made telling them a lot easier as most had already assumed it, so it then became more of a non issue in the process as they had time to adjust prior to confirming what they were thinking.

Quote from: Carrie Liz on March 26, 2014, 04:46:11 PM
Once you kind of let yourself go, and stop hiding, often it's a slippery slope where you just can't stand to have that female self pent-up any longer. I've heard many people say that they went full-time not because they thought they were ready or thought that they were completely passable, but just because they couldn't stand the in-between state and the hiding any longer.

I couldn't have said it better myself. That is exactly the reason I went full time when I did.

It was probably around 1.5 years till I was presenting full time, meaning wearing female attire pretty much exclusive, however I had always had somewhat a feminine appearance. It was around 3 years after HRT, and 6 months after a boob job that I told upper management, and the owners. I then started having some informal meetings with co-workers to confirm their suspicions. Maybe the boob job gave me away?  LOL

I went fulltime after FFS. HRT does not change so much unless you start in puberty. And there is no guarantee that HRT will Impove your passing. Face, voice and self esteem are the most important aspects in terms of beeing a woman. Therefore I started with voice training and beard epilation,

Lara

Quote from: Hikari on March 26, 2014, 04:42:35 PM
Interesting, it seems like the vast majority so far take the plunge in the first year; I have been planning to go full time at roughly 1.5 years, but I am starting to imagine the changes would be incredibly obvious based on my breast growth so far...

I however don't do things like change my plans quickly, I think all of this information so far has helped me get a bit more insight into how others are doing it, all of the doctors I have talked too tell me HRT takes about 2 years to work 90% of what it is going to change, and if that holds true, then most people are going full time before HRT has done it's full effect.... I have to admit since I started HRT, I really have seen my desire to full time seem to increase at a rate that far outpaces whatever physical changes I am seeing.

Basically, I got to the point where I couldn't stand living as David anymore. Rather than wait for HRT to take effect, I used breast forms, makeup and hair styling to feminize my appearance.

Yes, I wanted to pass. But I wanted to be me even more.

I know what I look like these days. I've heard recordings of my voice, so I know what I sound like. At this point, passing is no longer a goal. But, that's just me.

Six weeks on HRT, no surgeries, had gone out in public en femme (rather than androgynously) 3 times, worn makeup twice. It was fine.

When you are ready, you are ready.

I went full-time 3 months before starting HRT but I am in the UK and that is how things are done here.   It wasn't as horrendous as I thought it would be when I first contemplated the possibility in early 2012, as others have said, when you are ready you are ready and I was thoroughly hacked-off with presenting as male.  I am sure I wasn't even close to passing (I have seen the photos, I wasn't) and I am still not the most delicate flower bud in the rose garden 6 months in. But neither I nor anyone else seem too bothered by that.

Rosie

Quote from: H, H, H, Honeypot! on March 28, 2014, 03:26:03 AMwhen you are ready you are ready and I was thoroughly hacked-off with presenting as male.

Pretty much me. That's really when to take the leap, when you just can't do it anymore.