Maybe i am making a huge mistake. but, oh well.
anyways i have been on T for 2 and a half years as of this month. but i have been OFF of t for the past two months.
I served in the US Army from age 17-21. and now that i am 24, i want to go back in. i **know** that being trans eliminates me, but it all depends on you commander and your recruiter. My recruiter know i am trans because of my name change and says that's fine. although i will go in as a female, which sucks. but, hey what can i do. i went to the VA and got my blood work done and they DONT check for testosterone and MEPS don't check for testosterone. but just on the safe side i am off hormones maybe its good to take a break. but i have been an emotional wreck. and depressed about every freaking thing. maybe this will subside but it is driving me crazy. with being on t for 2 years i wasn't all that happy with all the results. i never really got acne which i loved. i know most t men have to deal with that. but i didn't grow enough facial hair i can grow a mexi stache and thats about it. i really want side burns, and didn't have those. i don't think my voice dropped enough because i still get called a girl everytime im on the phone. i pass really well, even before hormones i passed. and now that im off i pass. another reason i am going off hormones is because i think i want to save an egg, and get my gf pregnant does anyone know about how much that process cost?
Regarding the service, are you going to be happy being female in the army? Won't that trigger your dysphoria? You're already seeing the effects of being off T and although that will subside, how are you going to react when weight redistribution goes back? When your muscle mass starts to fade? Maybe you should look into the reasons why you want to go into the service again? Can you not get a job? You can always go to school. Do you want to feel like part of something bigger than yourself? You can always volunteer.
As for having kids with your gf, it is highly unlikely that your eggs are harvestable after 2 years on T. You're likely infertile at this point. However, there is a possibility you're not. Freezing eggs is very expensive. I looked into this, but there's no way I could ever afford it unless I had a good job and a nearing timeline. Prices range from 5k-10k, which usually includes one egg freezing treatment cycle and one year of storing. On top of that, you'll pay at least another 2k in medication per cycle. After that year, storage fees usually run around 200 a month. You'd be hard pressed to find an insurance company to pay for an elective process.
When I found out the prices, I was a bit heartbroken as I think I have some good genes to pass along, but at the end of the day, it's still gonna be my kid because I'm the one raising it. Hopefully your rich, or you can come to terms with it as well.
Cheers.
Hi and welcome to Susan's Place! Thank you for your service. We have lots of veterans here: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,96755.0.html (https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,96755.0.html) See you around the site, hugs, Devlyn
@Jamison, don't be so negative. everyone experiences being trans differently. I think he knows what he's getting into. he's been in the military before.
@justwright88, I think it's cool that you want to go back in the military. I'm sorry that the T results weren't satisfactory, but maybe the brightside was that you can go back in the military?
I don't know much about the process of using your egg for your gf. but if I were you I would definitely look into that a lot. I'm sure google can start you out.
I don't know how T would influence your eggs, but a gyno could probably test to see if you're still fertile.
A few years ago, I looked into donating my eggs (I was hard up for cash and they pay), but it seemed like a complex process. In order to get an egg, they have to give you hormones, and I've heard the process of getting an egg out isn't all that pleasant. Then, even if the egg is implanted, it doesn't always get fertilized, so they need multiple eggs. But, if you really want a kid with your own egg, it's probably worth the discomfort.
My info might be a bit outdated, and I am also not a doctor, so you should talk to someone. You can probably find a fertility clinic near you who could answer all your questions.
The egg thing is maybe thousands of dollars and not a guarantee at that.
The military. I know of a guy who is trans in the National Guard. The CO allows it, was actually very supportive. But if he goes overseas, bets are off and likely it wouldn't be respected. Also i live in a pretty liberal state where the NG would likely be better than say in the middle of Kansas. Repeal of DOMA doesn't protect Trans people. So even if an individual CO is ok, bets are off you can't stay with this particular CO.
To be trans doesn't require hormones or anything. You're trans enough.
--Jay J
@Jamison As far as muscle mass i didn't work out before so i don't really care about that. even as a chick i was pretty muscular the only thing that has changed is before t i was chubby and on t i lost a little weight. my weight has already distributed and i still pass. as far as my boobs and i had no boobs to begin with i can still go to a gym without a shirt and still pass. i dont really need top surg but would love it still. As far as the egg thing i think my VA will pay for it i have zero copay for everything weather it be dr visit, specialty visit or even an er visit. so im thinkin id be ok with that. if not im sure if i get back in the army they would take care of it.
@aleon what state is he in? I live in west Texas aka George bushs home town.. not a great place to live. but the good thing about this is no one know what trans is. ha ha. and i am going into the NG also. i would love to join the oregon ng but i currently live in texas before when i was in the military i told no one my business i kept to myself and plan to do it again this time. did he go in the NG as trans? or transitioned while he was in? according to the military i am NOT trans. ( which good be a good thing or bad thing) at least according to the lt commander. i even explained to them i have been on hormones and had a name change they said trans in the army means i have had sex reassignment surgery which i haven't had yet.
New Mexico. Definitely a more liberal type place than Texas.
--Jay J
Hm,
I might try to talk to a NG recruiter from NM since i only live an hour away.
Quote from: justwright88 on December 02, 2012, 11:32:37 PM
Hm,
I might try to talk to a NG recruiter from NM since i only live an hour away.
Don't know if an hour out of Texas will help much and the guy I know is the only one I know of. But it might be worth a try.
--Jay J
i can still join the nm ng i just gotta make sure i make it to drill. if i join the tx ng my drill will be 9 hours away. can you ask him where does he do his drills at? and who his recruiter was?
I haven't seen him in a long time. I think he can't make it to the support groups anymore. I think though he is out of either Albuquerque or Rio Rancho. Santa Fe would be a good bet given it is a liberal town, but don't know if they have a NG unit. ABQ is great. I can't say enough great things about being trans here. If you have to be trans somewhere...
--Jay J