How rare is it for a transsexual to not take hormone therapy? I'm in the very early stages of this, and I don't know enough about what choices I have. I want to look like woman, but I'm hoping I can do that without hormone therapy, even if it means breast augmentation. This may sound silly, but I just don't like to take pills. I don't even take over-the-counter pain medication unless I absolutely have to! I'm short, about 5'5" or 5'6", soft skin, long eye lashes, pretty hands, and kind of a high tenor voice. In fact, I'm often mistaken for a woman when I talk on the phone. So is it possible for me to do this without hormone therapy? And I mean completely living my life as a woman, 24/7.
I dunno how old are You now, but things might change as You will grow older and I mean Your body becoming more masculine (male pattern balding as one of the examples). Also, the HRT is not only about getting Your skin softer and growing out bewbs - it has much more subtle changes, including the brain chemistry, which would never happen with testosterone being the dominant hormone in Your body. A good start would be if You do the blood test to see what are the T and E levels and then discuss them with Your endo. Besides, pills are only one of the many options - there are also pellets, patches and injections :)
I know a friend who does that. She is naturally passable and had breast implant and never took/take hormones. But this is possible only if you will remain with your male organ down because if you operate and have vagina it is very dangerous not to take hormones as your bones become brittle if it lacks either male/female hormones and you end up having Oesteoporosis. I also know 2 crazy stubborn friends who had SRS and who refuse categorically to take hormones. They even managed to get fake doctor letters which said they took hormones just to have the surgery Thailand when they never really took hormones. I keep on telling them how dangerous it is not to take hormones after having had SRS but they ignore me, upto them.
I know lots of trans people never transition bet if you want to transition at some point your going to need them hormones.
Quote from: Evolving Beauty on July 24, 2013, 03:50:59 PM
I know a friend who does that. She is naturally passable and had breast implant and never took/take hormones. But this is possible only if you will remain with your male organ down because if you operate and have vagina it is very dangerous not to take hormones as your bones become brittle if it lacks either male/female hormones and you end up having Oesteoporosis. I also know 2 crazy stubborn friends who had SRS and who refuse categorically to take hormones. They even managed to get fake doctor letters which said they took hormones just to have the surgery Thailand when they never really took hormones. I keep on telling them how dangerous it is not to take hormones after having had SRS but they ignore me, upto them.
I don't know if I'm gonna have surgery, I may just stop at the transsexual phase, even if I do take hormones. But I guess I'm not 100% sure of anything right now, I'm just trying to figure it all out. But thanks for the tip regarding oesteoporosis :)
Quote from: -Emily- on July 24, 2013, 03:40:40 PM
I dunno how old are You now, but things might change as You will grow older and I mean Your body becoming more masculine (male pattern balding as one of the examples). Also, the HRT is not only about getting Your skin softer and growing out bewbs - it has much more subtle changes, including the brain chemistry, which would never happen with testosterone being the dominant hormone in Your body. A good start would be if You do the blood test to see what are the T and E levels and then discuss them with Your endo. Besides, pills are only one of the many options - there are also pellets, patches and injections :)
I'll be 44 in Novemeber. I still get carded when I buy beer, and I still have a full head of hair. As for the T and E levels, I have never had them tested. I haven't even started seeing a therapist yet. I probably won't start that until next year when my insurance situation will be better. I'm not familiar with the pellets, I'll have to look into that, thanks :)
Quote from: Tristan on July 24, 2013, 04:05:17 PM
I know lots of trans people never transition bet if you want to transition at some point your going to need them hormones.
That may be true. Right now I'm just not sure.
I think talking to a good gender therapist would really help you out. There are MtF who for various reasons who don't go on E but they do go on anti-androgens or have an orchi to stop T production.
I was offered a BA if I wasn't suitable for HRT but fortunately I was. As Emily said E doesn't work just on boobs but on all aspects of your physiology. Since I've been on E my feminine nature has totally developed and I cannot imagine that would have happened with out E.
BTW I have E as pellets put under my skin about every 6 months, I take Spiro pills every day, and Vitamin D which is often recommended for us to help bone strength.
Hugs
Cindy
Quote from: Cindy. on July 25, 2013, 03:25:52 AM
I think talking to a good gender therapist would really help you out. There are MtF who for various reasons who don't go on E but they do go on anti-androgens or have an orchi to stop T production.
I was offered a BA if I wasn't suitable for HRT but fortunately I was. As Emily said E doesn't work just on boobs but on all aspects of your physiology. Since I've been on E my feminine nature has totally developed and I cannot imagine that would have happened with out E.
BTW I have E as pellets put under my skin about every 6 months, I take Spiro pills every day, and Vitamin D which is often recommended for us to help bone strength.
Hugs
Cindy
Thanks Cindy :)
No, you don't need hormone therapy. However, if you plan on passing and living 24/7 as a female, then it would be a good idea. It's not easy to pass and hormones help us feel more comfortable in our bodies and feel passable. I've been on it for a short term, but I'm glad for the very small changes I have noticed. It's up to you what you want to do in the end. Just think deeply about whether or not hrt is right for you. And you don't need to take pills. There are pellets, gels, injectables and patches as well. The pills are just more cost efficient and usually more likely to be covered.
If you don't like taking pills I've been hearing great things about hormone implants. Get one every four months and it gives you a healthy supply of hormones without you having to worry about anything. Might be worth looking into?
Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm probably going to go with either the implants or the patch, or maybe the pills. First I have to find a good therapist. I really appreciate all of your help :-*
I kind of fit into this category. I am living as transgender without hormones. At least for the moment, since the NHS puts too much red tape in the way of getting the therapy I need.
Since injestable, injectable, implantable hormones is only a relatively new thing but being trans is not I'm sure there have been plenty of individuals down through history who have passed themselves off as their identified gender without the benefit of HRT. It's ultimately up to you and how passable you can be without pills but I'm glad you've decided to talk to a therapist.
I wouldn't dream of transition without getting the right sex hormone levels in my body. But that's my personal choice.
I personally could not imagine under taking transition without HRT. The emotional, mental and psychological changes are tremendous and go along way to understanding and fulfilling our true gender. I could never of imagined the full and far reaching effects ahead of time and in a lot of ways 1 year in , I am just starting to see the light with HRT with much more to come I am sure. The physical side while being the most obvious and important for sure is not the most significant in my experience so far.
However if there are health issues and other considerations than it would be a very tough decision to make. In the end you can live how you chose and as time goes on we change our mind on a lot of things.
Good luck :)
I've been living full time since January 2014, and I'm not on any hormones, and I believe that I'm passable enough. Just last week Sunday I went to church, and a greeter that didn't know me greeted me and welcomed me to the church. LOL
I can relate! I was born with male genitals, obviously, but had this androgynous ish look all my life. Like, when I was a child i had long fair hair and people would say to my mum: What a beautiful girl! and mum would be like: he's a boy! lol. (I must admit I loved to be called a girl even at around age 5-6) even today at 33 I still have the body hair of an average young cis woman no visible adam apple, and my skin is super sensitive and soft.
I think I never produced large amounts of testosterone.
My wife and I love our intimate moments and I would be super sad if I started hormone therapy and lost the ability to hold an erection. So it's hard for me to make up my mind in this regard.
- Clara.
I'm transsexual and take no hrt,all I have too do is shave to pass. I've always wondered though if I have a hormonal imbalance,I have enough t to get erect,but I must have estrogen also for I grew to a b cup by the time I was 17.and am very feminine looking. I won't do hrt out of respect for my wife,she's ok with the dressing and makeup,so I can live with that boundary for I kinda like my penis.