Hi everyone,
I am so glad I found this messageboard...everyone seems very kind and willing to help other girls in the same situation.
I am transgendered and just a few weeks shy of my 23 birthday...I have been in therapy and my therapist and I have come to the conclusion that I should begin taking hormones to transition into the female I am on the inside...I am a "late bloomer" in some respects for many transgender people begin this process in their late teens...however I am aware many others do not begin early and have successfully transitioned at later points in life.
My concern right now is that @ 23 years old I feel that the hormones might not have a good effect on me. I have a pretty feminine apperance as a male and I am 5'10 which isn't too bad....I know this is what I need to do but I am concerned because I have always been an attractive male and of course all of us want to be as beautiful and passable as possible - it may seem vain but we are changing our "shells" and the last thing I wanted is to feel like a "pretty man in drag with breast" for the rest of my life.....so my questions to all of you that are willing to share/help....
(1)What age did you beging taking hormones? And what have your results been?
(2)And basically, in your opinion is 22/23 years old too late to beging hormones?
I have and will discuss this all further with my doctors but I just wanted some of your girls first hand experiences and any answers, suggestions, thoughts, etc. would be GREATLY appreciated!!!
Thanks a million in advance to all that reply...I'm looking foward to hearing from you!!!!!
Don't worry 23 is still very young. You are not even close to a late bloomer in trans terms, you are still an early bloomer by all means.
You will be fine, the hormones still have great effects. Transitioning at your age is great time to start. You will FAR from a drag queen with breasts.
To be honest anybody who transitions under the age of thirty does pretty well, I have yet to meet anybody who did not. But under the age of 25 is the ideal time in terms of the effects of hormones. So you have nothing to fear dear.
Me I started hormones at 22 and had SRS at 24. Although starting earlier would have enabled me to avoid facial hair removal and maybe also the need to work on my voice all in all it's been fine. The hormones and surgery have given me an unquestionably female body (albeit with slightly wider shoulders than the average, though as I'm a keen swimmer that doesn't shock anyone...)
I'm 38 now and my only real problems now are just the same as any other woman my age, a fear of getting wrinkles, grey hair, putting on weight and one day ending up an old spinster ;-)
MVER XXX
i started hrt at 20 (on jan 14th this year)
at 23, you still have a LOT of human growth hormone in your system (till 24) so while you wont get as rapid or total effect as a younger person, you will still get a great deal.
So id get on hrt asap :)
I'm 39 and my aunts couldn't even recognize me one year late until my mother pointed me to them.
At 23, you should be quite OK.
Hi, mclova!
23 is a fine age to start. I started HRT a month after I turned 50 and while the progress is maddeningly slow, there's still progress. I think you'll turn out just fine.
hugs & smiles
Emelye
thanks for all of the incouraging stories and words ladies...any more stories?
Oh please, girl. :)
Is 50 too old to begin HRT?
That's when I started and the effect has been quite satisfactory.
Am I too old??
Don't make me choke on my prune juice! I started at 54, am 56 1/2 now, and friends who haven't seen me in those two years fail to recognize me. The young and middle-aged women I work with are augmenting their wardrobes, now that I'm out and fulltime at work. They appear to be temporarily augmenting other things as well ;) . I can go anywhere, and people see me as a woman, and not such a bad looking one at that.
No! you are not too old.
gay old Bev
Quote from: mclova84 on June 22, 2007, 09:54:38 PM
(1)What age did you beging taking hormones? And what have your results been?
42. Been on HRT for 10 months. Friday a guy I walked past said,
"Good morning, young lady!" to me. So I'm pretty happy with the results so far ;)
Quote(2)And basically, in your opinion is 22/23 years old too late to beging hormones?
Not even close.
Some say the effectiveness drops off after around age 28... after which HRT still works, but the effectiveness is the same whether you're 29 or 92.
Others say that's just an urban legend, and it's all a matter of individual genetics.
~Kate~
I started HRT when I was 46 (last year). How I wish I had started when I first had a mind to, when I was 22. But in those days, information, support, and resources were hard to find--I didn't know it was possible--or I told myself it was impossible--or something ignorant like that--I talked myself out of it and suppressed the desire until it burst out into the open under its own inner power. Wow, it looks like they have really raised the bar for youthfulness these days, if you think 23 is old, kiddo! You're one of the lucky ones.
Quote from: Hypatia on June 24, 2007, 11:14:54 PM
I started HRT when I was 46 (last year). How I wish I had started when I first had a mind to, when I was 22. But in those days, information, support, and resources were hard to find--I didn't know it was possible--or I told myself it was impossible--or something ignorant like that--I talked myself out of it and suppressed the desire until it burst out into the open under its own inner power. Wow, it looks like they have really raised the bar for youthfulness these days, if you think 23 is old, kiddo! You're one of the lucky ones.
Yes... what she said exactly, although I started at 38
Buffy
As to what effects have I noticed--
outwardly: Before HRT I could not pass worth a damn. Now I am starting to pass some of the time.
inwardly: I am finally able to feel whole, an integral being, no longer divided against myself. This is the most important thing of all.
I started at 27, I'm not 28. It has almost been a year, 11-ish months, that I've been on hormones. They have affected me greatly. How much they affect you depends on a lot of things, not just age.
Quote from: mclova84 on June 22, 2007, 09:54:38 PM
(1)What age did you beging taking hormones? And what have your results been?
(2)And basically, in your opinion is 22/23 years old too late to beging hormones?
1. 30; Good, would be just fine if I actually could manage to eat.
2. You worry to much. Do what it takes to make yourself happy. Hint, the later you start the less it matters. ... THE LESS IT MATTERS. I started out in this thought pattern in grade school, clone body (i.e. perfectly normal girl) or bust. Guess what? I busted. Let me repeat a rather important part of this,
the later you start the less it matters. Which has the moral of,
age doesn't matter :P
Quote from: Hypatia on June 25, 2007, 12:12:57 AM
inwardly: I am finally able to feel whole, an integral being, no longer divided against myself. This is the most important thing of all.
An HRT should have
VERY LITTLE to do with that.
HRT helps one's peace of mind to be sure, but it is not where happiness is found.
no, hrt is the vessel through which one can find happyness. when your not feeling like crap, you can learn to be happy.
ive learned how to smile since starting hrt.
Quote from: Hypatia on June 25, 2007, 12:12:57 AM
As to what effects have I noticed--
outwardly: Before HRT I could not pass worth a damn. Now I am starting to pass some of the time.
inwardly: I am finally able to feel whole, an integral being, no longer divided against myself. This is the most important thing of all.
HRT did indeed have profound and staggering effect on the mind globally, but it wasn't sufficient to banish the demons.
Not at all.
Quote from: Kimberly on June 26, 2007, 01:04:00 AMQuote from: Hypatia on June 25, 2007, 12:12:57 AM
inwardly: I am finally able to feel whole, an integral being, no longer divided against myself. This is the most important thing of all.
An HRT should have VERY LITTLE to do with that.
HRT helps one's peace of mind to be sure, but it is not where happiness is found.
I think you missed my point. I have explained elsewhere how the sensation of relief was first noticed in the smoothness of my skin, then permeated my whole body, and then my mind. And what sweet relief that has brought. Have a care about dismissing the experience and insights of others. I may be an old crone, but one blessing that maturity has brought me is learning to withhold judgment of others, developing a spirit of listening to others with an open heart since everyone I meet has something to teach me in their wonderful uniqueness and human diversity.
Life has opened up to become richer and more meaningful in exquisite depths of feelings, sensuousness, and compassion. Estrogen has been a wonderful help with my development into a mature woman. Besides, hormones are clinically known to bring mental effects, I'm not just making this up. :)
I was so pretty when I was young and of course regret my missed opportunities. The society we're in has a fixation on youth and beauty, especially for women, but honestly I feel the inner dimension of mature womanhood is a far richer blessing, and one that will only grow with the years. Have any of you young pretty gals thought ahead to where you'll be with your womanhood when your beauty fades with age?
I would have started at 16 if I had the opportunity to get hold of hormones. In the late 70's it was harder to talk to anyone let alone try and find treatment through a maze of barriers.
I started taking contraceptive pills in my mid 20's but only started on hormones officially by the time I was 42. At the time I had a long struggle with NHS psychiatrists at a London gender clinic in the U.K who refused to let me go on hormone therapy for two years. In the end I sought a private consultant who put me on them emmediately.
The original post from mclova84 is a very mature way of thinking although it's not that obvious that someone is on hormones or not. In my case I look the same as I did before I took them.
Charring Cross = poop
I started at age 28 and have had phenomenal results. I have been on hormones for about 17 months so far and I'll be 30 at the end of the week. Gee, I'm already starting to feel like I'm getting old. :P Also, breast growth REALLY depends on genetics more than age. Mine are already quite developed and I already got past the minimum size I wanted.
Ok
I have posted this before so I will again
I started when I was 16 to 18 on BC pills
Progressed to stronger stuff from 18 to 23
To make it all legal I went to a therapist and started supervised HRT 2 1/2 years ago
Deb
Quote from: Hypatia on June 26, 2007, 05:33:42 AM
I think you missed my point.
Missed the point? It is certainly POSSIBLE!
*giggle*But the details and explanation reside in a PM so as not to clutter the thread.
Thank you, Kimberly. I always try to use "I statements (http://www.humanpotentialcenter.com/Articles/IStatements.html)" for better communication. I've found this a very helpful way to avoid misunderstandings and ruffled feathers.
lol
just a quickie, but what are the younger girls (upto 24ish) experiences of hrt rate of change?
ive seen hip widening, a b cup of breast growth, and significant fat movement within 6 months on low hrt. how quick has it been for you? and any weird 'non normal hrt changes' as both myself and 2 friends in this age bracket (18 and 22) have all lost shoesizes, while 2 got shorter, and one taller.
What I've found out is that as a women, I have a tendency to get much tighter shoes than before, I went from a 9.5 male to 9-10 female which is not logical since they're quite different in size.
ive gone from uk 12, to uk 8, as did a friend.
9.5 Men US = 8.5 UK Male (9 women) = 11 women US
9 Women US = 6.5 UK Women
9.5 Women US = 7 UK Women
I went from UK 8 Women (8.5 male) => 6.5-7 Women UK (7-7.5 men)
US 11 Women (9.5 male) => 9-9.5 Women US (7.5-8 men)
In the UK, there's a half size diff in labeled sized for women's shoes even if their the same size as men's.
In the US, the difference is 1.5 size.
I've got dainty feets for someone my size ;D
Quote from: Rachael on June 26, 2007, 06:52:51 AM
Charring Cross = poop
Glad you agree Rachel. I attended Charing Cross GIC for 6 and a half years and in that time no treatment, referrals or help was offerered. My PCT were paying them to treat me but instead they did nothing. I fought them for a long time reporting them to the Healthcare Commission and GMC. I fullfilled their own protocol and the 'Harry Benjamin stasndards of care'. I had no idea at first but now realise that they are employed as a 'Brick wall' between patient and treatment.
thier point is to drive folk away, remember the period where they regularly fished ->-bleeped-<-s out of the thames? when cx docs slated them and thier progress etc.
Sheffield gic, my one, is as bad im told, 'you must wear a skirt or dress, press flowers, listen to britney, and wear makeup, ballgowns to tescos are required for FT' BS GICs are in the business of makeing ->-bleeped-<-s, not normal members of society.
and The fixed requirement for a style councelor, i really dont need one, same with voice, but i have to do both, and sit there and get told how to dress fashionably, and soundfemale, when both are sorted, plus i doubt a gic advisor would be up on 20yos fashion, and id end up being told that the laura ashley line is the hight of fashion *smirks*
Yes, I know how you feel. At age 23, you feel that you are old since you are no longer a teenager. I felt that way too. However, I now have got 30 years on you, and I can tell you this:
You have NOTHING to worry about! You'll transition just fine. You're still young, Hun ... really!
Hugs!
Quote from: Katie on June 24, 2007, 08:55:39 PM
Some say the effectiveness drops off after around age 28... after which HRT still works, but the effectiveness is the same whether you're 29 or 92.
Others say that's just an urban legend, and it's all a matter of individual genetics.
~Kate~
Speaking to other TS and knowing some individuals I think I come down on the side of individual genetics whether you are 20 or 60+ I started at 49.
Stardust
To Stardust:
Hun, obviously, you've done just fine! Hugs!
nnnneeecccrropost....
I started my HRT when I was 25 years old. Before that they refuse to give a recomendation for that. It would have been more effect earlier. Hope have my SRS when I am 27.
I am 21 years old, and I started my HRT just about 6-7 weeks ago, and I've already began to see some results. As I'm fairly certain that there's not that much difference in body chemistry between a 21 and 23 year old, I'm pretty sure things are going to work out great and you'll be brought to your knees with breast sensitivity in no time! :P
There is, but its minor, after 24, it tails off severely with hgh levels (Human growth hormone)
And as for your sig europopprincess.... I AM SPECIAL! my mummy said so ok!
<3 euro
I used to steal my mum's HRT in my early teens and took birth control pills for a while in my early twenties. Didn't have much of a result as far as I could tell. 17 years ago I started full time and except for one year when I was in Africa have been on HRT ever since.
I'm in my fifties but my girlfriends in their thirties say they'd kill for a body like mine. I don't agree with them personally as I'd like to be a few kilos lighter and better toned. Makes me feel good though.
Anyway every cell in our body ends up changed in the arc of seven years AFAIK so there's not much left of the old us there.
One thing I have noticed with HRT after being on it for so many years is that if one interrupts it one's libido disappears. Anyone else experienced this?
I gained a Labido thanks to hrt?
Did you?
I certainly did, think it was because I felt at home with my sexuality at long last.
Yes.... Pre transition, ie, up to 19, i had no interest in sex... I had some arrousal and self experimentation, but no care for men or women. Went on some dates as a second, generally ended up friends with the girl. Hrt made me blosom in terms of my sexuality... I found i was noticing men.... the way they dressed, thier hair, thier stubble, thier muscle... *shivers* I started to get that goey feeling in my tummy when i thought about certain ones. This all happened within a few months of going on hrt... as if my brain was finally on the right fuel... Its great, I feel utterly normal in that respect now. All the m2fs that say 'oh going on hrt killed my labido' or 'turned me a sexual' is curious to me... as it was so different.
Exactly my experience, we agree at last! :)
My sexuality really blossomed, have to admit it put me well out of control for a while... a very long while!
As much as i loathe to sount ->-bleeped-<-tastic... but thats how all teenage girls get XD
Hehe!
To this day I just love it, you described the feeling really well. It's just like that but for me, mainly, but not always, with girls.
Just wanted to share my results with anyone who is interested.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwetilghman.shackspace.com%2Fbefore.jpg&hash=4d02fb4aecb8e9fc3ad545a97099d4607d2df449)
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwetilghman.shackspace.com%2F3months.jpg&hash=6adf45af7687930cb8ad362d4894084ce62c545c)
Started at 3 months after my 28th birthday, this was taken 3 months after starting HRT.
My skin has improved and my hairloss has slowed considerably if not stopped, though I wouldn't say the loss I've experienced has reversedl. I haven't noticed any other facial changes as a result yet though I'm of course staying positive.
I disagree.. your face looks rather differnt :) gorgeous!
Thank you Rachael, very kind of you to say.
Quote from: Rachael on February 27, 2009, 12:38:39 PMas if my brain was finally on the right fuel... Its great, I feel utterly normal in that respect now. All the m2fs that say 'oh going on hrt killed my labido' or 'turned me a sexual' is curious to me... as it was so different.
Au contraire, ma soeur! My experience has been comparable to yours:
When I came out to myself, my libido rapidly dropped away to nothing and I became effectively asexual. In fact, I'd noticed it declining right before I came out to myself, so I think the two developments are connected. I remained de facto asexual until I got a good dosage of E in me.
Like magic, E gave me a new libido. But it was incomparably better than the old one.
My interpretation is: The old male model of sexuality had to die away, in order for the female one to grow. Now in my sexuality I am
soooo glad I am a woman. I feel like I'm finally feeling my body and its pleasures for the first time. The two sexualities are utterly different in nature, and the female one is immensely superior. I couldn't be happier with the effect of E (and disappearance of T) on my sensuality and sexuality.
The metaphor that comes to mind is from Catholic eschatology, when the dead are resurrected their old corruptible bodies are replaced with "glorious" bodies. Yes, "glorious resurrected body" is exactly how it feels to me.
I must admit the female sexuality is very religious....
I talk to god a lot more now thanks to it...
Quote from: mclova84 on June 22, 2007, 09:54:38 PM
I know this is what I need to do but I am concerned because I have always been an attractive male ...
I felt this way too. One thing I struggled with was that I always fancied myself a nice-looking guy, from what I'd heard. Was I really ready to possibly go from a good-looking guy to a guy-looking girl?
Only you can answer it... but it's something I forced myself to address before I started hormones. In the end, if I was willing to give it
all up for transition, what's a little physical attractiveness?
You gotta be kidding? I started four months ago, age 61. The HRT is really working already. My therapist says I pass pretty well now, and will pass 100% in a couple of months. I NEVER thought I could do it - and I am 6'2". But I did lose 32 pounds, and that really helps
Lizzy
Quote from: lacitychick21 on February 27, 2009, 03:45:08 PM
I felt this way too. One thing I struggled with was that I always fancied myself a nice-looking guy, from what I'd heard. Was I really ready to possibly go from a good-looking guy to a guy-looking girl?
They do say that good looking guys tend to have more feminine facial features. Just think johnny depp or jude law, etc.
Quote from: lacitychick21 on February 27, 2009, 03:45:08 PM
I felt this way too. One thing I struggled with was that I always fancied myself a nice-looking guy, from what I'd heard. Was I really ready to possibly go from a good-looking guy to a guy-looking girl?
Only you can answer it... but it's something I forced myself to address before I started hormones. In the end, if I was willing to give it all up for transition, what's a little physical attractiveness?
Wow! You don't look like a guy in your avatar lacitychick21
Quote from: Naturally Blonde on March 04, 2009, 04:04:03 AM
Wow! You don't look like a guy in your avatar lacitychick21
Not in the least. She definitely came out ahead.
Quote from: Naturally Blonde on March 04, 2009, 04:04:03 AM
Wow! You don't look like a guy in your avatar lacitychick21
You look really beautiful, amazing eyes. :)
I stumbled upon this thread and thought it useful to mention that I started therapy 7 days ago. If other writers have had wonderful results, I await the outcome of my own changes with interest. As I look at my avatar, it reminds me of what I looked like when I took that photo 3 years ago when I began my transition. I look at it and see a man with a wig on and seemingly many people in my neighbourhood see the same as I do.
There is one matter I must address though and that is of Charing Cross clinic in London.
What I have read of the place within this thread bears absolutely no resemblance to that Charing Cross clinic I attend currently. Could it be the same place? I had problems getting referred to the clinic and once there, further problems getting approvals to begin hormones but this is simply because I had specific medical issues to be dealt with in order that my pathway was to be of the utmost benefit. That said, the personnel there have been wonderful to me, telling me to be patient and to carry on as best I could. Now I am finally recieving the hormone therapy I had so wished for and for the life of me, I cannot get style councelling for love nor money out of them. Maybe I dont need it being well into life as a woman and managing quite well without it.
As far as i know its changed management recently... As you said, you're a new paitent there... it used to be BAD... looks like im the one at the last bad one now :D
Quote from: Rachael on March 04, 2009, 03:58:10 PM
As far as i know its changed management recently... As you said, you're a new paitent there... it used to be BAD... looks like im the one at the last bad one now :D
Thank God for that. About time. The old guard were a really unpleasant lot.
I wouldnt know....
Ive been waiting to see a GIC for 3 years.
I have been watching this one and decided answer. I am 54, 55 in a couple of weeks, and have been on HRT for 10 months now. I have achieved a 38B, but am still experiencing some tenderness. If as in the past, that means that there should be more growth shortly.
I have noticed changes in my body shape. Thank the gods, and my face is still feminizing. I will be very interested to see what changes have occured of the tears.
Janet
Quote from: Rachael on March 04, 2009, 04:37:49 PM
I wouldnt know....
Ive been waiting to see a GIC for 3 years.
Here in the UK, on the NHS?
Yes. Was refered by a consultant phsychiatrist in July 2006 :) I may get seen next year or the year after *shrugs*
Quote from: Rachael on March 05, 2009, 06:57:10 AM
Yes. Was refered by a consultant phsychiatrist in July 2006 :) I may get seen next year or the year after *shrugs*
Rachael, could you not chase this up with your GP and through him/her the PCT? It was my own local PCT that prevented my referral until pressure was brought. They hate spending money on exotic cases such as ours.
Nope, tried, didnt work, my gp tried, and he failed... my local pct just DOESNT refer many a year... after this time im still 12th on the waiting list... upto 6 years.... its ironic as im such a cut and shut case stuck behind protracted ones... *sigh*
Quote from: Rachael on March 05, 2009, 04:18:11 PM
Nope, tried, didnt work, my gp tried, and he failed... my local pct just DOESNT refer many a year... after this time im still 12th on the waiting list... upto 6 years.... its ironic as im such a cut and shut case stuck behind protracted ones... *sigh*
That leaves the legal route or your MP if you are a 'shut and cut' case. There are laws that protect you against 'red tape' and every decision against you can be challenged.......worth a thought maybe?
Id rather wait tbh.... Protracted legal business and bringing myself out of obscurity? ill grin and bear it... I've been full time for 2 years with hrt for the same time, I really only need srs... and then, its not entirely full srs due to... complicating factors...
Sorry to hear there are such protracted difficulties Rachael.
Have you ever considered alternatives to the NHS? I fully understand if this may not be feasible.
Plenty of options, but for a student that was thrown out by her parents and barely keeps herself fed and sheltered, its... not an option. As for protracted difficulties? more protracted invisiblility, they diddnt speak to me for the first 3 years on the waiting list, and i had to ring and demand some timeframe to get any idea out of them...
Quote from: Rachael on March 05, 2009, 08:30:12 PM
Plenty of options, but for a student that was thrown out by her parents and barely keeps herself fed and sheltered, its... not an option. As for protracted difficulties? more protracted invisiblility, they diddnt speak to me for the first 3 years on the waiting list, and i had to ring and demand some timeframe to get any idea out of them...
This is Charing X you are talking about right?
It's tough being a student I know but hopefully soon you will find work and maybe your financial situation will improve.
Sorry to hear your parents did that to you, my mum disinherited me and she was far from poor.
Philip Larkin - This Be The Verse
They <not allowed> you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were ->-bleeped-<-ed up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.
Post Merge: March 05, 2009, 07:51:27 PM
Quote from: imaz on March 05, 2009, 08:50:18 PM
This is Charing X you are talking about right?
It's tough being a student I know but hopefully soon you will find work and maybe your financial situation will improve.
Sorry to hear your parents did that to you, my mum disinherited me and she was far from poor.
Philip Larkin - This Be The Verse
They f**k you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were ->-bleeped-<-ed up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.
Hehe! the poem got censored!
Not Charing cross... Porterbrook in sheffield. My PCT, sheffield wont refer anywhere else..