I think your main issue isn't about hrt but just passing in general. The thing is not to rush it, you don;t have to be out there everyday proving your a woman spending hours in the bathroom and as a few have pointed out things get a lot easier as your combined efforts pay off, including(not just) HRT. Hrt isn't a magic bullet and some people get much more out of it than others, everyone's different but don't rely on it as some sort of solution to passing because you are setting yourself up for a fall. Take your time, there is no rush, a girl take years to learn how to be a woman and so will you!

Depressingly enough Hrt has done very little for me. I still totally look like a guy with slight gyno.

Hmmm, reading all of that made me feel like a bit of a veteran... I started HRT in summer 2008, a few months before I hit age  51, and continued stop-go until Sept 2010. It always quickly generated a feeling of interieur calm . However,  as I also quickly started seeing breast growth and suffered from a sharp fall off in my physical capacities (mostly due to Spironolactone) that spooked me at first. I was still  big into sport at the time and with the sort of tight  clothes used for my favorite sport , those budding breasts were immediately very visible.
It is worth noting that when I stopped, after 3 - 4 months each time, everything was pretty well totally reversible.
Since Sept 2010, I have been on HRT fulltime with no interruptions and I already know there will be no going back. Actually, at this stage even if I wanted to (I don't) ,  it would probably be a problem as, at minimum,I would need to take testosterone to replace what my body no longer produces. Why? Because, to avoid osteoporosis and maybe other health issues, your body needs a sex hormone, whether it be oestrogen or testosterone.

The effects of my HRT have been very visible. My agressivity and libido have dropped off sharply (but not entirely.. ) and, last time I checked, June 2012, my testosterone level was low even by cis female standards. I am also far more emotive and not nearly as big into sport. I still do enough to stay slim and in shape but no longer push myself nearly as hard as I used to. The drive is just not there any more. I have also completely lost interest in some quite masculine sports that I used to enjoy watching. It may just be psychological as I assume my female identity more fully all the time, but the fall  off in  interest sort of sneaked up on me gradually  without me even noticing and was definitely not a deliberate choice.

On the physical side, my skin texture has changed quite dramatically, as smooth as any cis female today. Starting from a fairly low density, I also lost all of my body hair and I have had pretty good breast growth, cup size A-B, which I find quite amazing at my age. There has also been some very visble fat redistribution, away from my waist with considerable more on the inside of my thighs.

The real differences only started to show after a year or so and I get the clear impression that I am still changing, especially my breasts which continue to fill out little by little.

My face has also changed a lot but since I also did FFS, apart from the change in skin tone, I really can't say what results from FFS and what results from HRT. The really big changes ie. in bone structure, are obviously from FFS.

A little story from today to finish off with. I still present male at work but a couple of people I trust are aware of my situation. One of these people told me this morning that back in February, during a meeting we were both at, another  one of our colleagues whispered to him that he was sure that "I was a woman".  My friend didn't know about my story at the time and said no, it couldn't be possible. However the other guy insisted but, unable to imagine the truth, he actually thought I was woman posing as a man! Now that was music to my ears..
Hope that helps.
Donna

very much so least I think so. Note I didn't intend to transition unless I was passable, Hormones were for my mental well begin at first a pragmatic solution to my gender dysphoria, I had a career I wanted to pursue and I was at uni at the time and I didn't want an extremely unusual appearance begin a distraction to my long term goals.

Before.
"But short hair would really suit you. Why don't you see you've got potential? You could be a really handsome man"

---------- 3 months HRT
I was still presenting as a male at the time but people were starting to notice something was up, "Ooh you look so pale and skinny, do you have the flu?"
"Hmm... Do I have boobs?"


-------- 6 Months HRT
The cat got out of the bag so to speak. In public things became difficult people literally were clueless about my gender I still said I was male tentatively I got the names in public and everything. Little by little I knew my as a "male" (Or least regarded as such) was coming to an end. I began to make preparations (Retraining my voice) but I was still scared about whether I'd turn out to be passable or not.


------------9 Months HRT
Finally now living as a girl. It had become hard for me to live as a male, I just didn't look the part. My voice was now convincingly female, It was odd at first those same sleezy pigs who spat at me 3 months prior now fancied me.

I was a girl not a woman yet, cute Naiive and new to everything some took advantage and I got into some extremely dangerous situations.




----------12 Months HRT
Most of my changes now complete it was a matter of others really coming to terms with what I was now. And gaining experience and becoming a woman.




Now... 3.5 Years later...
The strange is humdrum, I'm a scientist just as I always wanted, My appearance wasn't a distraction, knew at all until I told them... I was lucky but I also fought damn hard I have no regrets about any of my choices. I took my own path.

Works like magic on me or has and 100% positive results and fast! Feels great as I bleed through from the inside out with pure femininity wazoo yahoo !

Quote from: pebbles on April 19, 2013, 01:36:31 PM
very much so least I think so.

Agree with that! That looks like a magic!

Quote from: Donna Elvira on April 15, 2013, 02:20:33 PM
Hmmm, reading all of that made me feel like a bit of a veteran... I started HRT in summer 2008, a few months before I hit age  51, and continued stop-go until Sept 2010. It always quickly generated a feeling of interieur calm . However,  as I also quickly started seeing breast growth and suffered from a sharp fall off in my physical capacities (mostly due to Spironolactone) that spooked me at first. I was still  big into sport at the time and with the sort of tight  clothes used for my favorite sport , those budding breasts were immediately very visible.
It is worth noting that when I stopped, after 3 - 4 months each time, everything was pretty well totally reversible.
Since Sept 2010, I have been on HRT fulltime with no interruptions and I already know there will be no going back. Actually, at this stage even if I wanted to (I don't) ,  it would probably be a problem as, at minimum,I would need to take testosterone to replace what my body no longer produces. Why? Because, to avoid osteoporosis and maybe other health issues, your body needs a sex hormone, whether it be oestrogen or testosterone.

The effects of my HRT have been very visible. My agressivity and libido have dropped off sharply (but not entirely.. ) and, last time I checked, June 2012, my testosterone level was low even by cis female standards. I am also far more emotive and not nearly as big into sport. I still do enough to stay slim and in shape but no longer push myself nearly as hard as I used to. The drive is just not there any more. I have also completely lost interest in some quite masculine sports that I used to enjoy watching. It may just be psychological as I assume my female identity more fully all the time, but the fall  off in  interest sort of sneaked up on me gradually  without me even noticing and was definitely not a deliberate choice.

On the physical side, my skin texture has changed quite dramatically, as smooth as any cis female today. Starting from a fairly low density, I also lost all of my body hair and I have had pretty good breast growth, cup size A-B, which I find quite amazing at my age. There has also been some very visble fat redistribution, away from my waist with considerable more on the inside of my thighs.

The real differences only started to show after a year or so and I get the clear impression that I am still changing, especially my breasts which continue to fill out little by little.

My face has also changed a lot but since I also did FFS, apart from the change in skin tone, I really can't say what results from FFS and what results from HRT. The really big changes ie. in bone structure, are obviously from FFS.

A little story from today to finish off with. I still present male at work but a couple of people I trust are aware of my situation. One of these people told me this morning that back in February, during a meeting we were both at, another  one of our colleagues whispered to him that he was sure that "I was a woman".  My friend didn't know about my story at the time and said no, it couldn't be possible. However the other guy insisted but, unable to imagine the truth, he actually thought I was woman posing as a man! Now that was music to my ears..
Hope that helps.
Donna

Donna, what a nice life story. Love you girl friend. 

HRT is absolutely necessary to physically become female. After being off HRT for several years & just resuming I already feel great, so relaxed & confident. I'm sure will be taking E for the rest of my life.

I think it depends on when you start, and your genes. If it wasnt for hrt, i wouldnt have turned out the way i did. I would have had a male puberty, but since I started at 11 (cyproterone), and estrogen when I turned 12, I had an entirely female puberty.

Thanks to the ppl that made hrt possible, its amazing.

But I have no idea how long its supposed to take to feminize a face if youre older, not long I would imagine?
Im here cuz of a friend I met who is a mtf, I have never known another mtf before.

I think you raised an interesting question

Well, it all depends when do you starts taking hormones. The effects are more significant if you starts at 16/18 because the body is young and the male features aren't full developed. Anyway, they helped a lot my trasition. My face get fuller and my chin has reducted a little bit, my hair now are thicker, all my muscles are pretty gone, so my shoulders are smaller, also as my feet and my arms. I get a b cup in 8 months and my hips and legs got bigger in 1 year. Also my skin now is more silky and my body hair are gone. But you have to consider that, before HRT, my testosterone's levels were really low. I had 2 in a scale from 1 to 12. In fact i never had facial hair exept for the chin. I guess it all depends on the body and how it react to HRT.

Wish you the best!!!

xoxo
Julia

Hailey I just want to say you look amazing and it is so very good to hear about young people like you who had the insight, courage and support to acknowledge the truth early on.   My only regret has been that I didn't start earlier in life with transition.  It is absolutely refreshing to live through this dramatic change in our culture (60+ years for me) that now better accepts that we are free to be who we truly are! 

For Freedom of Expression

Quote from: ConfusedGirlRuby on March 27, 2013, 07:36:32 AM
Ok, I know this may be a tad superficial as a thread, but it is something thats been bugging me a lot lately.

I'm currently on the verge of transitioning, and one of the major factors that is holding me back is passability. I know most of you will say that "passing doesnt matter necessarily", but it does matter a lot to me, because I want to be seen as a woman.

Currently, whenever I go out presenting as female, it takes me a while to do my makeup convincingly, but I can get my face to look female. My hair is pretty thick but its short, and it's receded very slightly at the temples so I usually wear a good quality wig. I'm about 5'8 so I don't look too tall.

Usually in public I pass really well, especially at night whens its darker. My main give aways have to be my voice, my shoulders, and my feet.

My feet aren't massive they're about a size 8, but its awkward finding girl shoes in that size. My shoulders aren't overly broad but i'm not exactly a petite... they just look a bit big for a girl.

Ok i'm rambling, basically I look like a girl if I dress enough and use enough makeup but it takes a lot of effort to pass fully.

My question is, did hormones effect any of you hugely in terms of appearance? Or was it more subtle effects?

I'm young, so would that be a good time to start HRT or have I missed the boat by not starting before puberty?

Does HRT alter facial structure at all? I'm guessing shoulders and feet i'm stuck with.

Does HRT effect body hair density at all?

Thanks to any answers!

Love

Ruby

Kia Ora CGR,

When it comes to HRT YMMV !

This according to our friend wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy_(male-to-female)#Bone

What HRT cannot change...

HRT cannot reverse bone changes that have already been established by puberty. Consequently, total height, the length of the arms, legs, hands, and feet, and the width/size of the shoulders and rib cage are all not affected by HRT. However, details of bone shape change throughout life, with bones becoming heavier and more deeply sculptured under the influence of androgens, and HRT will prevent such changes from developing any further.

The width of the hips are not affected in individuals in whom epiphyseal closure (fusion and closure of the ends of bones, which prevents any further lengthening) has taken place, an event which occurs in most people between 18 and 25 years of age. In addition, already established changes to the shape of the hips cannot be reversed by HRT whether epiphyseal closure has taken place yet or not.

Already established changes to the sculpture of the bone structure of the face are not affected by HRT, nor is the prominence of the thyroid cartilage (Adam's apple) affected. These changes may be reversed by surgery (facial feminization surgery and tracheal shave, respectively) instead.

During puberty, the voice deepens in pitch and becomes more resonant, effects which are permanent and are not affected by HRT.

Facial hair develops during puberty, and this is a change that is not significantly affected by HRT. Facial hair may be permanently removed with electrolysis or laser hair removal instead.

Metta Zenda

You know how long it takes cisfemales to get ready to go out?? lulz...

Much less time than me? :p

 HRT has helped my transition both significantly and insignificantly.

I started when I was seventeen, and it helped me to go full-time rather quickly. I haven't really changed all that much, though. I look a bit less hideous, but I'm still not happy with where I'm at, and I don't know if I ever will be. That's just the face - the only part of me that really changed. I can hardly qualify what I have on my chest to be breasts, for example, and I'm still lightly hairy everywhere. It's not black and thick, but it's noticeable and gross. Perhaps I'm delusional, or overly vain, or maybe I have unrealistic expectations, or I could be nuts, but that's my opinion on it all, and I have an extremely hard time believing anyone who disagrees with me.

At this point, I make a more believable male than I do a believable female. Perhaps I don't look macho-manly, but I could easily pass as a high school guy - a change of clothes would do the trick.

I suppose I'll be satisfied if/when I lose to ability to easily pass as male. Wishful thinking, but hope is essential to human life.

 Well, camera tricks, facial expressions, and a little make-up go a long way. I could probably post some pictures of me doing the guy thing, some time.

It is the "beauty" of looking androgynous.

At the very least, I don't think I look like most other 19-year-old girls in my area...

Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 08, 2013, 11:39:54 PM
Okay I guess I can kinda understand... photos DO change a lot. Idk. But sometimes I swear I look male and then I go try to prove it (I did that once and presented male one day like 6 months ago...) still got called she... using my natural voice and presenting male.

A lot of it is in your head.

I totally agree!!!!

To be honest, I'm not sure if HRT helped transition or not. I only transitioned once with HRT and didn't attempt other permutations. I did start being referred to with female pronouns by strangers in androgynous attire after a while. If that's HRT then yes.

I don't have anything to add to all those good comments, I just wanted to say that your feet really don't matter that much. I have size 10, and heck, I am -biologicall- a girl!
And when I wasn't presenting as male I never had any trouble with people thinking I'm a man or anything, even though I have a pretty big frame for a female, rather broad shoulders, etc. no one EVER said 'he' to me, for some weird magical reason.

But yeah, a lot is in your head indeed. Sometimes I start to look girly over night, lol! One day I look in the mirror and think "Aww yeah!" While the next day I just want to run and hide.
And I strongly doubt ONE night's sleep can make me suddenly look like a girl, lol!

Quote from: girl you look fierce on May 09, 2013, 08:35:32 AM
Yep definitely, I am always a little self-conscious about my size 10 feet but then remember my cis sister is size 10 too. Couldn't have avoided it no matter how I was born. Okay, so it's not the 100% ideal for a girl, but nobody is gonna look at size 10 feet and go "oh my god, your FEET are so BIG!"

My mom is only 5'4" (maybe 5'5") and she wears a size 10, her hands are also nearly as long as mine (and I am nearly 4" taller). She has never been single for too long & people who know we are related will always tell me how pretty they think she is, so being a size 10 is nothing horrible, but being thin and having an attractive face does go a long way,, looking at your avatar I think you have nothing to worry about!

After over 4 years I have finally made my 50th post, I am no longer a newbie!!! Yay

Sorry for derailing the post.