I'm sure most of the people who have begun HRT had looked up the effects of it beforehand, and sorta knew what to expect upon using it.

However, were there ever any extra physical effects for you on HRT? I know many different psychological effects can take place such as happiness and relief upon taking HRT, but is there something that physically happened to you that you hadn't really read about anywhere online?

Well, I had one effect that wasn't expected. I had a very bad issue with Finasteride causing extreme depression and suicidal thoughts. I had read some stuff on it beforehand that said it was around a %20 chance or so of that happening so I thought it wouldn't happen to me. It sucked when it did and was absolute hell. BUT I had no idea that was what was causing after I got off it.

In short, no.

HRT has pretty much lived up to mild expectations for me physically. My skin is a little better, body hair is a bit less, small boobs, slight shape change. Nothing that wasn't on the label .

I was aware of the possibility of breast leakage but the reality of it was quite surreal.

That and the change of erogenous sensitivity, it happened much faster than I thought, and reading about it does not do it justice. It is a big change.

The biggest surprises have been mental, recently I have detached from my male self in a way I didn't anticipate, not like this... another one of those things that reading about is a far cry from experiencing...

Give it a couple of months, you will probably be amazed at how much changes... and how profound hundreds of tiny, little changes can feel.

no, all I have is a better sense of being me

Super dry skin. I did not expect to spend every winter feeling like a lizard.

The only thing that wasnt expected is the reduction of acne...

and what a nice surprise it was!

I think I was having some interaction with the Champix (Chantix in the US) to quit smoking. I had to drop the Champix because it made me feel like total crap despite tolerating it before.

Thankfully the HRT made going near-cold turkey bearable, but that could easily be psychological motivation.

Quote from: Jenna Marie on February 02, 2014, 07:30:28 PM
Super dry skin. I did not expect to spend every winter feeling like a lizard.

Oh gawd yes yes yes. My skin is like horrid. But i started using an oatmeal-baesed moisurizer from aveeno and voila, my skin is nice and soft again and my prettiness has come back. I literally went from being sir'd (when i was always being miss'd) to being miss'd again and this was after i started dressing more boyishly, as boyishly as my wardrobe allows, which isnt very male but male enough or dykish. It even happened with two days of facial hair. I dont grow much so...yeah.

But moisturize. EVERYDAY.

However, it coulda been the retin-a. That's a side effect in the beginning.

Physically, i didnt expect to lose so much wieght. I was 140-5 now im 120-5 lbs. My band size is constantly shrinking and is now a 30. And i cant gain weight and i eat. alot. I also didnt expect to like men as much as i do now. I used to be Bi with a preference for either or but now...hmmm....i want that penis. In me.

Everything is pretty run of the mill for me, except the leg cramps which kind of caught me off guard.

I don't think I've encountered much that wasn't "advertised" I have been caught off guard with having period like symptoms. Didn't really believe the doctor when she said I could expect them every two weeks with injections. My wife is having fun making me feel like a jerk for telling her they can't be that bad by giving me a taste of my medicine so to speak. They're pretty lame 

I haven't had leg cramping or depression. I have had a bit drier skin; though, i hear it's just a winter thing. I had blackheads on my nose for the longest time pre-HRT, but those have disappeared. I'm also happy like 24/7 now, with occasional bouts of crying for what would seem like no reason at all (usually caused by a sweet moment in a movie or when reading a sad article, lol).

With estrogen expect softer skin, breast development, fat redistribution to thighs & other parts, among other changes. In my opinion, the changes are all good. I'm happy I started.

I've been on Finasteride and Spiro for about 6 months, and estrogen patches for about a month and a half.

One unexpected, and actually super pleasant effect was developing erogenous zones, and sexual sensation in areas you would expect for a woman.  Sometimes you can do some real nice finger tip work on your own body, but I think a partner would help an awful lot.  Unfortunately I don't have a partner. 

We were talking about sensations at dinner one night after group, and a girl demonstraated by lightly brushed her fingers from the back of my ear down my neck a couple times. And then did the same thing but continued across the back of my neck with one hand, and across my chest with the other.  Very lightly.  She repeated this a couple times then abruptly stopped, and said "How's that?" then laughed.    Wow.  I figured I can't do that to myself, but gee wiz.  I suddenly knew how good it is for girls to have long periods of tender foreplay.  OK, gott'a stop thinking about that.

Since I started I only need to look at food and I take on extra pounds from thin air.

Before HRT I losing weight steadily. Since I started I'm going back the other way and it's not as if I'm even getting the pleasure of eating lots or really naughty and delusions stuff 

Still, that is about the only drawback

The total unexpected for me was a change in taste and food preference. I used to love a big juicy steak, I hardly eat meat at all now, I now really like spicy seafood and pasta dishes. And it was in no way a conscious change, it just happened. Embarrassingly I was at a restaurant, ordered a steak, took one look and a few mouthfuls and just went, I can't eat this. Tried a few times since and the same reaction.

Quote from: Joan on February 03, 2014, 01:02:06 AM
Since I started I only need to look at food and I take on extra pounds from thin air.

^^^ This... And, also, I find that for the first few days after my E shot I'm incredibly irritable. At least I think so. It shows up the most at work, and I work customer service. So, it could just be coincidence. It could very well be that people have become giant hideous pricks, and I'd be just as irritated without hormones. But, either way, its been unexpected.

Quote from: Chic on February 02, 2014, 05:09:19 PMI know many different psychological effects can take place such as happiness and relief upon taking HRT, but is there something that physically happened to you that you hadn't really read about anywhere online.

Like the fact that my eye color changed?  Like most of my family I had brown eyes.  Sometime after starting HRT they changed to hazel.

That was an unexpected, but welcome, bonus of HRT.

Food preferences for sure. I suspect in part due to changes in my sense of smell. The main food changes were cravings for all things vinegar/pickled and having that chocolate monkey on my back

On a somewhat related note, body odor changes. Perhaps from my nose working differently? Yet my wife has noticed it and she can smell a deer in the woods 500 yards away.

Might also be affect from going from oozing oil skin to dried out onion skin

Quote from: JoanneB on February 03, 2014, 05:29:04 AM
Food preferences for sure. I suspect in part due to changes in my sense of smell. The main food changes were cravings for all things vinegar/pickled and having that chocolate monkey on my back

^^
This.

Might be due to salt cravings from Spiro or pregnancy style cravings.

Quote from: missadventure on February 03, 2014, 01:23:12 AM
^^^ This... And, also, I find that for the first few days after my E shot I'm incredibly irritable. At least I think so. It shows up the most at work, and I work customer service. So, it could just be coincidence. It could very well be that people have become giant hideous pricks, and I'd be just as irritated without hormones. But, either way, its been unexpected.

I too turn into a bit of a bitch for a few days after my E shot.