here is my beginning HRT regimen:

1) 1 hormone shot

2) estradial pellets, subdermal

3) spironolactone

after 1 week on HRT, here are my results:

within 4 hours of beginning the HRT, i noticed that my male libido had completely shut down. totally unexpected. i love it. i feel so much less male.

within 2 days after beginning HRT, i suddenly became very drowsy. this was also a very great and unexpected benefit, as prior to this i'd been having a problem with insomnia. my normal sleep cycle has returned.

also by the 2nd day, my breasts began to get sore, primarily in the nipple area.

within 4 days of beginning HRT, it seemed to me that people at my work had decided that i no longer deserved male-respect. this was a bit of a shock. people at my job who would never have addressed me in a very disrespectful manner have stepped forward with rude and hurtful remarks, as if to bring me down about 20 notches on the pecking order. i'm not worried about it, though. on Monday they are going to come face to face with my girl assertiveness and, i have a feeling they will apologize.

within 6 days of beginning HRT, women whom i have never said more than "hello" to, suddenly began starting conversations with me. i love that. but, how am i different? i'm guessing that this phenomenon and the loss of male respect has to do with pheromones. i realize that i don't smell like a male anymore! and people will instantly pick up on this, generally on a sub-conscious level. i love my girl-smell. to me, anyway, i smell much cleaner. 

i have not noticed any increase in my girlyness on a personality level, which has been a very satisfying form of validation. all of the changes seem to be physical.

in summary, i have been extremely pleased with my first week on HRT, and am enjoying it far more than i thought i would (which i thought was going to be alot).

-ell

The only thing I noticed after my first week was more mental clarity.  Other than that I felt the same. 

The changes in personality are more psychosomatic.  You are probably just less anxious and holding back less.

I didn't feel any more feminine or female...just less tormented by T.  My mannerisms were identical (they were never that male to begin with).

Hormones do not change things like that.

You are just feeling less restrained and the mental changes are happening because you feel there is progress.

I'm not even on the hardcore stuff like that. I already notice a change though. I did notice that CLEANER thing too, and I don't smell as bad. I love it even though more crossroads are to follow.

Love the Lain pict by the way. Love that character soooo much.

Quote from: Ashley Michelle on August 12, 2007, 07:17:14 PM
geez, ell, you've gotten better mileage than i have <lol>

i got really sleepy, achey, and tired after 3 days on hrt.  oh, and my right nipple hurts.  thats been about it!

(but i'm not doing subdermals or shots, just pills)

i heard the shots (in my case) were just to get me started, and, i believe, will not be given for more than 3 treatments. i was afraid to go on pills because i heard they are metabolized through the liver and, once metabolized, are not even even the right hormone anymore!

are you on an anti-androgen?

Quote from: Ell on August 12, 2007, 09:48:42 PM

Quote from: Ashley Michelle on August 12, 2007, 07:17:14 PM
geez, ell, you've gotten better mileage than i have <lol>

i got really sleepy, achey, and tired after 3 days on hrt.  oh, and my right nipple hurts.  thats been about it!

(but i'm not doing subdermals or shots, just pills)

i heard the shots (in my case) were just to get me started, and, i believe, will not be given for more than 3 treatments. i was afraid to go on pills because i heard they are metabolized through the liver and, once metabolized, are not even even the right hormone anymore!

are you on an anti-androgen?

Ell thats not really true.  Estradiol when metabolized through the liver is still estradiol.  Its just not the same concentration if it went directly through the bloodstream.

Synthetic estrogens are not a very good alternative if bioidentical ones are available - this is true whether it is oral/sublingual/transdermal/injection.

Sublingual is a quite good route offering better estrone/estradiol ratios and less liver stress than oral administration. The pills are widely available (can be a problem with injections) and cheap (is a problem with transdermal solutions). Thus it makes a good compromise for many inviduals.

There are some ways to make the estrone/estradiol ratio even better (e.g. grapefruit juice). One thing to note is that the dosaging is different for each way and an equivalent dose depends on the person in question (although there are some aproximations).

estrace type pills, which generally go under the generic name estradiol can be taken sublingually.

The estradiol turns to estrogen in the liver?  So what? 

Not really.  the generic estrace pills work rather well.  I do them sublingually (they are designed to be taken that way).  I had pretty nice breasts in two months .  So no complaints so far. 

Quote from: deviousxen on August 12, 2007, 09:34:42 PM
I'm not even on the hardcore stuff like that. I already notice a change though. I did notice that CLEANER thing too, and I don't smell as bad. I love it even though more crossroads are to follow.

Love the Lain pict by the way. Love that character soooo much.

Aw yeah. i was stunned by how good SE Lain was.

Not a great thing to watch while depressed though I might add.


Hehehehehehheheh.........................................

Actually its an alien girl. Shes laughing serene and insanely. Go Watch Fooly Cooly Also known as FLCL...

But anyways...offtopic.


I'm extremely curious how this progresses for you Ell. I'm not 100 percent sure of going all the way with being a girl, at least not yet, but I really want to hear about it.

I'm on the pills...premarin and spiro...since july 23 2007.
I have not notice any real changes except lack of libido. Which is great in my book.
Things smells different. I did have that euphoric feeling for like two weeks and the guys at work have been looking at me wierd.

I'm very interested in your results. Thinking about talking to my endo about shots...

I kinda had the opposite happen to me, guys stared at me and I used to get upset about it until the therapist said they are most likely looking at you like they do with every other female.

Sara.

Quote from: Ell on August 12, 2007, 07:05:28 PM
within 4 hours of beginning the HRT, i noticed that my male libido had completely shut down. totally unexpected. i love it. i feel so much less male.

within 2 days after beginning HRT, i suddenly became very drowsy. this was also a very great and unexpected benefit, as prior to this i'd been having a problem with insomnia. my normal sleep cycle has returned.

also by the 2nd day, my breasts began to get sore, primarily in the nipple area.

within 4 days of beginning HRT, it seemed to me that people at my work had decided that i no longer deserved male-respect. this was a bit of a shock. people at my job who would never have addressed me in a very disrespectful manner have stepped forward with rude and hurtful remarks, as if to bring me down about 20 notches on the pecking order. i'm not worried about it, though. on Monday they are going to come face to face with my girl assertiveness and, i have a feeling they will apologize.

within 6 days of beginning HRT, women whom i have never said more than "hello" to, suddenly began starting conversations with me. i love that. but, how am i different? i'm guessing that this phenomenon and the loss of male respect has to do with pheromones. i realize that i don't smell like a male anymore! and people will instantly pick up on this, generally on a sub-conscious level. i love my girl-smell. to me, anyway, i smell much cleaner. 

i have not noticed any increase in my girlyness on a personality level, which has been a very satisfying form of validation. all of the changes seem to be physical.

in summary, i have been extremely pleased with my first week on HRT, and am enjoying it far more than i thought i would (which i thought was going to be alot).

-ell

Hi Ell,

The spontaneous male thing stopped in about one week which was fine.  I do not think I had a spontaneous E in two years.

I stayed drowsy for about six months before my energy levels started returning to normal.

My insomnia remains an issue.

My depression seems to be lower but my anxiety remains high.

My boobs hurt within a week and continue to be sore after two years of HRT.

After about six months one male friend asked if I had on a strong cologne.   I told him no which was true.  I do think I smell better.  I had a similar incident from a male teacher in a night course.

I've noticed males appear to smell worse the longer I am on HRT.

The past month I feel males are really hairy.

I still get respect from males and females.  I have lost a significant amount of muscle mass but remain muscular since I need to do a lot of exercise to fight ongoing depression.

My overall mannerisms remain similar.  I do feel more at peace.

that is interesting, Wendy.

i also still have depression issues and will probably remain on antidepressants at least for the near future.

but it's funny, and i don't know when exactly it occurred, but if asked how my life is going, i can now actually say "so far so good."   

Hi Kiera,

i would not have thought that what i listed would be considered out of the ordinary. all of my readings on hormones reiterate time and again what powerful agents hormones are on the system.

what part of it did you think was unusual?

-ell

Quote from: Ell on September 02, 2007, 06:55:31 PM
i also still have depression issues and will probably remain on antidepressants at least for the near future.
but it's funny, and i don't know when exactly it occurred, but if asked how my life is going, i can now actually say "so far so good."   

Ell,
Good for you!  My ability to be a productive member of society has not happened.  I only present to the world as male and get no questions as a male.  People that have not seen me in a while tell me I look great and ask if I have lost some weight. 

Are you presenting yourself at work as a female?  Some people give less respect to females.

..........................

Quote from: Kiera on September 02, 2007, 07:07:40 PM
Eli, gotta admit have never seen such a medication regimen before with such quick, dramatic results and am starting to think for a cautious 51 yr old MTF am I seriously dragging my feet?

Kiera you are not dragging your feet.  My boobs hit A after about one year.  I gained about one inch using a tape measure every six months.  My boobs hit B at about two years.  I have not had one comment from anyone about, "Hey do you have boobs?" 

I do think things are a bit more stubborn as you go over 50.  That is why I started having Diane visit me the last two months.  My friends told me that was not smart so that I stopped seeing her a couple of days ago and my mood has crashed.  I think Diane made me feel good.  Diane's half-sister Cy might be just as frisky.

hi Wendy,

no, i don't present as a female at work.
but i'm not hiding my transition, either.

my hair is growing out (i haven't had it cut since April)
i keep my eyebrows short and trimmed
i often wear some moderately feminine clothes.
i totally allow myself to be me, which resulted in getting called boy-girl on one occasion and also there was a recent off-hand discussion about he-she, with me present. (i didn't say anything, i just smiled).

Quote from: Ell on September 02, 2007, 10:56:06 PM
hi Wendy,

no, i don't present as a female at work.
but i'm not hiding my transition, either.

my hair is growing out (i haven't had it cut since April)
i keep my eyebrows short and trimmed
i often wear some moderately feminine clothes.
i totally allow myself to be me, which resulted in getting called boy-girl on one occasion and also there was a recent off-hand discussion about he-she, with me present. (i didn't say anything, i just smiled).

When my daughter told me I had less eyebrows than her I decided to be a little easier on the eyebrows.  I have not told my children.

Yesterday morning my wife told me I look nice.  (I felt really good yesterday and thought I looked nice too.  How's that for being conceited?) We had a nice conversation and we each seemed to be civil to each other.  Then later in the day we got into an argument and my wife told me, "You do not know.  You are not a girl!"  Great I told one person and now I can relive the comments of my youth regarding my gender.

Ell I love your ability to smile in the face of adversity!  Did the group have a he-she discussion because they wanted your comments?  Actually to gain respect you need to be assertive but not aggressive.    You have confidence in yourself and can prove you are just as valuable as your peers.  Does your office know you are transitioning?  If yes do they need to be educated?  Very few people understand TG.

Quote from: Ell on September 02, 2007, 10:56:06 PM
hi Wendy,

no, i don't present as a female at work.
but i'm not hiding my transition, either.

my hair is growing out (i haven't had it cut since April)
i keep my eyebrows short and trimmed
i often wear some moderately feminine clothes.
i totally allow myself to be me, which resulted in getting called boy-girl on one occasion and also there was a recent off-hand discussion about he-she, with me present. (i didn't say anything, i just smiled).

Hey Eli... I'm doing he exact same thing at my job. I talk, walk, eat and joke as a guy. I keep my hair in ponytail, though my brows are probably plucked too much. eek.

No one has said anything.. but again, I present myself as very male. But again, just picture me without the makeup in my avatar and that's the male me.