I would really appreciate some experience of starting HRT in the in midlife.  Im 47 now and turn 48 next Jan. Just started with a therapist this week and if all hoes well I hope to be on the E and S in 6 months or so. Am I unrealistic and what kind of results can I expect if I am in general good health now. Need to loose some weight but have being pretty as my motivation. 
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I have been on HRT for 13 months and I am 52. I have not felt this good physically for as long as I can remember . Mentally I am absolutely sure it was the best thing for me. I have had some good feminization results considering my age. Skin is soft, head hair is growing back, chest hair ( what there was) is gone. I had no back hair. My leg hair is female. I have face softening but my bones set a long time ago and ffs is needed.

One other thing. I had some arthritis in a few fingers and one knee. I no longer have the arthritis. I have never read this by anyone so perhaps it is from something else.

From what I read the feminization is less and takes longer when started later in life.

Hi.. Welcome.. Sorry, I dont have any experience with beginning in your 40's.. I began when I was 54 tho. I started with herbals.  The calming effect that I got from them.. well.. I would be a lot worse off if I hadn't.  I switched recently, to a low/micro dose of script based HRT.  Estrodiol, Spiro and Finesteride.  Every 3-4days or so..  it's all that I will allow myself, to keep my family.

As for changes, if that is what you are questioning, while everyone is different, you might be noticing mood swings, more emotions, maybe some calming with the E, I had fat redistribution after a few months (was on the herbals for almost 8mos).  Hips began to be noticeable, my butt got bigger, skin softer, hair.. well, lets not go there just yet.. boobage..  oh my.. I am .. I guess.. reeeeeally lucky my family (3 women in the house), has not taken real notice of these things!  I call it being Situationally Unaware.  Totally unobservant, or else, they just haven't said anything.  I did not have moobs, but these are def noticeable, at least to me, and some of my girl friends.  I have to wear darker t-shirts, baggier shirts just to get them to be hidden..  Size and shape are all determined by genetics.. yours will likely be like your mom/sisters/aunts (if any)  and actual size, it's said its about a size smaller than your family.. so eh.. whatever they have, figure abt a cup or so smaller.

How long it will take? Is anybody's guess.  Could be a week or less for growth to start, could be a month, a year.. no one but your body will actually know.  But if you haven't started yet, I would suggest getting a baseline blood panel (full workup if you can) to see your starting point.  You'll have to get one anyway from your endo.. so plan on that.

At 48u, your bones are set, so there wont be any widening of your hips, it'll only be fatty deposits that will make them bigger/wider.  Your waist could thin out as fat redistributes around.  Legs will reshape, your face too.  Arms.. some said their feet got smaller/narrower.. again fat moving around.

That's just some of the things that'll happen.  Um, I -hope- that's what you were getting at..  if not, then disregard all after Welcome!

I started at 45. I didn't expect much and I'm getting more than that out of it. Physically there seems to be a lot of variation, so who knows what will happen.

Mentally it's been very calming on the whole, with a few of the mood swings that Paula Christine mentioned. Mainly it's kind of freed me up to be myself, although it's difficult to describe exactly.

Good luck with everything and I hope the therapy goes well

Mood swings, I should expound on that just a bit..  Kleenex, boxes and boxes of Kleenex.. if you watch movies, just make sure they have lots of tanks, helicopters and explosions.. immediately delete any and all emails that have links to videos of kittens, little children, lost loves, Bambi, lost loves, teen angst, sappy story lines.. I think you get the idea.   any softer scenes/moods, and you're a goner (I am).

< That is really me and I started at 47. I was on 12 daily meds for everything from high blood pressure (180/114) to elevated blood sugar (>500), depression, anxiety, insomnia you name it I was on it. I am now only on HRT meds and have been off all 12 of the others for 18 months now. Not saying HRT is miraculous, but in my case it worked wonders. My body is healthier now then when I was on the Fire Department. The right hormone in your body can be wonderful!  Paula is right about emotions, OMG, kittens especially in my case. I never had Kleenex in the house until now. It is a trip that is for sure.

Jess, I picked up To Sir With Love from Amazon couple weeks ago.. I had never seen it all the way thru (it was also $4).. watched it in bedroom, wife comes up, saw me weeping at it, gave a disgusted snort, turned and went back downstairs..

OMG.. and tell me.. be honest.. has anyone else started watching Say Yes To The Dress, or Something Borrowed, Something New?  all these dumb dress shows.. I cant tear myself away from!!??

Joni Mitchell has been making me cry a couple of times a day lately, and the songs aren't even that sad, just beautiful

Quote from: Paula Christine on June 26, 2014, 08:40:55 PM
OMG.. and tell me.. be honest.. has anyone else started watching Say Yes To The Dress, or Something Borrowed, Something New?  all these dumb dress shows.. I cant tear myself away from!!??

No, but "13 going on 30" was a tearfest for me!  I related because she missed her formative years just like we did.

I can't watch the Celtic Woman singers without a shop vac!

Quote from: Paula Christine on June 26, 2014, 08:40:55 PM
Jess, I picked up To Sir With Love from Amazon couple weeks ago.. I had never seen it all the way thru (it was also $4).. watched it in bedroom, wife comes up, saw me weeping at it, gave a disgusted snort, turned and went back downstairs..

OMG.. and tell me.. be honest.. has anyone else started watching Say Yes To The Dress, or Something Borrowed, Something New?  all these dumb dress shows.. I cant tear myself away from!!??

That movie used to almost bring me to tears as a young boy watching it with parents.  Maybe that was a sign then that I never realized.

Jess, I loved Jenna's name!  And I could def. go for Matty    TomTom, we all knew girls like her!   I can't get thru the Jenna finally confessing to Matt that she loved him without the water works either!

Michelle, I watched TSWL many times before, just never all the way thru, and never got to see the end, until now. 

My emotions def  became enhanced, even on the herbals I was on for almost 8mos.  The change began pretty quickly too, I really wasn't prepared for the intensity, and the speed at which they ramped up.  I have to be very careful when talking with the girls I work with, if they begin talking abt their husbands or boyfriends treating them badly, or things going on at home, I usually have to turn quickly, or else they'd see the tears.   A couple of them, saw how I was reacting.. They are the ones that I either let into my circle, or guessed. 

I am 51. I was on low dose HRT for about 4 years to control my dysphoric feelings that I was having, but my dysphoria eventually grew too strong and I figured out via therapy that I am actually TS.

The low dose HRT really didn't really do much feminization. I started taking a transitioning level dose of HRT on October 8th of last year; I've been on that dose for almost 9 months now.

The results have been far greater than I ever expected at my age. I have been recently experiencing male fails and have been getting lots of weird looks lately. I pass as a woman, and the lingering stares I used to get when I started going out in female mode have for the most part stopped now. Breast development is "OK" - I am a firm A cup; progesterone is helping with that. Hair has not grown back.

My emotions are all over the place - I went to see the movie "million dollar arm" recently with a female friend and I think I was the only person in the theater fighting back tears. Extreme home makeover? Can't watch it. Bursting into tears unexpectedly? Always a possibility.

The mental effects have been stellar. The world has vivid colors now where before it was various shades of gray. I am far happier now than I was before, and I actually enjoy going in to work each day My life is great now.

So yes, transitioning at 48 is very doable.

Thanks Eva Marie

A couple of days ago I started my hrt, Estradiol Valerate and Spironolactone, it is considered a low dose but will be increased in a month if my new blood work is ok.  I am a couple months away from becoming 63, and my expectations are 'whatever I get will be better than what I had'.  I believe that too hard and fast of an ultimate expectation or even too solid of a timeline expectation can only result in disappointment.  If this change is for you then I can only suggest letting the meds do their thing and whatever manhood unravels is for the better.    Dani

Quote from: Newgirl Dani on June 27, 2014, 11:10:14 AM
I can only suggest letting the meds do their thing and whatever manhood unravels is for the better. 

Manhood???

Quote from: rfhaas on June 26, 2014, 07:53:53 PM
Am I unrealistic and what kind of results can I expect...

I am now 48, started when I was 47. I've had good results so far, but I'm unsure if that is because my body was primed by an earlier experience with HRT some 20 years earlier. It's hard to say what results you can expect, a lot of it will depend on how well your body takes to the estrogen, etc. Sadly it isn't a magic pill, results will not be quick regardless. Over time though estrogen, especially without the presence of testosterone in the system, can do some quite amazing things; breast growth, smoother and less oily skin, fat deposits changing, lighter and thinner body hair, somewhat thicker and less greasy head hair, less body odour, and other stuff. And by "over time" I mean at least one to two years. You are only being unrealistic with the kind of results you can expect if you are expecting too much, so whatever those expectations are I'd suggest dialling it down to avoid potential disappointment.

Yes manhood, Merriam-Webster definition:  1 The condition of being an adult male  2 Manly qualities  Now # 2 is what I had mostly in mind when I posted, but upon looking it up I noticed # 2 included courage, which should not only be considered a male quality.  Oh well I got it partly right.  Dani

LOL! Being originally French, I misunderstood "unravel" which I thought meant to come out, to be revealed but it's quite the opposite, to undo. OK. My fault. Oops!