Can anyone please tell me what kind of bad side effects you've had on Testosterone for 2+ years? I'm just really scared that I'm going to regret taking hormones because it will severely affect my health and I'll have to pay with costly hospital visits. I REALLY want the positive aspects of Testosterone (facial hair, lower voice, lots more body hair, etc etc) but I keep having my parents' voices in the back of my head nagging at me that taking T is going to destroy my body and cause major health concerns down the road. I especially get this speech from my step mom, she has PCOS and she says she has lots of health problems because there is too much natural testosterone in her body and she doesn't want to see me go through what she does if I start HRT. Please be honest, what's the worst that could happen? I'm really scared of what I would be doing to my body. Is it true that I could possibly get ovarian cancer/cysts, etc whatever else?

Theres always going to be side effects like with anything else. Acne, increase risk of heart attacks, yes you could get ovarian cancer/cysts but there is not enough studies yet. They do recommend that you get a hysto around 5 years on T, to reduce that risk. However as awkward as it might be, if you go to a gyno every year and get yourself checked, you should be ok. When you go to a doctor to get T, the doctor will go over with you all the risks.

The side effects that are painful for your mother are usually the ones you want. She is seeing things from a girl point of view. There are always risks, even to cross the road. You just have to know about them and decide if taking T under a doctors care is worth while. It is for me. Your blood pressure will likely go up, that can be controlled, and your red blood count will likely go up. If you are healthy and take care of yourself, the risks are pretty minor.

The worst side effect of T is that you become a man, in body, heart and mind.
People will see you as a man and expect and encourage you to behave like one.
Your sex drive will have a short fuse.
Feeling the need to compete against other males will become your nature.
It will be difficult to find relief from the aggressive energy that will always push you.
These and many more bad things will happen, you have been warned.

If this is however what you want, who you are, it could be a miracle beyond your dreams.

My perspective is MtF, and although I had identified myself as female before my HRT, it is so amazing how much the change from T to E rewires my brain.

Quote from: Ryan55 on May 03, 2015, 04:32:23 PM
Theres always going to be side effects like with anything else. Acne, increase risk of heart attacks, yes you could get ovarian cancer/cysts but there is not enough studies yet. They do recommend that you get a hysto around 5 years on T, to reduce that risk. However as awkward as it might be, if you go to a gyno every year and get yourself checked, you should be ok. When you go to a doctor to get T, the doctor will go over with you all the risks.

I'm willing to go to a gyno if it means catching some kind of cancer early on. I wouldn't mind getting a complete hysterectomy if it came to that (I have a fear of pregnancy, never want children, and hate my periods anyways), though I hope something like that is covered by insurance. I'm already imagining that HRT and top surgery is not covered under insurance so it's going to be costly...

Quote from: bigbang19 on May 03, 2015, 06:05:48 PM
I'm willing to go to a gyno if it means catching some kind of cancer early on. I wouldn't mind getting a complete hysterectomy if it came to that (I have a fear of pregnancy, never want children, and hate my periods anyways), though I hope something like that is covered by insurance. I'm already imagining that HRT and top surgery is not covered under insurance so it's going to be costly...

All three can be covered under insurance. It depends on your insurance and how trans friendly the employer is.

Quote from: Girl Beyond Doubt on May 03, 2015, 05:19:52 PM

People will see you as a man and expect and encourage you to behave like one.
Your sex drive will have a short fuse.
Feeling the need to compete against other males will become your nature.
It will be difficult to find relief from the aggressive energy that will always push you.
These and many more bad things will happen, you have been warned.

This may be true for some, but not everyone.   I have absolutely NO aggressive energy, and am not very competitive against other men or women.  If you possess these character traits already, they may become enhanced with testosterone...or not!  I believe individual results vary greatly.

I agree, individual results vary greatly. I am 17 months on T and have seen no increase in my sex drive at all (I think I must be one of the odd ones who don't), my aggression (though never much to begin with) is less than before. I never was competitive and still am not. I am pretty much the same person I always was, just happier and more at peace.

I had PCOS and endometriosis before starting T and it certainly didn't make it worse. I had a hysterectomy/oophorectomy a few months ago because of continued pelvic pain even without periods and was happy to see those parts leave.

As stated above, you may get acne, you may see higher risk of heart disease, etc, but every person is different and depending on your family history, you may or may not have those issues anyway.

Bottom line is that you need to make the decision for you, not based on anyone else's opinion of what is right or wrong.