I'm new here, but I've just passed 1 year on HRT and it got me assessing what had happened to me over the year and alongside all the things I expected, I realised some things had happened that I maybe wasn't expecting, or took me a bit by surprise. Now they might be a placebo effect, or an unusual effect of the HRT, but they're there all the same.

Anyway I thought it might be interesting to set out the effects that we never expected. I'll start:

1. My food tastes have changed. I've started really liking things like olives, and have a real aversion (the extent of feeling ill at the thought of) really fatty, greasy food
2. My ability to eat hot currys has gone. Pre-HRT I could do vindaloos, or even hotter. Last week I had a medium curry (a Rogan Josh I think) and I needed a glass of water with it, and kept having to top it up
3. I drive differently and I am much more risk averse. It used to be that I'd overtake a slow vehicle at an instant, now I need to see a mile down the road before I think about it
4. I've started to get really risk averse for others too. I'll see someone doing something foolish, and my heart will be in my mouth for them!
5. I listen to different music. Is that really weird? but I never really listen to my heavy metal music anymore. My interest in it just died.

Has anyone else experienced these, or any others?

I started listening to different music too but in my case I started listening to Gothic Metal for the first time.



I always liked hot foods before but even more so now.  I even eat jalapeños in my salad.

My other food tastes have remained pretty unchanged but then I have always liked eating most anything.

A couple of other things that have changed I don't think are HRT related but rather a result of getting honest with myself and not trying to cope anymore.

I changed political beliefs.  Or at least I changed trying to force myself to believe things that made me highly uncomfortable

I changed religious beliefs entirely and drastically.  This wasn't entirely due to coming to terms with myself as there are a lot of other contributing factors.  However, coming to terms with myself was the catalyst that allowed me to mentally break free from the old and embrace the new.

I quit trying to drink myself into oblivion most everyday. 


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Thanks Deborah. Isnt it strange how it can affect so differently. Someone else pointed out (now lost in the whole website going down saga) about the different in personal smell and the sense of smell. This is something I've noticed big time. My sense of smell is so much stronger and tuned. A lovely smell really brings me in, but if something smells bad it makes me feel physically ill.

I definitely have seen changes in some tastes and smells. Musty odors bother me more than ever. I crave certain foods such as tomatoes more than in the past.

It'll be interesting to see what testosterone does to me.

Over time (without HRT) my food tastes changed similarly. I remember being revolted by olives 10 years ago, now I could eat an entire jar for fun. I was never a fan of hugely greasy food or meat, I'd much rather eat a salad these days than anything else because it feels "clean".

The opposite with the curry, though. I love hot food and I don't bother with water when eating it. One of my favorite pasta sauces is a hot chilli pesto now.

I've always been risk averse and risk averse for the people I care about. Not to say I haven't done dumb things... but I'm super-aware of what I'm doing. One thing I've always wished was to care less about that, not let it preoccupy my mind so much. Supposedly testosterone does blank a bit of that; I've always felt too sensitive to things and it distresses me, not only in itself but because I don't wish to be distressed and constantly hyper aware of everything to point of omfg. I think that's always been a liability for me, given my temperament. Hoping T will straighten that out a little.

Quote from: T.K.G.W. on November 08, 2015, 06:22:18 AMI've always been risk averse and risk averse for the people I care about. Not to say I haven't done dumb things... but I'm super-aware of what I'm doing. One thing I've always wished was to care less about that, not let it preoccupy my mind so much. Supposedly testosterone does blank a bit of that; I've always felt too sensitive to things and it distresses me, not only in itself but because I don't wish to be distressed and constantly hyper aware of everything to point of omfg. I think that's always been a liability for me, given my temperament. Hoping T will straighten that out a little.

Hmm, I wonder. I was (and am) a big weenie myself -- extreme flavours hyperaware / hypersensitive -- but I'm the absolutely opposite of risk adverse. Devil may care, almost to the point of recklessness. People are constantly shocked at how often I run into traffic or eat food that's gone off or sleep on busses instead of going home, etc etc. I just have a high tolerance for pain and absolutely no attachment to my physical form. It'll be interesting to see if that changes on T, or if that's just a part of my fundamental personality.

I think this is very intriguing to me. This subject of the changes that hormones can bring to someone pursuing HRT to help them feel comfortable in their own bodies.

What is especially intriguing about the replies here, is that these changes are not so focused on anything of a physical, emotional, or sexual nature as what is commonly discussed. But instead is focused on interests/tastes/hobbies.

Interestingly enough, I do recall reading about this in the FTM guidelines I printed out last night for an endo I might go see.

I wonder what all that could mean. What is it about HRT that can cause such drastic changes like that?

~Nixy~

Quote from: King Phoenix on November 08, 2015, 08:16:08 AM
I think this is very intriguing to me. This subject of the changes that hormones can bring to someone pursuing HRT to help them feel comfortable in their own bodies.

What is especially intriguing about the replies here, is that these changes are not so focused on anything of a physical, emotional, or sexual nature as what is commonly discussed. But instead is focused on interests/tastes/hobbies.

Interestingly enough, I do recall reading about this in the FTM guidelines I printed out last night for an endo I might go see.

I wonder what all that could mean. What is it about HRT that can cause such drastic changes like that?

~Nixy~

Exactly Nixy - and I'm sure it would be a study in itself as to what comes directly from the HRT, and what is instead a persons reaction to feeling more comfortable in themselves and maybe able to express their taste and interests better (for example, would watching Rom-Coms for a MTF be due to the hormones, or due to the MTFs sense that that's what they should be doing as a female?). But for my part I am in no doubt that my sense of smell has definitely changed, and I can't see why that would have changed if not hormone related.

Another slightly more subtle thing, and I'm holding back on my overall thoughts on this one because it might just be natural variance, I do a lot of photography and looking at my pre-Oct 2014 photographs and post Oct 2014 photographs they have a very different feel to them.

Quote from: King Phoenix on November 08, 2015, 08:16:08 AMI wonder what all that could mean. What is it about HRT that can cause such drastic changes like that?

~Nixy~

For me at least it was caused by being able to abandon those things and beliefs I had adapted over the years as coping strategies.  I no longer need them so I am free to explore True and Untrue, Good and Evil without those coping strategies that imposed beliefs on my mind regardless of any conscious examination of them.


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Quote from: Deborah on November 08, 2015, 08:37:27 AM
For me at least it was caused by being able to abandon those things and beliefs I had adapted over the years as coping strategies.  I no longer need them so I am free to explore True and Untrue, Good and Evil without those coping strategies that imposed beliefs on my mind regardless of any conscious examination of them.


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That makes a whole lot of sense to me. Now I do recall reading a thread similar to what you said and I read accounts elsewhere that are similar.

I don't remember this member's username, but she said after she began HRT, "the noise in her head" in her own words, began to die down. This allowed her to be more expressive with who she really is instead of who she was taught to be based on her biological sex instead of her psychological sex, which is the one that matters most in regards to our true selves.

When I read stories like this, it inspires me two-fold to wanna do HRT and get on T even more every time I hear them. 

I'm glad that HRT has helped you to just accept your true self without the need of incorporating any kind of morality to it to make it "ok." Its ok and cool simply being who you are! :3 And HRT is capable of tremendously aiding in that, apparently.

For instance, even the simple move to come out of that damn closet can cause us to have a change in interests that probably were always there but were dormant until now because we were taught by this sick ass society to shut those tendencies off as if they're something unholy or of the devil.  Based on the numerous accounts I have read, it seems that HRT also helps to reawaken those dormant tendencies and reshape our thinking into something more bold and true for the sake of our sanity. That's so awesome! I can't wait to start HRT!^^ Its time for me to start living!

And ever since coming out, I like to do things now that I would have either had to sneak and do as a child or feel too ashamed to do it. Like singing. I still am very shy about it because my voice is not at the pitch I would like for it to be yet without any bit of T pulsing through my veins. But I am more likely to bust out in song right now in front of people than I ever would when I tried singing as female. Just...no...But I bet once I start T, I'm not even gonna feel shy about singing anymore. Now, I do want to avoid getting my hopes up too high so I do not perpetuate myself for possible upset if things do not follow through the way I anticipated for them to. Startin' to learn that life don't always work the way we want it to, unfortunately. Maybe in a perfect world.





~Nixy~

I now cry mi bummie off to those " Call yer Mum " commercials

For food, yes, things have changed, but not much.
The largest difference is that I am more willing to try new things.

Risk avoidance and similar.  Hmm. I think I am just as much of a hard head and full on type person as I always was.

HRT has cured the chemical imbalance in my body and made most of what is wrong - right.

I am also ironically, adverse to fried food.

Most unexpected changes that aren't physical, but rather mental, are almost certainly the result of adapting to a different mindset as we transition to become our true selves. I feel much more free to listen to different music these days, and I've become an avid listener of T Swift and Demi Lovato, which I never would have done while living as a boy. I don't feel as constricted in my expression essentially.

The one thing that I feel has changed most noticeably, when I cry due to being upset my tears feel huge, wet and warm as they roll down my face. Previously they never seemed so urgent or bountiful!

Also, I notice the smell of men very strongly now, often from many feet away...that sweaty, needs a shower and a good bar of soap smell that a lot of guys get in summer. Never noticed it a lot before, but it really makes me gag now.

I know this is an old thread, but I came across this today and thought I would share something that I have found to be really markedly different for me especially in the last 3 months since I started on taking Prometrium (Progesterone) on a cyclical basis. My HRT regime is Oestrogen & Progesterone only and to give you some idea my T levels are 0.9 nmol/l that is 25 ng/ml and Oestrogen is 605 pmol/l which is 164.8 pg/ml.

Anyway since being on the combined regime in the combined progesterone cycle my sense of small has been really highlighted. I really notice another woman's perfume and fell prompted to tell other women that I really love it and I ask what is  and how nice it is. Also I can smell Men much more noticeably and all too frequently their "stink" can make me gag. I still notice these smells when on my half of the month that I am only on Oestrogen, but when on the combined cycle, this higher sensitivity is quite marked.

Food smells seem very heightened. Flower scents are very obvious to me too.

Interestingly I had my blood tests done at the start of my initial 3 months on Prometrium as well and then my T levels were 60 ng/dl and Oestradial levels were 111 pg/ml, so the Progesterone appears to have really helped lowering the T levels to well within the Female normal range ie between 28 ng/dl to 72 ng/dl

Very strange feelings.