Hi:

I need to know how I would feel both physically and mentally after starting hormone therapy. Can anyone share any insight into this? I ask this because I know several female friends who take hormone birth control patches complain about anxiety, irritability, constant breast tenderness -- pain, bloating etc. This happens with females.... Now what about a male taking on hormones? What can I expect? When will I start feeling symptoms?

Interesting the way you ask the question...

Mmm, my guess is that a man taking estrogen would become depressed and feel lethargic.

Male to female transgender people almost always report losing their depression and anxiety and feel estrogen to be the exact medicine for what has troubled them most of their lives.

Neither situation is relevant to what cis females feel when they take birth control.

Missy

Female birth control formulations contain both an estrogen and progestin.  The desired biological effect is to stop ovulation, and involves a complex cycle between estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone.

As far as what you will experience on HRT, the results will vary.  I can tell you only what I experienced, which was a significant drop in libido and gender dysphoria within a week or so, and gradual physical changes, including softer skin, less skin oil, changes in body odor, and a gradual reduction in body hair.

HRT was a profound event for me. Prior to that, I was not sure if I would transition, or even if being transgender was a real thing, and not some bizarre fetish.  After the first couple of weeks, I knew the answer to both of those questions.

With kindness,

Terri 

Thank you for the responses. I appreciate it!

"First couple of weeks...."  That quick. How nice.

As far as a drop in libido, I don't have much of that anyway; my true desire is the mental gratification of allowing a man to have me as a woman and my mental responses to it. I just enjoy the relationship within myself it manifests. I don't know why I waited so long to transition? I guess I was afraid of the people (friends, family) process in my life. That is the best way to put it.

My recent testosterone level is 160. It has been low all my life actually.  My doctor says 400 is ideal for my age. So he prescribed a cream. Not interested in doing that. I have decided on using the Xulane patch alone with progesterone daily since I can get all of this I want. I hope the anxiety reported with usage stays down. I can handle the other negatives. Now my question is do I take a week off the cycle (21 days on, 7 off) as would a woman to bring on her period or do I constantly take the patch to keep the estrogen working in my system. I would think the latter, logically. But I could be wrong.

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There is no reason for you to cycle hormones.  For cis-women there is a very specific reason that it happens, and that is to enable and sustain pregnancy.  Since you don't have a uterus, none of the cyclic variation in hormone levels is important or necessary.

With kindness,

Terri

Being on HRT for 5 months I feel great. Best I have felt in a long, long time. Spiro alone will give you breast growth as I was teased about my man boobs by my kids. I've been on Spiro 25 years for congestive heart failure. With Estradiol those breasts have filled out, gotten rounder, much more sensitive to touch. Just now my nipples are larger and the areola is expanding. Face feels soft and soon it will be hair free (electrolysis). My butt and thighs are gaining shape. My feet have been sore so maybe they are shrinking. Hope its a couple of sizes so I can get boots. it really sucks when you have a shoe fetish and cannot get anything to fit unless you part with a couple hundred dollars and shop LTS. And then the boots they do have, has outlandish spike heels. Oh well. I'll go barefoot. My hair which had been thinning is now chin level and luxurious. It is also all grey.

Quote from: Maybebaby56 on January 19, 2017, 04:10:46 PM
There is no reason for you to cycle hormones.  For cis-women there is a very specific reason that it happens, and that is to enable and sustain pregnancy.  Since you don't have a uterus, none of the cyclic variation in hormone levels is important or necessary.

With kindness,

Terri

Thanks, Terri, for your response.  I actually started taking an anti-androgen last week and a birth control patch and progesterone last night. At 5'5 I am now 103lbs down from 142lbs after nearly 4 months of dieting. I am hoping for a 35lb gain in the right places within the next 8 months. I am looking forward toward a new me.

PS -- how do I place a picture of myself in my avatar as other girls have done? I can't find any means for that. Do I need a certain number of posts or something to do that?

If you look about half way up in this thread, you will see a copy of the greeting links that explain this. Most of the features will be enabled after 15 quality post and that includes the ability to select an avatar.

Quote from: Dena on January 19, 2017, 07:56:48 PM
If you look about half way up in this thread, you will see a copy of the greeting links that explain this. Most of the features will be enabled after 15 quality post and that includes the ability to select an avatar.

Thank you, Dena

Quote from: DawnOday on January 19, 2017, 05:01:59 PM
Being on HRT for 5 months I feel great. Best I have felt in a long, long time. Spiro alone will give you breast growth as I was teased about my man boobs by my kids. I've been on Spiro 25 years for congestive heart failure. With Estradiol those breasts have filled out, gotten rounder, much more sensitive to touch. Just now my nipples are larger and the areola is expanding. Face feels soft and soon it will be hair free (electrolysis). My butt and thighs are gaining shape. My feet have been sore so maybe they are shrinking. Hope its a couple of sizes so I can get boots. it really sucks when you have a shoe fetish and cannot get anything to fit unless you part with a couple hundred dollars and shop LTS. And then the boots they do have, has outlandish spike heels. Oh well. I'll go barefoot. My hair which had been thinning is now chin level and luxurious. It is also all grey.

As far as our bodies filling out? I would think our mother's many be an indicator of what to expect. My mother when she was my age was 5'4 128lbs 34B. I am hoping to mirror her. I would be very happy with that.

Can you tell me about the electrolysis process? What does it entail? Does it hurt?  How many visits? It is a very important step toward transitioning. So I would like to get it done early.

For some, laser hair removal is an option. Laser has the advantage that it's faster and cheaper. How permanent it is can be debated. As for electrolysis, my facial hair was removed that way. I have a reasonable tolerance of pain and I was able to do it without any pain killer. I could feel it and I was pretty wacked out by the end of an hour but it can be done. For those with a lower tolerance to pain, there are topical medications that help. If you are really sensitive, injected pain blocks are an option. It can take 200 hours or more to remove a beard so it's best to start early as you need about three days growth at the time of treatment. It's difficult to pass with that much fuzz on your face.

My mom was 5'7" 127 lbs and could lay down on her stomach and draw her legs up to touch the back of her head. Me, I'm luck just bending over frontwards. So with exercise my butt should adjust. As to the electrologist. I go to Electra Spa in Tacoma. They charge $60 an hour. Generally I will put on the numbing cream my doctor prescribed which contains 2.5% Lidocaine and 2.5% Prilocaine about two hours before the appointment and cover it with saran wrap. In the spa there is a room for doing the electrolysis. It has a dental chair. Before starting she uses witch hazel to wipe down my face, The procedure using an electronic pulse machine in which a needle like probe is inserted in the hair follicle. She pushes a pedal to zap the hair and then using a magnifying glass and tweezers plucks the damaged hair. She usually gets about 5 hairs a minute or 300 for the session. By the end of the appointment I am spent. Even with the cream it still stings and the pulling of the hair is equally painful. They say to drink lots of water and the hair  will be easier to extract. When we are done she again swabs the area with witch hazel and applies some Aloe. That's pretty much the long and short of it. It's not terribly complicated, You may be able to tolerate the pain. If it gets too intense have the operator swab it down to cool it off. Makes it feel a lot better. Aspercreme with Lidocaine at 5% and cost around $8, I don't know if it works as well as the other, I am about 8 sessions in, with probably 10 - 12 more to go. I don't have much hair on my face and I am not getting my body done. Will use sugaring for the body, see youtube for tutorial. Sugaring will last 4-5 weeks. Beats shaving every day or spending another $2 grand. Some people go to Dallas to get it all done in one day, but have to go back later because of the hair growing cycle. Each succeeding session gets shorter and shorter until the hair is gone. The only problem with that is you got to go to Texas. Spend time in a hotel.  What the probe does and why it has to be inserted in the hair follicle is that it basically vaporizes the hair root.

Quote from: Maybebaby56 on January 18, 2017, 04:45:49 PM
Female birth control formulations contain both an estrogen and progestin.  The desired biological effect is to stop ovulation, and involves a complex cycle between estradiol, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone.

As far as what you will experience on HRT, the results will vary.  I can tell you only what I experienced, which was a significant drop in libido and gender dysphoria within a week or so, and gradual physical changes, including softer skin, less skin oil, changes in body odor, and a gradual reduction in body hair.

HRT was a profound event for me. Prior to that, I was not sure if I would transition, or even if being transgender was a real thing, and not some bizarre fetish.  After the first couple of weeks, I knew the answer to both of those questions.

With kindness,

Terri

Hi Terri,

You mentioned being unsure about HRT prior to starting... what was the deciding factor for you to go forward and give it a try? 

I'm asking because I'm dealing with some cold feet on my part.  Part of me really wants to go forward and see for myself while another part of me is unsure and scared.  Is this something you or anyone else can relate to?  Any insight is greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,
Trish

Quote from: OCTrisha on January 20, 2017, 01:36:00 AM
Hi Terri,

You mentioned being unsure about HRT prior to starting... what was the deciding factor for you to go forward and give it a try? 

I'm asking because I'm dealing with some cold feet on my part.  Part of me really wants to go forward and see for myself while another part of me is unsure and scared.  Is this something you or anyone else can relate to?  Any insight is greatly appreciated. 

Thanks,
Trish

Hi Trish,

I was uncertain about all aspects of transitioning, not just HRT. I could not even imagine having the courage to fully transition. So, I did things in little steps, and gave myself permission to fail if it got too much. I felt I could live with that if I knew I tried and it was just something I could not do.

I started seeing a gender therapist to make sure I wasn't completely crazy. After a few sessions I started to accept the fact I was transgender, and I decided to do something about it. I started growing out my hair.  I started laser/electrolysis. I got my ears pierced. Each step of the way was kind of scary and unsettling, but none of those things committed me to either transitioning or not transitioning. Finally, after over a year of therapy and months of electrolysis, I decided to take the plunge. I was started on a low dose of spiro, then a few weeks later estradiol was added. The psychological effects were profound and it was then I knew there was no going back.

~Terri

Quote from: Maybebaby56 on January 20, 2017, 11:25:24 AM
I started seeing a gender therapist to make sure I wasn't completely crazy.

I can't help but wonder if the OP hasn't skipped this step.

If so, in my opinion, that may be a huge mistake.

Missy

Quote from: Maybebaby56 on January 20, 2017, 11:25:24 AM
Hi Trish,

I was uncertain about all aspects of transitioning, not just HRT. I could not even imagine having the courage to fully transition. So, I did things in little steps, and gave myself permission to fail if it got too much. I felt I could live with that if I knew I tried and it was just something I could not do.

I started seeing a gender therapist to make sure I wasn't completely crazy. After a few sessions I started to accept the fact I was transgender, and I decided to do something about it. I started growing out my hair.  I started laser/electrolysis. I got my ears pierced. Each step of the way was kind of scary and unsettling, but none of those things committed me to either transitioning or not transitioning. Finally, after over a year of therapy and months of electrolysis, I decided to take the plunge. I was started on a low dose of spiro, then a few weeks later estradiol was added. The psychological effects were profound and it was then I knew there was no going back.

~Terri

Thank you so much for sharing this... I feel like I can completely relate to your pre-transition thoughts.  Your statement about giving myself permission to fail really resonates with me. 

I thought I was ready for HRT, but have backed away for the time being.  I think I will spend more time with my therapist in the next few weeks/months to help sort out some of these feelings.