Within a month you will notice


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I find this thread fascinating.  The results seem to be all over the map, though generally positive.  Looking at the ages reported I hope it can dispell some of the myth that age leads to reduced results.  Hardly a scientific survey, but a cursory read leads back to the old ymmv line of thought.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

Started HRT at age 62, spironolactone anti-androgen, and staged 4 weeks later, estradiol patches.

I started to see mental changes about 3 weeks into spiro, as I got moments of calm and clarity of thinking, no mental 'noise'.  By two months in that was my new normal.

About 1 month in, shortly after estradiol was added, I started to have a little soreness in muscles and puffiness in the areolae.  About two months in I started seeing breast 'budding'.

At 3 months testosterone levels were down to the normal female range. At 6 months in after adjustments my E levels were finally in the low normal female range.

I started HRT at age 43 and started to feel changes in 3 days and started seeing visual changes in less than a month. Went full time after 3½ months of HRT when I started getting male fail

Started at 24 on Spiro and Estradiol sublingual, just under 2 months ago.

These last two weeks, I've been getting a lot of breast/nipple soreness and sensitivity. I can also definitely feel the breast buds and hard mass people describe, but I'm not yet at the point where I need to wear a bra or anything under a shirt to hide it.

Sex drive feels much more under control, which is great for me. It's still there so far, but much different. I prefer it this way. I don't know how to describe it other than smoother, and even if it happens at inconvenient times, it doesn't feel as annoying.
BUT, I also just started an antidepressant so we'll see how long that lasts...


Aside from that, it's hard to say if anything else is noticable aside from side effects of Spiro (dry mouth and needing to stay hydrated more)

I started on HRT when I was 53. I first noticed physical changes about 2 weeks in and those have increased quite nicely in the months since I started. I am seeing changes much greater than I ever thought possible. My hips are now my widest measurement!

I started at 34. I noticed a slight difference in how I looked about a month after I started HRT. Most people couldn't see it, but one other friend said she could tell something changed, but she couldn't say exactly what it was. I think I looked younger. My skin had started to soften, and I had lost about 5 pounds because I was doing somewhat better at watching what I was eating.

I started at 55. Spiro and sublingual Estradiol. It's been 4 1/2 months. I had fatty man boobs all my life so while they haven't changed yet by the measuring tape, I can say that not only are they sore all the time but the nipples crazy itch off and on. The nipples and areola are also getting bigger. Most important though is that the mass of my breasts is increasing. They're denser and heavier with the internal bud/duct growth.

Mentally and emotionally, I am in a much better place now. I don't feel that constant "noise" of dysphoria. Or the cycling need to dress and be female. I feel that mostly I am female inside. The need for sexual release is gonzo, thank you very much. It's more on demand now but out of sight, out of mind. I still have a bout of dysphoria now and then when I have a beard shadow or some social interaction brings it to fore but not in as depressing a way as before HRT. I expected mood swings but really just got a deeper view into my feelings - which I also like. I can cry but it's not uncontrollable. Maybe some biology there as my sisters and mother are/were not highly emotive people.

I see a great therapist. We now can work on my other "stuff" (anxiety, worry etc.) besides the being Trans thing. Before, it was all about that but now it's in perspective. And that's important because just because you go on HRT, doesn't mean your other underlying "stuff" goes away. No panacea here.

Other physical changes:I love my skin and hair now. Smooth and soft. My thin spot on top seems less thin. I think I can detect some lower body shape starting to happen.

Just no complaints. In fact, my doc asked if I want to up the Estradiol dose after my first hormone blood work 3 months in. T was just a bit high and E was just a bit low. I let it ride because I'm seeing results and I feel good. (And those tests are notoriously inaccurate).

I'm not transitioning socially imminently so slow and steady is just fine. And like I said, mentally and emotionally I feel female inside. When male fail happens, I'll consider it.

Good luck and hope that helps.

I started at 54. I have been on finasteride for three months and estradiol patches for one month. My patience has increased - I don't get frustrated as easily as I used to. I also began noticing breast changes after three weeks - soreness and some definite tissue development.

I have been on HRT for around 2 years. I was 36 when I started. Across that time my levels have been very stable. T=0.4 E=1200 pmol. I found I get the greatest results from implanted estrogen and spiro.

I noticed some changes in sense of smell and mental focus immediately. My libido plummeted within days of beginning spiro.

After about 3-4 weeks, my nipples were swollen and tender, and a bit itchy. After 3 months, they were clearly developing breast buds. At that stage, my skin was getting much softer and my lips were much darker.

At about 7 months, I got fitted for my first bra. My body stopped producing sperm altogether, and by 9 months, pretty much stopped producing semen. By about 9 months I was struggling to hide my transition. People were noticing changes. I changed my name and gender presentation in public. At 9 months was also roughly when I started to notice some fat redistribution.

At about 14 months, I was consistently passing in public. My disposition towards sex was very different. I could orgasm multiple times. Th shape and colour of my genitals were changing. I had lost a lot of muscle mass, and gained a lot of fat.  My emotional sensitivity had shifted dramatically too, finding this whole new ocean of emotion.

Since then, the physical effects have slowed down a little. My face continues to change, and there has been some slight further breast growth and areola development over the last 3 months. I mostly wear a c-cup now, but can still squeeze into a B.

But since people began reading me as female, the biggest aspect of my transition has been social. At the beginning of transition, I was so worried about transphobia that I didn't really stop to think about how women are treated in society. Now it's a rude shock that keeps confronting me every few days in different ways. It really is a man's world out there, and women are expected to be demure, unobtrusive, and subservient. Still, I've forged some amazing new friends, both cis and trans, who are supportive people, and help me work through these challenges.

I have had so many weird, funny and unusual experiences. During that phase when you are visibly between genders, people would often call me ma'am and sir... all in the same sentence. I had to have a genital ultrasound recently, which confused a few people. They were trying to tell me the doctor had made an error because he had written 'testicular ultrasound' which can't apply to women.

I also found myself involved in all kinds of confronting conversations about women's issues that I never really considered. Where I've confided with other women about my struggles with gender, many have reciprocated and shared their own personal stories. I have listened to women's experiences of sexual assault, stalking, workplace inequality, rape, period problems, sex problems, misogyny, mental health issues, reproductive rights, infertility, pregnancy problems, and a whole lot more. In some ways, those conversations did more for my transition than any medication could. I learned how to be emotionally supportive without feeling the need to provide solutions. I found common ground and forged connections and friendships with other women.

I dated a guy for three months and learned a lot about how gender roles affect romance in a hetero relationship. (that's a whole other thread).

The TERF-TRANS war continues to trouble me, and I am vocal about ways to reconcile the seemingly conflicting ideals of equality.

I am undergoing SRS in two months time, and then FFS in September. At that point, I will probably consider my transition to be complete.

Hope that helps! All the best for your journey. [emoji4]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm a late starter, I started at 61.

I started at 35 and started to see changes within a few weeks. I had little soft patches of skin all over the place after 2 - 3 weeks. my hair was feeling softer. I didn't keep track of the exact time lines but pretty continuously everything kept changing. my skin is soo soft now as is my hair. my breasts have filled out in the last few weeks (end of month 5) I measure as an A cup but they aren't big enough that I NEED to wear a bra. Although there is enough that I could.

My experience may not be a fair comparison as I was on Spiro for 5 months before I started taking estrogen. My estradiol level was also at 136 before my first patch. this post got me wondering about how fast peoples dosages were upped as that could affect things as well. My doctor increased it at a month and again at 3 months to, what I'm told is,  the max dose for using patches. 

I started testosterone blockers and estrogen when I was 12. Since I did not have any real male characteristics it was not so much a drastic change. It was more like slow development of my female characteristics.  I do remember my nipples and breast area being really sore after about 3 weeks into it. I was also starting to have the beginnings of spontaneous erections that boys that age get. I remember being so happy that the HRT killed that in its tracks.

Quote from: SarahElizabeth1981 on May 16, 2017, 12:21:06 AM
My estradiol level was also at 136 before my first patch.

136 pmol/L, I assume since you're Canadian. This is low (37 pg/ml) and within male range (up to 40-60 pg/ml or 147-220 pmol/L). Overlaps female range, 20-650 pg/ml (73-2,386 pmol/L).

QuoteI started testosterone blockers and estrogen when I was 12.

I'm sure many of us here envy you.

Quote from: KayXo on May 16, 2017, 10:03:56 AM
136 pmol/L, I assume since you're Canadian.

I'm not sure doctor didn't tell me the units but he did say that it was high since I wasn't taking estrogen yet. so I'm thinking it was 136 pg/ml because then it would be high for a male body.

Started at 36 and it's been almost two years.  I personally feel like like I look exactly the same until I compare old pictures to now.  To be honest, it's hard to quantify exactly what changed but I get male fail often even though my hair is still short and I live as a male.  So there is that.

I started HRT by the age of 40 years. First changes I noticed with my breasts after 7 weeks in terms of sensibility, kind of soreness or tenderness.

I started hrt when I was 17. My Dr started me out on high doses of everything. About 2 months into it a lot of changes started happening. My sexdrive totally crashed. My boobs started developing and they were really sore. After about 4 months my facial features softened and I started being gendered as female. The hair on my legs thinned out a lot. I never had chest hair but I did have a happy trail down my stomach. It turned into tiny little fuzz you can't even see or really feel. One thing I really noticed was how the hrt killed erections.  If you are stuck with male parts you can't help but get a boner when you see someone you think is totally hot.  After a couple of months on hrt when I looked at a really hot guy I still thought he was hot but nothing happened down there anymore. When he first gave me the RX for hrt the doctor told me to eat better and try to gain some weight so the estrogen would have a little fat to work with.

I started this year at 23 but just 5 days shy of turning 24. I stopped for about 4 weeks in April going into May and then started back on May 19. Other than moodiness and getting irritable more easily, which was almost right of the bat, I started noticing physical changes at the beginning of this month.