I would be interested in the thoughts of others on low dose HRT just as a means of ratcheting back the male side and not moving toward ultimate transition/ Both anti androgen and estrogen.

Thanks
Terri

Quote from: terrik2016 on February 12, 2019, 01:43:28 PM
I would be interested in the thoughts of others on low dose HRT just as a means of ratcheting back the male side and not moving toward ultimate transition/ Both anti androgen and estrogen.

Thanks
Terri

@terrik2016
Dear Terri:
     I am not ignoring your question but first things first....  you need to be Welcomed to Susan's Place.
     I am so very glad that you have become a member here and that you have already posted a few times.   I am happy to see that you found the Susan's Place Forums.

    As you post on the forums you will be able to exchange thoughts and comments with others that are experiencing many of the same things that you are.   I expect that you will be getting many members offering their thoughts and suggestions as you continue to post here. 

    This is the right place for you to be to find out what others may have to say that may have been in your circumstances and with your questions and concerns.
    There are a lot of members here that will be able to identify with your situation and as you continue to feel free to share with all of us.

    I also want to warmly WELCOME you to Susan's Place. 
You will find this a safe and friendly place to share with others and to read about others similar trials, tribulations, and successes.

    As you are certainly aware you can share with others and involve yourself with some give and take with other like-minded members.  When frustrated or if you have successes you can share it here if you wish and receive support from others and offer support to others. ....
     ***There is a very good chance that you might find that you will make some new like-minded friends here. 

    Please come in and continue to be involved at your own pace.
   
    I have attached important and informative LINKS that will help you to navigate around the Forums and will allow you to enjoy the features here.     
Please look closely at the LINKS in RED, answers are there to many questions that new members ask.

Again, Welcome to Susan's Place.
Danielle

Here are some links to the site rules and stuff that all new members should be familiar with:
 

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By	Standard Terms & Definitions	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)	Cautionary Note
Reputation rules	News posting & quoting guidelines	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy	Membership Agreement

@terrik2016     
Oh, and another thing Terri...
Please plan to write a post and tell us more about yourself in the Introductions Forum so that other members will be aware of your arrival... therefore you will be able to share your thoughts with more members here.... and get more of your questions answered.
     
Thank you again for joining Susan's Place and being involved in the Forums here.
Best wishes to you,
Danielle
NOTE: Now after all of this Greeting Stuff I will let you have your thread back so you can pursue answers to your questions.
Other members here will certainly be along to give you their comments and suggestions that you may be seeking

Quote from: Alaskan Danielle on February 12, 2019, 02:29:06 PM
@terrik2016
Dear Terri:
     I am not ignoring your question but first things first....  you need to be Welcomed to Susan's Place.
     I am so very glad that you have become a member here and that you have already posted a few times.   I am happy to see that you found the Susan's Place Forums.

    As you post on the forums you will be able to exchange thoughts and comments with others that are experiencing many of the same things that you are.   I expect that you will be getting many members offering their thoughts and suggestions as you continue to post here. 

    This is the right place for you to be to find out what others may have to say that may have been in your circumstances and with your questions and concerns.
    There are a lot of members here that will be able to identify with your situation and as you continue to feel free to share with all of us.

    I also want to warmly WELCOME you to Susan's Place. 
You will find this a safe and friendly place to share with others and to read about others similar trials, tribulations, and successes.

    As you are certainly aware you can share with others and involve yourself with some give and take with other like-minded members.  When frustrated or if you have successes you can share it here if you wish and receive support from others and offer support to others. ....
     ***There is a very good chance that you might find that you will make some new like-minded friends here. 

    Please come in and continue to be involved at your own pace.
   
    I have attached important and informative LINKS that will help you to navigate around the Forums and will allow you to enjoy the features here.     
Please look closely at the LINKS in RED, answers are there to many questions that new members ask.

Again, Welcome to Susan's Place.
Danielle

Here are some links to the site rules and stuff that all new members should be familiar with:
 

Things that you should read

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By	Standard Terms & Definitions	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)	Cautionary Note
Reputation rules	News posting & quoting guidelines	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy	Membership Agreement

Hi Danielle,

Thank you so much for the kind welcome.  I probably should have introduced myself before jumping in but there is so much I want to learn. I am 58 years old and have been cross dressing most of my life. As I have gotten older, it has become less about the dressing and more about understanding who I really am.  I am so looking forward to "meeting" others here.  The older I get the more I feel that at least mentally, i am more woman than man. So now I want to move forward in a cautious way but in a way that brings my whole more in sync.  I probably am making no sense at all but I am very happy to be here.

Thanks so much!

Terri

Welcome to the site.  Even on a low dose your body is going to use the hormones the way it is designed to.  Some folks feminize better on a low dose, some need more.  Enjoy  the journey.

Quote from: mako9802 on February 12, 2019, 04:08:55 PM
Welcome to the site.  Even on a low dose your body is going to use the hormones the way it is designed to.  Some folks feminize better on a low dose, some need more.  Enjoy  the journey.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with me.  My endocrinologist appointment is just over 2 months away!

Terri,
I am 66 yo. and kept my true self a secret all my life. Six weeks ago my wife and I agreed that I should try HRT. After working with my therapist and my GP doctor, I was given the letter tp procede. I am now on a low dose estrogen patch, and a T blocker (spironolacone).  With only 6 weeks of HRT, I feel so much better emotionally. I have not expeirenced much physical change, but I hope these will come.  At this point I have no intentions of transitioning, but the feeling of being my true self is unbelievable. There is so much support on this site, its hard to believe how many have suffered as I did. The decision is completly yours on what road is right for you.

Good Luck in your journey of discovery.

Joanne

Hello Terri

I always knew I was/am transgender and crossdressed and bodyshaved all my adult life and suppressed and buried the problem so many times for family and career and social reasons until I could suppress no longer. In 2017 aged 62 I had no option but to take positive action and I started therapy followed by HRT in February 2018. I did not intend to transition at the start of therapy in 2017 but I will definitely will be publicly transitioning later this year.

I wish you every happiness whichever route(e) you chose to take.

Hugs

Pamela   

Quote from: terrik2016 on February 12, 2019, 01:43:28 PM
I would be interested in the thoughts of others on low dose HRT just as a means of ratcheting back the male side and not moving toward ultimate transition/ Both anti androgen and estrogen.

Thanks
Terri

While some people have expressed a desire for low dose HRT similar to yourself, there are, to my knowledge, no studies that addressed how to do this. I would think that everybody has their own tipping point where low dose becomes more powerful than just a little ratcheting back in both physical and mental effects.

It would be interesting to continue to hear of your experiences if you decide to go in this direction.

Quote from: mako9802 on February 12, 2019, 04:08:55 PM
Welcome to the site.  Even on a low dose your body is going to use the hormones the way it is designed to.  Some folks feminize better on a low dose, some need more.  Enjoy  the journey.

Thank you so much.  I know everyone's body reacts differently.  I'm hoping to find a way to get on an even keel and assess what it does for me vs.  maximizing the physical changes right now.

Quote from: Dani on February 13, 2019, 05:45:21 AM
While some people have expressed a desire for low dose HRT similar to yourself, there are, to my knowledge, no studies that addressed how to do this. I would think that everybody has their own tipping point where low dose becomes more powerful than just a little ratcheting back in both physical and mental effects.

It would be interesting to continue to hear of your experiences if you decide to go in this direction.

.  You are right, I couldn't find any research on line about this so I thought I'd ask if anyone  had take a similar path and what their experience was.  If I go this route, I will definitely keep everyone updated on my progress.

Thanks so much!

Thanh you all for the responses. i find myself in a very similar place to some of you especially those of you in my age group.   If the amount of information avialble and the openness of this topic had been then what it is now when we were younger, i suspect we would all be in a different place now.  As I get older, i think i am finding that I can't suppress my inner  being and the desire to explore my true self becomes stronger.  the hard part is doing this with out going too far too fast and hurting those around me.

Thanks so much all for your comments and I look forward to engaging with you more.

big hugs to all!

Terri

Quote from: terrik2016 on February 13, 2019, 09:26:47 AM
.  You are right, I couldn't find any research on line about this so I thought I'd ask if anyone  had take a similar path and what their experience was.  If I go this route, I will definitely keep everyone updated on my progress.

Thanks so much!

I was just thinking that I can't remember any of the low dose crowd who didn't end up transitioning. It's not a "magic pill" and I suspect it doesn't work quite as you think. As has been mentioned, some people find a "low" dose enough to cause a physical transition, others need more - you have no control over that. You may also find that a "low" dose also does nothing to relieve the dysphoria.

Oh, and a T blocker only would be a terrible plan as it would leave you hormone-deprived. Brittle bones are down that road, amongst the various other issues.

Quote from: PurplePelican on February 13, 2019, 09:37:47 AM
I was just thinking that I can't remember any of the low dose crowd who didn't end up transitioning. It's not a "magic pill" and I suspect it doesn't work quite as you think. As has been mentioned, some people find a "low" dose enough to cause a physical transition, others need more - you have no control over that. You may also find that a "low" dose also does nothing to relieve the dysphoria.

Oh, and a T blocker only would be a terrible plan as it would leave you hormone-deprived. Brittle bones are down that road, amongst the various other issues.

Thank you! I definitely will not do T blocker only for the exact reasons you mention. I may be fooling myself on dipping my toe in the water and maybe opening the door to my ultimate transition.
If HRT does relieve some of the dysphoria, transitioning fully may be the right thing for me.

You raise some very interesting points

Thanks!
Terri


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am currently on low dose E and Spiro. Orchiectomy in two days. My low dose (can't say), but is about 1/4 of a typical transformation dose. My reason for doing this is to suppress my T driven libido.  At 66 I don't need it anymore and was very hard to suppress and got me in trouble. I do have some small breast buds and tenderness that initially I didn't want.  But I'll take them along with the calm and joy I am feeling.

Quote from: GordonG on February 13, 2019, 01:18:24 PM
I am currently on low dose E and Spiro. Orchiectomy in two days. My low dose (can't say), but is about 1/4 of a typical transformation dose. My reason for doing this is to suppress my T driven libido.  At 66 I don't need it anymore and was very hard to suppress and got me in trouble. I do have some small breast buds and tenderness that initially I didn't want.  But I'll take them along with the calm and joy I am feeling.

Calm and joy are part of what I'm looking for although my motivations are probably different than yours.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I spent a year on zero T via GnRH analog which was amazing for the GD but dreadful for the mental agility and energy levels. I now have a prescription from my endo for GnRH analog plus low E. The E is to add back low level of hormone to give energy levels back. I was offered low does T which would also have works for energy levels but hey I think I'm heading in the E direction anyway.

Interestingly when the GnRH analog was wearing off and T levels were increasing slowly from <0.9 I felt great so add back of T would probably work.

For me I suspect full E is in my future so I would prefer to add back E. I will be on of estradiol valerate or possible is necessary for energy levels. That should not be enough to activate the receptors for breast tissue growth but my sensitivity is not known so I may get some growth.

Hope that helps.






*No Dosages Please*

Hi Ifoundmyself 

Welcome to Susan's Place    Glad to have you here, join on in the fun

Here are some links to the site rules and stuff that we offer to all new members to help them along

Site Terms of Service & Rules to Live By	Standard Terms & Definitions	Post Ranks (including when you can upload an avatar)	Cautionary Note
Reputation rules	News posting & quoting guidelines	Photo, avatars, & signature images policy	Membership Agreement

Hugs

V M

Quote from: Ifoundmyself on February 13, 2019, 05:09:54 PM
I spent a year on zero T via GnRH analog which was amazing for the GD but dreadful for the mental agility and energy levels. I now have a prescription from my endo for GnRH analog plus low E. The E is to add back low level of hormone to give energy levels back. I was offered low does T which would also have works for energy levels but hey I think I'm heading in the E direction anyway.

Interestingly when the GnRH analog was wearing off and T levels were increasing slowly from <0.9 I felt great so add back of T would probably work.

For me I suspect full E is in my future so I would prefer to add back E. I will be on of estradiol valerate or possible is necessary for energy levels. That should not be enough to activate the receptors for breast tissue growth but my sensitivity is not known so I may get some growth.

Hope that helps.






*No Dosages Please*

Thanks so much!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote from: Ifoundmyself on February 13, 2019, 05:09:54 PM
I spent a year on zero T via GnRH analog which was amazing for the GD but dreadful for the mental agility and energy levels. I now have a prescription from my endo for GnRH analog plus low E. The E is to add back low level of hormone to give energy levels back. I was offered low does T which would also have works for energy levels but hey I think I'm heading in the E direction anyway.

Interestingly when the GnRH analog was wearing off and T levels were increasing slowly from <0.9 I felt great so add back of T would probably work.

For me I suspect full E is in my future so I would prefer to add back E. I will be on of estradiol valerate or possible is necessary for energy levels. That should not be enough to activate the receptors for breast tissue growth but my sensitivity is not known so I may get some growth.

Hope that helps.

*No Dosages Please*

@Ifoundmyself
Ifoundmyself:
     I am so very glad that you have become a member here and this is your very first posting.   I am happy to see that you found the Susan's Place Forums.

    As you post on the forums you will be able to exchange thoughts and comments with others that are experiencing many of the same things that you are.   I expect that you will be getting many members offering their thoughts and suggestions as you continue to post here. 

    This is the right place for you to be to find out what others may have to say that may have been in your circumstances and with your questions and concerns.
    There are a lot of members here that will be able to identify with your situation and as you continue to feel free to share with all of us.

    Our lovely member @V M had already welcomed you earlier
but please allow me to also warmly WELCOME you to Susan's Place. 
You will find this a safe and friendly place to share with others and to read about others similar trials, tribulations, and successes.

    As you are certainly aware you can share with others and involve yourself with some give and take with other like-minded members.  When frustrated or if you have successes you can share it here if you wish and receive support from others and offer support to others. ....
     ***There is a very good chance that you might find that you will make some new like-minded friends here. 

    Please come in and continue to be involved at your own pace.
   
    In V M's welcome message she attached important and informative LINKS that will help you to navigate around the Forums and will allow you to enjoy the features here.     
Please look closely at the LINKS in RED, answers are there to many questions that new members ask.

Again, Welcome to Susan's Place.
Danielle