As we age our natural production of hormones decreases. In men it's gradual. In many women, it's a crash. But in all of us a decrease in hormone production is inevitable. And "getting old" seems to go hand in hand with that.
My fiance & I socialize with a lot of non-trans people. We hear many questions asked and when we're in the company of women the subject of HRT comes up a lot. As they describe their own experiences and compare it to ours there seems to be a pretty high level of interest about how young we look and how vibrant we are.
I know, for us, we have a new lease on life and an enormously positive outlook. They are often bored and maybe even a bit depressed at growing old. I'm fast approaching 58 and I've never felt so alive! But I've been in prison a long time and I am enjoying my freedom. So I get that may play a part in our different attitudes.
Still, I wonder how much HRT plays a part in a youthful appearance and a positive outlook on life. When I say, "I have the hormone levels of a 20 something women" the other women look at me like I've found the fountain of youth.
"If this works so well for you, why doesn't my doctor put me on HRT?" I've heard that a lot of "mature" women.
There was some doctor I saw on TV a couple of years ago. He was around 70 but had a body of a well toned 50 year old. He had some of his patients there with him too and all looked considerably younger than their age. He was treating them and himself with hormones and all said they felt more active, youthful and alive.
So, the fact that we will be on a regulated dose of hormones the rest of our lives, and that level will never change, has me wondering how we'll all age.
Has there ever been a study looking into this?
Julie
