Quote from: Arch on May 05, 2010, 10:09:44 PM
I would love to read anything you have found on the subject. But I feel the need to point out that there is a big difference between aggressiveness and violent aggression. (I'm not implying that you are mixing the two up; I just run into a lot of people, particularly trans guys, who do.)

I see what you mean, and thank you for the clarification. This is what I meant by assertiveness vs. violence.

And I'll find my class notes on those studies and post links to them tomorrow! The more I think about it, the happier I am that I took Behavioral Neuro 2 (even if the last half of it was terribly confusing). The prof was actually surprisingly progressive about transgender stuff--he spent a while making sure that people in the class understood that there are many ways to define sex and gender-- and even showed us that one post-mortem study that showed that MTFs had BNSTs the same (smaller than male) size as those of cis females and the one FTM had an even bigger BNST than most of the cis males.

Also, he demonstrated rat courtship and mating behavior (which he actually did some interesting work on--he accidentally got male rats to show female sexual behaviors and the reverse-- I'll see if I can find that too) to our class by acting out the male and female's behavior. Including lordosis.

Quote from: Lachlann on May 05, 2010, 10:26:47 PM
The whole testosterone vs serotonin levels is interesting as well. I've been feeling quite unhappy for a while now, but I'm not anymore violent either. I guess it would also depend on how you react on an individual level. Anecdotal evidence isn't always correct either... hmmm.

Unfortunately, serotonin isn't actually "the happy chemical", no matter what the antidepressant manufacturers want us to believe. Mood regulation is really complicated, so feeling unhappy doesn't necessarily mean you have low levels of serotonin or vice versa. And I think you made an important point-- everyone reacts to stress differently!

Quote from: brainiac on May 05, 2010, 10:45:20 PMUnfortunately, serotonin isn't actually "the happy chemical", no matter what the antidepressant manufacturers want us to believe. Mood regulation is really complicated, so feeling unhappy doesn't necessarily mean you have low levels of serotonin or vice versa. And I think you made an important point-- everyone reacts to stress differently!

I've read that serotonin level is strongly implicated in depression, but that there's a lot of conflicting evidence and so much that we don't know. Anyway, SSRIs did not really help me, whereas other (non-SSRI) depression meds did. So who knows what's going on in my tiny little brain.

Oh boy, Breastquest-you should move over to the MTF or Non-Op section and browse for a while if you havent already. You won't get a positive response from the ftm guys about their breasts as they can't stand to have them. If you want to go ahead and transition to female why don't you get in touch with those of us who want the same things? If you can't/won't transition then the non op section will help you or the mtf section-at least we all want to have the burden of carrying our breasts and have at best a dis-interest in having the horrid appendage down south.

At the moment I am very stable emotionally and do not have any disphoria to speak of (as compared to a month ago). I would suggest that you read as many of our previous posts as you have time to and go from there. PM any of us that you want to.

If you haven't already looked into it-a gender therapist will help alot. I love having what growth I have and I have a difficult(sometimes) home life as many others here have as well. I am a woman and do not wish to identify as male. And if you havent figured it out yet-there are some who do not like  it when someone asks these sort of questions.  The forum is just like in the general population of our society-you will find all kinds of people and we don't always agree or get along well. For what it's worth SUSANs is the best forum to be associated with that I have found.

randi

Uh...my chest is massive and prevents me from passing and prevents me from being comfortable in my own skin. Clothing doesn't fit because of them. Reading the OP's post and responses caused mucho face palms.

Anyway, regardless of what many of you think of me, I appreciate all of the comments and wish you all luck and happiness.

Quote from: LordKAT on May 05, 2010, 02:36:21 PM
I look in the mirror and wonder what is up with the image, that is not  me. The image has two large growths, not the me i see in my mind. I reach down in the early morning hours and wonder where it is. What happened? Then I come fully awake and remember, someone forgot that part from the very beginning. This body I see in the mirror is not me, it is a caricature of what I would look like if I were a girl. I need it to look as my mind sees it.

This is so true, after only a few days of binding im very used to seeing myself with a flat chest because that is always the way i have been in my mind.

They get in the way, they occasionally hurt, i can't lie on my stomach without propping my pillow up in a certain way. They make me look like a tent when i wear tee's and they just look really wrong when you look at the rest of me =/

I hope I can control my anger more on T.  I have had rage issues since adolescence. Major violent, destructive rage. Although I'm not on T yet, just presenting as male seems to have calmed me down considerably.  Like I should be raging now, because a "friend" of mine has been ->-bleeped-<- talking me but I feel oddly detached.

As for breasts. I have a complicated relationship with mine.  I know they are nice.  They are great, perfect tits.  Good size, good shape.   People have even said as much.  They're just not mine.  I would love to see them/touch them on someone else.

Since binding, I find myself looking at girls tits A LOT more. Yup.

I hope you guys don't mind an MtF butting in here, but I have just been reading through all of your posts and have to say that I can relate a whole lot better to you guys and what you feel, than I can relate to the OP. I personally don't think, Breastquest, you will really find the specific answers you are looking for in either the FtM or MtF camps. It sounds to me more that you are not dysphoric, since there was no mention of you disliking any part of being a man. For the rest of us, being what we know we are (in our mind) and what see in the mirror and feel in our clothes, etc is completely wrong.

We MtFs may have it slightly easier in some respects than the guys here do, at least we can wear breast forms and tuck the dangly bits out of the and they are stuck with their "chesticles" (BTW I love that term) which really hinder their ability to pass or even feel like the men they are supposed to be. For me, I could not comprehend wanting to remain a man and have breasts. There are so many potential social problems and prejudices that would be associated with it. That and they are permanent.

Any how, I would suggest that as has been suggested, maybe checking out the non-op section, or ->-bleeped-<-/crossdresser sections, or even the androgynes. There are many flavors of transgender throughout this site and some 4000+ opinions and feelings on the subject. If you are not dysphoric, I would not expect to get a satisfying opinion from anyone who is.

I wish you the best of luck in finding what is comfortable for you and wish you much happiness. In the end that is what we each want - just in different forms.

I return you now to your regularly scheduled discussions.

Deanna

Quote from: Deanna_Renee on May 06, 2010, 05:30:12 PMAny how, I would suggest that as has been suggested, maybe checking out the non-op section, or ->-bleeped-<-/crossdresser sections, or even the androgynes. There are many flavors of transgender throughout this site and some 4000+ opinions and feelings on the subject. If you are not dysphoric, I would not expect to get a satisfying opinion from anyone who is.

Good advice. Certainly much better than mine. Thanks, Deanna.

I can see that the original poster is trying to weigh his options in some way, get a better idea of what life might be like afterward. But I truly feel that most or even all FTM perspectives will be amplified and distorted in such a way that they won't be of much use. Of course, it's up to the poster to decide that. Comments, Breastquest? I wasn't trying to tell you to buzz off, and I don't think most others here were, either. I hope you didn't get that impression. But I would like to know if you got anything useful out of this thread.

Deanna touched on it quite nicely. I do think there are places where breastquest could find a more productive outlook on what he seeks. Also I came across an interesting buck angel video a day ago, in which he said a cisgendered man, wrote him a letter saying that he'd always felt like a man who was meant to have a vagina, and leave the rest as he was and live as male. While I initally balked at the romoval of his jr. parts it made me think of this thread. I also think though that like most ftm's the man who traded parts below the waist would have a conciderably easier time going about his day to day life undetected.

If it's true that a part of our brains is devoted to a "body map," then I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some men feel that they want traditionally female parts and vice versa. This could also explain why some trans men don't crave bottom surgery.

Quote from: Arch on May 07, 2010, 12:07:16 AM
If it's true that a part of our brains is devoted to a "body map," then I wouldn't be surprised to hear that some men feel that they want traditionally female parts and vice versa. This could also explain why some trans men don't crave bottom surgery.

True.

I keep reaching in the night for something that isn't there tho. I will probably go for it when I can afford it. I debate on what exactly tho.

I understand this completely; I'm doing the exact same thing, and it has been worsening as of late.  I try not to think about it because it is incredibly demeaning and crippling.

As for the chesticles, which is a term I love, I find them quite obnoxious to live with.  I am only a B luckily, so they don't get in the way of most things... However, I have always felt that my clothes fit me "wrongly".  I'll contribute to the idea that the FTM section of the site is not the place to get what the OP is looking for, however.

Quote from: LordKAT on May 07, 2010, 04:36:59 AM
True.

I keep reaching in the night for something that isn't there tho. I will probably go for it when I can afford it. I debate on what exactly tho.

I always said i'd never consider phallo as it is at the moment. Now however its becoming strangely appealing.

I find it truly annoying that I think its there and have to consciously recall that it is not. This happens during the day too but seems the worst in those early waking moments. I used to be afraid to sleep knowing what waking would bring. That awful feeling of being deformed. I often felt that it must have been cut off because of how much I feel it there and its not. This is depressing.

I appreciate all of the posts here, I really do. And in a way I did find some of what I was looking for. You see, if I were to ask a MTF about having breasts, most of it would be sugar coated by their admiration of their own breasts, which would really mean the "pros". I needed to hear the "cons" of having breasts and this really turned out to be a great source for the "cons".
I never intended any disrespect, you guys are sorting out your lives here and I am an outsider. BUT, I leave this FTM forum with more than I came with and a better understanding of how you feel.
It seems, strange as it is, that the things that you guys dislike or hate about breasts are the things that make me want them. Keep in mind that I am 42 years old, I've had all the kids I'm going to have and I have a wife that loves me. I can tell ya, sex with four soft breasts between you is an awesome thing for me.
I will take with me all of the opinions here about breasts and certainly remember these words whenever I have some sort of breast related difficulty, which I'm sure will happen sooner or later. Also, your input will assist me in keeping my breast size modest (never really wanted D's lol).
I would like to leave an old Cajun saying with you. Anyone here know what Boudreaux's Law is?

Boudreaux thought Murphy was an optimist. (I really live by this law lol)

Getting "cons" from those who don't want their breasts is good, getting the "pros" of those who do want breasts is all good, but your real questions is, How ackward is it to have breasts as a genetic man?

In other words, will this cause issues for you at the gym (especially in the shower), at the beach (walking around in your speedo with breasts), at work (all the other men looking at you and wondering), etc.

This isn't to put you down, but just things to think on.

Sarah L.

I've given this a great deal of thought. I don't spend much time at the beach, if i do I keep my shirt on. I don't go to the gym.
I have a pretty large frame so i found that concealing them isn't that hard. I enjoy my breasts, knowing that they are there all the time, even when they ache or hurt. This is for me to enjoy, I did this only for me. I think that the breast is one of natures finest creations and as a man I feel cheated or short changed by not having them from birth. My little sister mentioned to my wife that she wants to get a BA. I cringed! So I asked my wife, "how do I pass on what I know to her", Breast enlargement that is. It works for gg's too. I am thinking about "coming out" to my sister just so I can show her what I have learned about breast enlargement, hoping to prevent her from getting implants. What does she have to lose? Besides, she's tiny and it wouldn't take much in the way of enlargement to make her look and feel better about herself.

What worked for you, may not work for her.

You are correct. What works for me will not work for her. However, there are ways for gg's to enlarge as well.