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Welcome, Jennifer.  How lucky for you that you have an understanding spouse.  It is always helpful to have a companion as you go through this process of self-discovery.  Good luck to both of you!

BTW, I started transition in my 60s, so 51 should be a piece of cake.

- Kate

Jenny:

Welcome.  Kate is right.  It's great that you have an understanding spouse.  You will find several similar souls here.  I did not start seeing a gender counselor until age 53 and did not start hormone therapy until age 54.  True, you are starting late like several of us here.  It will still be very much worth it to if transition is what you want to do.  Glad you're here.

Quote from: Jennifer Smith on August 27, 2010, 08:10:13 PM
Did you also know your whole life as I did?

I knew since age 4 but managed to suppress it.  I figured I was just a cross-dresser, or a gay man unfortunately attracted only to women, or something else I couldn't define.  It's wonderful when you finally figure out what's going on.

- Kate

Hi Jennifer,

I began transition 2 years ago, at 54.  I have been in RLE for the last 2 years.   Like many I have know something was wrong when I was very young.  I kept it buried for many, many years.

It is a great thing that your wife is so understanding.  Mine kicked me out and we divorced.

Someone told me that 1/3 maintain their previous attraction, 1/3 switch, and 1/3 are asexual.  I don't know if that is true.

I had wished to be attracted to men, figuring it would be easier to be a gay man than a transwoman, but I never ran into Mr. Right or even Mr. OK.  I was always attracted to women.  A few months running on the right fuel (estrogen), however, and I no longer had any sexual attraciton to women and began finding men interesting.  Many on this site have not switched, but for some reason I have.  I haven't ever had sex with a man, but I'm hoping that somewhere along the line I will have the opportunity.

So who knows?  I don't know that there is any way to tell how you will react until you take the hormones.

- Kate