I am thinking about starting HRT (MtF)... and as all of us at that time... I guess I have more dreams and doubts than facts...

Every person is a mix of tons of tiny cells surrounded by many things, including hormones, so each person has had a different development, and have seen different things happening to their bodies in different orders.

If you care to share with us, I would love to hear your stories.

I am curious about what came first... skin softness, less oily, fat redistribution, breast development... I am sure the last thing was loss of muscular mass... but maybe I will be surprised!!!

Also... I've read many times that breast development is genetic, so kind of if in your family your sisters/mother had small breasts, you will develop small breasts... I am curious if you have seen the same relationship... maybe they had low levels of estrogen, and they didn't develop as much as they "genetically" could...

Looking forward to your comments!!!

I won't say too much as it's not personal experience I'm talking about, but from what I have read, the changes that seem to arrive first are the loss of erections and arousal, and the psychological changes. But it's just my interpretation.

uhm...
I am kind of surprised that the first thing you both mention is related to libido and erections... I am assuming that is due mainly to the anti-androgens like Spiro... not because of the estrogens alone...
or am I wrong?

by your comments... I also think that maybe I have not chosen the best time to start HRT... winter in Colorado can be quite cold!!! I better make sure I have a few layers of clothes, and something that is not going to rub my breasts much!!!

I am looking forward to complexion changes... I don't know how my complexion will change over time (I mean, how much or how less), but I am looking forward to it!!!

so many things to discover...

Thanks for your comments!!

Ok... let's me comment on my last comment...

estrogen alone, will not probably reduce the ability to have an erection... that might be caused by lower levels of testoterone... and if I got it right...
- anti androgens will get that effect (directly)
- and to some extent, estrogens also have an indirect effect on the testosterone productions levels...

so both can cause it...

although I have also read that the ability itself might as well be influenced by your mind...

just doing some more research... any comments will be appreciated!!!

I am a week in from starting HRT.   

Within a day, I found myself tearing up at slightly mushy shows.  That never happened. I also randomly would cry at happy things. I think the estrogen makes me more receptive to emotions I used to resist.

A few days later, I had a minor ache in my books and now the nipples are a little red and puffy.

Due to the spiro, I have not had morning wood in a week.  I sort of like that a lot.  It still works, but not the same as a week ago.

I started Sept. 9th.

Honestly, I was just so happy to start! My wife kept telling me that I have never smiled so much (this was the first week). There were times when I felt super euphoric. I'm not sure if I believe it was the hormones.  I feel it was simply starting on my journey that I was so happy about.
A month and a few days have passed since I started.

HAIR
  I'm already not having to shave daily. My leg hair seems to being growing even slower. Same on my arm pit hair. I have gained a few pounds (3lbs). My skin is just barely starting to thin and feel soft.
The hair on my head is filling in areas it wasn't growing and also getting a wee bit thicker.
My pubic hair is much softer and my belly is the same.  My Chest is still thick in texure.

MENTALLY

I have been a little airheaded lately. I'm not sure if it's the Femones or me. I do have some ADD (I quit taking Ritalin recently).
I feel closer to my wife.  We seem to connect even more than usual. The first weeks were fine and happy while the past few weeks have been flooded with thoughts of |"Am I going to pass well enough?", "Will I be pretty?", "Why am I so vain?---I should just be happy that I started", "I want to feel more woman" etc, etc.   
Then I am also dealing with the fact that I can't really look at myself in the mirror that much.  My Dysphoria is pretty bad.  I feel like I'll never get there (and these are feellings I never had before).  There are times when I even feel embarrassed by my body when I am making love to my wife. At the same time I feel like I am suffocating in the body I have and not being able to go out as "Myself" is driving me a little crazy.  Deep down inside I know it's just me and that at least I have started.
So as you can see, It's been mentally a little weird.  ;P

SEXUALLY

I can still orgasm without any issues. I'm not really watching that much porn anymore. NOT that I was watching a lot. What was occasional use is now feeling kinda "eh".
I don't feel sexy in bed. I have to really get in the mood. But once I let go, I'm fine. It's just getting to that point.

Relationships

My wife and I have never been closer.

I feel closer to some of my friends. In particular to my girl friends.  I'm talking more than usual to some of them. especially, now that I am out to them. Admitedly, it does make me feel more like a woman when they are sharing their thoughts with me.

My guy friends are still there, but not as close anymore. I don't think it's because of them or even me. I think we just have less to chat about certain things. They still keep up with me and make an effort.

That's all I can think of write now.

In general, I just want the femones to change me yesterday.

What were my first changes?
After 3 hours I needed to pee more. ALOT more.

12 hours after that I noticed how I was feeling fuzzy headed like my brain was wrapped up in cotton wool. I also noticed my eyes hurt.

It was the following day I was walking to the supermarket and a man walked past me... I could smell him Much more than I could before... I smelled myself and I smelled male too and I could really notice it.

As I shopped I noticed a slight tingling sensation behind my nipples I also noticed how cold I felt... I found later on I got nice sensation from my nipples. The day after that I'd noticed I hadn't felt horny in the past 3 days. Whitch was unusual.

My skin softend after a few weeks that was when my hair also became less greasy and my skin less spotty. I felt it when I rubbed my toes together and noticed how soft they were.
I noticed the hair thing as I was walking around and thought Ooh I'm having a good hair day(They only happened once a year before) When was the last time I washed it I thought... then I realized I'd not washed it for 3 days and I'd missed a day of washing it... (FYI my hair used to get dirty after 12 hours and slick with grease after 38) What I was saying based on my previous hair behaviour was simply IMPOSSIBLE.

This thread is great because I am able to compare a few things too. I'm always wondering if I am "blossoming" the same as others do. I seem to be heading in the right direction. I have my next appointment with the Doc in another week or so.

The very first noticeable change was that my nipples became very painful and my breasts started to grow.

Very soon after that my skin turned from oily to dry and now I have to moisturize more.

And then I noticed that I had become somehow more emotional. I would start crying because of a sad song or a movie, which I had never done before.

Those are the first actual changes I noticed.

And I must add that now after many years of HRT my "parts" are still fully functional.

It sure is a great thread. For me it's for dreaming purposes, though.

I'm currently not on anti-androgens at the moment and a fairly low does of E. The first thing I noticed was a feeling of calmness, I then started noticing my skin was more sensitive and my pips started to get tender. My libido has changed, but not gone away...but it's very different to the male libido, I am in a relationship with a girl so that probably has a lot to do with it. after a couple of months I developed a ball behind my pips and started to develop boobs...I'm currently about an a cup now and when I'm lying down i do have two small mounds on my chest, not huge, but there. I've got used to what I'm eloquently terming "nipple ping" which is when i get cold, i feel like i have two small bullets attached to my chest 

The really interesting one for me has related to my libido and my experiences of sex, I've been seeing someone since I started hormones and the whole experience has changed quite a lot. obviously being in a relationship with someone who sees me as female plays a big part in things, but I find the whole experience a lot more intimate than i did. Having an orgasm without going anywhere near the boy bits is pretty magical and finding that suddenly your entire body is sensitive is fantastic.

Only testosterone blockers were used for about three months before starting E.

A decrease in sex drive was noticed first. There wasn't any loss in the ability to get erections, and spontaneous ones were never an issue anyway.

Very minimal loss in body hair with just the blockers, on the area around the belly button.

Psychologically, it's strange to explain, but music became easier to listen to. Felt like less of an emotional zombie, also.

Right after E, sex drive almost seemed to increase (but nothing like it was with testosterone running rampant, not even close).

Arm pit hair became thinner and slower growing. Can't say much about its texture because it got shaved off.

Nipples became harder and larger.

Psychologically, feelings became much easier and stronger to experience. They are harder to control. There is now a real appreciation for how hormones play a role in our mental state of being. There's a reason men in prison have high testosterone and women appear "moody" during times that their hormones are fluctuating.  There should be less judgment and more empathy for people with hormonally driven behavioral issues. Sadly, most people will not experience anything outside of their single hormonal experience, and since they are acclimated to it, do not understand that others could be in hormonal states much hotter or colder than their own. If there is one thing to be gained from a trans experience, it is empathy that we would not have otherwise developed.

   My hair isn't quite as thick as before.
   I pee a lot.
   Nipples are tender and sore.
   I pee a lot.
   A bit calmer about the a@#holes I work with.
   I pee a lot.
   Nipples sore.
   I pee a lot.
   Breast growth a little.
   I pee a lot.
   Waiting for skin tone to change (hopefully).
   Waiting for hips and butt too.
   Oh ya! did I mention I pee a lot.
   Even right after I pee I need to pee again.

the first thing i noticed change was my loss of morning erections, clearer skin (as i had very oily spot prone skin before) and i noticed i had a breast nodule. i noticed all of this all aftr one month

wow!!!

I think those are great experiences... and I hope to be able to share mine soon too.

I don't know if it happens to you... but I am equally excited to see the physical effects ad the psychological effects...

Of course I want to see myself as a girl/woman when I look at myself in the mirror... but I also want to be able to feel completely as a woman... not having to fight my testosterone levels in my brain and my body.

I will look forward to my skin to get softer and a little bit more dry... specially in my face... also for my body hair to grow slower, and thinner (I shave almost everyday, and I want to start laser too)...

Also want to be able to think more like my girl friends... sometimes I think I get it... some other times... I miss the point completely!!!

Also... I have been paying attention to my body much more... right before starting hormones...

All the thoughts we have about... is this leg ache because of the treatment? Is my hear aching because of it? is this or that... after I shave... was this normal? How was the feeling of my skin with body milk? Was this soft, was not? When I go to the gym, is this aching, can I feel this or that?...

I don't want to become paranoid and think that everything is due to the hormones... there are a lot of things going on already without them...

I think it is a good exercise... at least it keeps my mind busy while I wait to start the treatment...

Breast buds within 3 weeks. My mom and sister both large breasted woman. Was on spiro for about a month and was losing my ability to have erections. DC the spiro and within two weeks while continuing  taking my estrogen, my erections came back.
Jo

well... on my 4th day with low dose of E and no dose of antiT...

I fell more relaxed, but I am not sure if that is because I decided to make an effort at not being stressed... drive more calmly, don't take work too seriously, feel nice, relaxed, smooth... smile more, breathe more normally... I guess E might be helping a little bit.

No physical changes yet, no libido changes either.

However... the first night, I slept like a baby... the second and third, no matter when I go to bed, at about 2am I simply wake up! my eyes full open, and not really sleepy any more!. I just lay in bed, breathe normally, and relax myself, and more or less I get some more sleep from 2 till 6 or so... I keep opening my eyes every 30 mins or so...

Don't know if that is the body adjusting to the E... or simply that I am excited about the future changes...

...

Will keep updating as the process moves forward...

Best!!

Anna

Quote from: A on November 03, 2010, 05:46:09 PM
I won't say too much as it's not personal experience I'm talking about, but from what I have read, the changes that seem to arrive first are the loss of erections and arousal, and the psychological changes. But it's just my interpretation.

That was pretty much my experience, and slowing of hair growth and patterns.  The first changes I remember blatently noticing were my nipples.  I still laugh that I remember looking at them in the shower and thinking they looked like two hershey's kisses.

Quote from: Dyan on November 07, 2010, 10:00:58 AM
   My hair isn't quite as thick as before.
   I pee a lot.
   Nipples are tender and sore.
   I pee a lot.
   A bit calmer about the a@#holes I work with.
   I pee a lot.
   Nipples sore.
   I pee a lot.
   Breast growth a little.
   I pee a lot.
   Waiting for skin tone to change (hopefully).
   Waiting for hips and butt too.
   Oh ya! did I mention I pee a lot.
   Even right after I pee I need to pee again.

You make it sound like you're breaking the seal (going every 15 minutes or less) off of spiro O_o

That's almost frightening, to be honest. To have to visit the bathroom like..15 times a day? Jeez.

Quote from: Aidan_ on November 18, 2010, 03:30:54 PM
You make it sound like you're breaking the seal (going every 15 minutes or less) off of spiro O_o

That's almost frightening, to be honest. To have to visit the bathroom like..15 times a day? Jeez.

I forgot about the peeing...even thinking about peeing made me have to go.