<edited to compile updates in first post for easy reading!>

*****2 Month HRT Update*****
So, I'm officially at the 2 month mark on HRT, and knowing how curious I was about development before I started, I thought I would do my part and share.

First off, I am in the mid 30's minority. I had no idea what to realistically expect as it seems to be such an in between age compared to most transitioners, and as we all know YMMV.

The biggest and most immediate change was mood and personality - all positive. Of course, some of this is just general "I'm doing it!" happies, but according to my wife and friends, there has been a distinct and noticeable change. The whole male ego and testosterone fueled grrr's seems to have just disappeared.  I can't say that I'm more emotional, as I was always fairly feeling in that respect, but I do seem less likely to hide it. My wife and I never really fight fight, but like any married couple we do bicker occasionally. This has not happened even once since I've been on HRT. In fact she has joked that all wives should have their husbands on HRT, as it makes for a happier home! Speaking of happier, I also no longer seem to get depressed and moody (or is that broody?) as easily... in fact not at all in the last 2 months which is like a new record for me!

All in all the best way to describe the emotional changes would be to say that I am happier in every way, and by extension so are the people around me. In fact, my wife and I are closer than ever, and feel like we're in the honeymoon stage all over again!

Physically I haven't noticed much. The biggest is breast growth. I lost and subsequently put back on about 10 pounds since starting HRT, and all of it seemed to go to my breasts! Of course this is more fat distribution than actual breast growth, but I've also had nipple bumps since about my second week, which struck me as early. They've grown slightly as well, although there has been no change to the nipple as of yet. I also massage them as I've heard it is good for breast growth, and noticed that they are expressing a small amount of clear fluid. They are also very very tender... I walked into a doorway the other day (don't ask) and it hurt. A lot. 

There has apparently been some very subtle facial changes as well, which my wife pointed out a few days ago. Nothing obvious enough to put her finger on though... more skin tone/texture than facial structure. No change in body hair, although as I shave most of it that's hard to say. Head hair is less greasy, as is my skin in general.

As I wasn't expecting any noticeable changes in the first few months because of my age, I must say that I am quite happy with my progress.

No negatives I've noticed, although I haven't had my 3 month mark blood test yet.

On the personal side, I am a bit disappointed with myself for slacking on voice practice and weight loss, but life has been crazy hectic with things out of my control so I am not stressing about it. If I don't start focusing soon though, I will definitely be having words with myself.   

-Gwen



*****3 Month HRT Update*****
I just got back from my Endo appt, and as promised I'm providing an update!

First off, my blood test came back excellent! No danger signs, and Cholesterol and everything seems to be improving. For the curious, I'll provide my before and after hormone levels.

Testosterone: 8.4, now 1.8 (yippee!)
Estradiol 100, now 191
Prolactin 6.3, now 6.5

The only change to my prescription was my Spiro, and the doc doubled my dosage. I don't want to get in any trouble, so I won't mention specifics! Next appointment is in 4 months.

VERY VERY happy to have taken to HRT with no issues so far!
-Gwen



*****6 Month HRT Update*****
Where to begin?

First off I totally forgot to ask for a  copy of my bloodwork, so I am working by memory which is dangerous at the best of times

In regards to changes in the last few months there haven't been ANY. On the up side, it means that emotionally I've still been on a high, but physically everything just stopped. I feel like I've been in stasis for the last 3 months. Grrrr... and when I got my blood test results it became obvious why. My T skyrocketed back up to 6-point-something!!! I could tell for the last few months that there was an imbalance in the force, what with... well, let's just say it seemed obvious to me!

My endo is AWESOME and totally understood how upset I was about this news - although he did say he was more surprised that it had dropped so much initially, than with it being at the level it is now. Instead of jacking up my Spiro again, he decided (since my bloodwork has been consistently healthy?) to switch me over to cyproterone acetate (androcur) to see if I respond to it better. *fingers crossed* I've been googling it like mad, and most reviews (for HRT) are positive, but if anyone has an experience to add please do!

My E was up, but only marginally (low 200's I think?) so he's also increased my Estrogel dose by 50%.

All in all I'm really excited. I mean, I do feel bummed that the last few months were sort of wasted, but I'm focusing on looking forward to the next few months and hoping for some noticeable changes.
-Gwen



*****10 Month HRT Update*****
A small aside, but over the last few months I completed the Gender Journeys program at Sherbourne Health Centre, and met a lot of really wonderful people through it. Meeting other trans-people in the really real world is just amazing. So, with new friends, busy work and some (unrelated to my transition) health problems, real life has been distracting enough that I've only rarely popped on here, but I did want to keep up with my HRT updates for those that are interested.

When last I posted, I was recovering from the blahs after finding out that my T levels had gone back up almost to where they were before starting HRT. Changes were slow to nonexistant during that time period, and I generally felt that it was months wasted. As mentioned, my endo switched me to cypro because of this - just a small dose, but it worked wonders!

Physically I noticed an almost immediate decrease in libido, and, ummm, well, less ejaculate (eventually none) during orgasm. I've also had some serious breast development in just the last 3 months! I took this as a pretty good sign!

Emotionally, there was some adjustment until I realized that not taking it with food = bad. I mean, I always thought that when they say to take a medicine with food, it's usually because of some physical side effect - upset stomach perhaps. I just didn't expect turning in to an emotional whirlwind to be a side effect of taking this on an empty stomach, so it took a while to figure out what was happening! If I forgot to take it with food I turned either into a huge bitch, or a whiny cry baby. It was soooo much fun... not. But, now that I know not to take it on an empty stomach all is well, and my emotions are no longer crazy. Fairly comparable to when I was on Spiro which = happy happy!

I got my blood test results back, and aside from my sex hormones, my various other blood indicators have all improved greatly. Yeah! I am always terrified of having some kind of reaction that would make me have to stop HRT, and with the cypro being a new factor I was really worried so this was a huge relief. So, on to the results!

Testosterone is down to 0.6 nmol/L (Happy Dance!)
Prolactin is up to 30 ng/ml and the all important
Estradiol is up to 402 pmol/L

Huzzah! My endo said this is a really good place to be, and kept my prescription the same as it was with a check up in 4 months.
-G

Hi Gwen   

Thanks for sharing the info. I can also say that my biggest change has been to my mood and personality. Since getting rid of the nasty T, I seem to have lost my ability to get rude or cross. On the emotional side, mmm.........I do cry easier now than I used to. But, who cares! I'ts a womans prerogative, right?

I've developed okay in the breast department over the last 4 months on HRT. Between an A and B cup. Hopefully, the girls will continue with their development. And yes, oh wow, doorways really hurt!!! well, so do many other things that you tend to walk into. I had my dog jump on my chest last week while I was lying on the couch. OUCH!!! My nipples have increased in size as well.

My skin is also less greasy than before. I am very lucky that I do not have any body hair. I am sort of happy with my progress, but damn, can't it happen quicker? But then again, I've just turned 46, so I should be patient, right?

Anyway, enough rambling for now. I will give another update later.

Keep us posted with your progress.

Huggs

Maegan

I'm right behind you, Gwen, almost 2 months now, and experiencing very similar things.  "Some" breast growth, although I have maintained my weight pretty closely.  Nipple changes for sure - bumps, sensitivity, and they Stand At Attention quite a lot these days, lol.  Mood changes, definitely (much happier, calmer, more together, but that might have as much to do with my fulltime status).  Subtle facial changes also.  In late April, after being on HRT less than a month, I was visiting my parents and brother.  My brother mentioned "softening of the features" as one thing he had noticed.  Hmm!!  I don't really see it myself yet, personally, but apparently others do. 

Body hair:  Nothing yet.  No change.  I have LOTS, and I need to shave something pretty much every day.  VERY depressing.  Still waiting for changes to body hair. 

I'm nearing the 2 month mark as well.

I have a rather positive change in my mood. It is no longer depressive and since I don't have erections anymore, I feel better with my body. There have been a few facial changes, mostly it is softer as you girls pointed out.

Anyway, I was surprised by my breast growth. I'm on day 10 of my 2nd month and I need a bra already. It is not for support, but I noticed by nipples were protuding and I felt I needed to protect them. They would like brush agains't my shirt and it would hurt a bit, in addition, the breast tissue is very sensible and I certainly appreciate the padding.

Three months in. The shift from a low level rage to happy is remarkable. A Happy Androgyne.

Quote from: Maegan on May 19, 2011, 08:51:59 AM
Hi Gwen   

Thanks for sharing the info. I can also say that my biggest change has been to my mood and personality. Since getting rid of the nasty T, I seem to have lost my ability to get rude or cross. On the emotional side, mmm.........I do cry easier now than I used to. But, who cares! I'ts a womans prerogative, right?

I've developed okay in the breast department over the last 4 months on HRT. Between an A and B cup. Hopefully, the girls will continue with their development. And yes, oh wow, doorways really hurt!!! well, so do many other things that you tend to walk into. I had my dog jump on my chest last week while I was lying on the couch. OUCH!!! My nipples have increased in size as well.

My skin is also less greasy than before. I am very lucky that I do not have any body hair. I am sort of happy with my progress, but damn, can't it happen quicker? But then again, I've just turned 46, so I should be patient, right?

Anyway, enough rambling for now. I will give another update later.

Keep us posted with your progress.

Huggs

Maegan

Hi Maegan 

It sounds like we're having very similar experiences! No dog here, but we do have some very heavy cats that have performed the same maneuver.  

I should have an update in a week once I see my doc and get my blood test results. *fingers crossed* I'm a little stressed because if there's a problem and I have to go off of them I don't know what I'll do...

-Gwen

Quote from: Colleen Ireland on May 20, 2011, 05:50:37 AM
I'm right behind you, Gwen, almost 2 months now, and experiencing very similar things.  "Some" breast growth, although I have maintained my weight pretty closely.  Nipple changes for sure - bumps, sensitivity, and they Stand At Attention quite a lot these days, lol.  Mood changes, definitely (much happier, calmer, more together, but that might have as much to do with my fulltime status).  Subtle facial changes also.  In late April, after being on HRT less than a month, I was visiting my parents and brother.  My brother mentioned "softening of the features" as one thing he had noticed.  Hmm!!  I don't really see it myself yet, personally, but apparently others do. 

Body hair:  Nothing yet.  No change.  I have LOTS, and I need to shave something pretty much every day.  VERY depressing.  Still waiting for changes to body hair. 

Greetings Colleen!

Shaving     can't wait for laser on my body and Electrolysis on my face!

I've been lurking around long enough to read more than a few of your posts, and feel that I should have said 'Hi!' earlier. We GTA girls need to stick together!

-Gwen

*****3 Month HRT Update*****
I just got back from my Endo appt, and as promised I'm providing an update!

First off, my blood test came back excellent! No danger signs, and Cholesterol and everything seems to be improving. For the curious, I'll provide my before and after hormone levels.

Testosterone: 8.4, now 1.8 (yippee!)
Estradiol 100, now 191
Prolactin 6.3, now 6.5

The only change to my prescription was my Spiro, and the doc doubled my dosage. I don't want to get in any trouble, so I won't mention specifics! Next appointment is in 4 months.

VERY VERY happy to have taken to HRT with no issues so far!
-Gwen

i am in my 17th month of hrt, dr supervised and administered. stick to it! i can tell yu that there are certain tings that i know you are looking for in terms of changes and thats cool. You will see change. down the road, other things, things you werent looking for or expecting will jump out at you. just stay the course, take care of your body, dont do drugs, and,,,,,enjoy!!!

Quote from: Gwenhyvar on June 08, 2011, 02:18:10 PM
I just got back from my Endo appt, and as promised I'm providing an update!

First off, my blood test came back excellent! No danger signs, and Cholesterol and everything seems to be improving. For the curious, I'll provide my before and after hormone levels.

Testosterone: 8.4, now 1.8 (yippee!)
Estradiol 100, now 191
Prolactin 6.3, now 6.5

The only change to my prescription was my Spiro, and the doc doubled my dosage. I don't want to get in any trouble, so I won't mention specifics! Next appointment is in 4 months.

VERY VERY happy to have taken to HRT with no issues so far!
-Gwen

It would help if you include the unit those numbers correspond to. T is great. E is still quit low if it's in pmol/L, I think it's good if it's in pg/mL.

Good to see you up and about Kitty.

At 2 months I can echo all of the above changes.  I now actually like love myself, and the rest of the world too. Soooo much better than living in a world of grey porridge.

Nipples have grown, and areola seem to be a bit larger and ever so slightly conical.  I have trouble with heavy cats and doors too. (ouch!)

Some slight filling out of the face, but that may be subjective and imaginary.  My thighs are definitely filling out slowly, but still have the hips of a snake.  Some loss of upper abdo fat, and  very slight increase in lower.  The "Gentleman's Vegetables" have shrunk by about a third and seem softer too.

I have noticed a bit of head hair regrowth in areas that have been losing it.  I think that may just be ones that were on the verge of falling out, but have been saved at the last minute though. In the last couple of weeks body, arm and leg hair all seem to be getting sparser and finer.

I have my second Endo appointment in a fortnight so will update on level changes then.
Karen.

Hi Gwen.  Congrats!  I know what you mean by the soreness.  Ouch!  A friend hugged me yesterday and I pulled back quickly.  It hurt!  I'm having some darkening of the nipples which I like, I've lost 11 pounds in just over two months and my emotions are so different.  I'm calmer, kinder and so easygoing that it's sometimes scary.  There is no sex drive whatsoever and I'm happy with that.  I do cry easily but that's always been the case with me.     

Quote from: Gwenhyvar on May 17, 2011, 11:11:10 AM
So, I'm officially at the 2 month mark on HRT, and knowing how curious I was about development before I started, I thought I would do my part and share.

First off, I am in the mid 30's minority. I had no idea what to realistically expect as it seems to be such an in between age compared to most transitioners, and as we all know YMMV.

The biggest and most immediate change was mood and personality - all positive. Of course, some of this is just general "I'm doing it!" happies, but according to my wife and friends, there has been a distinct and noticeable change. The whole male ego and testosterone fueled grrr's seems to have just disappeared.  I can't say that I'm more emotional, as I was always fairly feeling in that respect, but I do seem less likely to hide it. My wife and I never really fight fight, but like any married couple we do bicker occasionally. This has not happened even once since I've been on HRT. In fact she has joked that all wives should have their husbands on HRT, as it makes for a happier home! Speaking of happier, I also no longer seem to get depressed and moody (or is that broody?) as easily... in fact not at all in the last 2 months which is like a new record for me!

All in all the best way to describe the emotional changes would be to say that I am happier in every way, and by extension so are the people around me. In fact, my wife and I are closer than ever, and feel like we're in the honeymoon stage all over again!

Physically I haven't noticed much. The biggest is breast growth. I lost and subsequently put back on about 10 pounds since starting HRT, and all of it seemed to go to my breasts! Of course this is more fat distribution than actual breast growth, but I've also had nipple bumps since about my second week, which struck me as early. They've grown slightly as well, although there has been no change to the nipple as of yet. I also massage them as I've heard it is good for breast growth, and noticed that they are expressing a small amount of clear fluid. They are also very very tender... I walked into a doorway the other day (don't ask) and it hurt. A lot. 

There has apparently been some very subtle facial changes as well, which my wife pointed out a few days ago. Nothing obvious enough to put her finger on though... more skin tone/texture than facial structure. No change in body hair, although as I shave most of it that's hard to say. Head hair is less greasy, as is my skin in general.

As I wasn't expecting any noticeable changes in the first few months because of my age, I must say that I am quite happy with my progress.

No negatives I've noticed, although I haven't had my 3 month mark blood test yet.

On the personal side, I am a bit disappointed with myself for slacking on voice practice and weight loss, but life has been crazy hectic with things out of my control so I am not stressing about it. If I don't start focusing soon though, I will definitely be having words with myself.   

-Gwen

hi gwen thanks for sharing! i guess you are luckier than i did in terms of emotional changes, i had such bad mood swings after 2 mths of hrt that my hormone regimen had to be adjusted fairly drastically

I'm curious to see further results. Please keep us updated.

<also putting this in sequence so responses make sense and people can tell when the updates were actually posted!>

*****6 Month HRT Update*****
Where to begin?

First off I totally forgot to ask for a  copy of my bloodwork, so I am working by memory which is dangerous at the best of times

In regards to changes in the last few months there haven't been ANY. On the up side, it means that emotionally I've still been on a high, but physically everything just stopped. I feel like I've been in stasis for the last 3 months. Grrrr... and when I got my blood test results it became obvious why. My T skyrocketed back up to 6-point-something!!! I could tell for the last few months that there was an imbalance in the force, what with... well, let's just say it seemed obvious to me!

My endo is AWESOME and totally understood how upset I was about this news - although he did say he was more surprised that it had dropped so much initially, than with it being at the level it is now. Instead of jacking up my Spiro again, he decided (since my bloodwork has been consistently healthy?) to switch me over to cyproterone acetate (androcur) to see if I respond to it better. *fingers crossed* I've been googling it like mad, and most reviews (for HRT) are positive, but if anyone has an experience to add please do!

My E was up, but only marginally (low 200's I think?) so he's also increased my Estrogel dose by 50%.

All in all I'm really excited. I mean, I do feel bummed that the last few months were sort of wasted, but I'm focusing on looking forward to the next few months and hoping for some noticeable changes.
-Gwen

*****10 Month HRT Update*****

OK, where to begin?

A small aside, but over the last few months I completed the Gender Journeys program at Sherbourne Health Centre, and met a lot of really wonderful people through it. Meeting other trans-people in the really real world is just amazing. So, with new friends, busy work and some (unrelated to my transition) health problems, real life has been distracting enough that I've only rarely popped on here, but I did want to keep up with my HRT updates for those that are interested.

When last I posted, I was recovering from the blahs after finding out that my T levels had gone back up almost to where they were before starting HRT. Changes were slow to nonexistant during that time period, and I generally felt that it was months wasted. As mentioned, my endo switched me to cypro because of this - just a small dose, but it worked wonders!

Physically I noticed an almost immediate decrease in libido, and, ummm, well, less ejaculate (eventually none) during orgasm. I've also had some serious breast development in just the last 3 months! I took this as a pretty good sign!

Emotionally, there was some adjustment until I realized that not taking it with food = bad. I mean, I always thought that when they say to take a medicine with food, it's usually because of some physical side effect - upset stomach perhaps. I just didn't expect turning in to an emotional whirlwind to be a side effect of taking this on an empty stomach, so it took a while to figure out what was happening! If I forgot to take it with food I turned either into a huge bitch, or a whiny cry baby. It was soooo much fun... not. But, now that I know not to take it on an empty stomach all is well, and my emotions are no longer crazy. Fairly comparable to when I was on Spiro which = happy happy!

I got my blood test results back, and aside from my sex hormones, my various other blood indicators have all improved greatly. Yeah! I am always terrified of having some kind of reaction that would make me have to stop HRT, and with the cypro being a new factor I was really worried so this was a huge relief. So, on to the results!

Testosterone is down to 0.6 nmol/L (Happy Dance!)
Prolactin is up to 30 ng/ml and the all important
Estradiol is up to 402 pmol/L

Huzzah! My endo said this is a really good place to be, and kept my prescription the same as it was with a check up in 4 months.
-G