Argh! I'm at that stage where I'm going back and forth about hormones. I can't make up my mind and its largely due to all the negative things people post about taking them! Also I really don't want to lose my penile function, mostly because I don't know how to sexually function without it! I know for a lot of trans woman its somewhat "taboo" to feel a connection to it, but I'm just not ready for all the effects of the hormones to take place somebody help!

My own way of thinking about this (don't know whether it is helpful or not) was that you never know until you try. If you don't like what hormones do, you can always stop. Just knowing that i would have a nice pair of breasts and a shapely butt made me never forget to take the pills. 

I know quite a few people who didn't lose their penile function from hormones, it depends on what you take and how much. I lost mine for ages but I chose to take something that i knew would make that happen. I was kind of surprised that I still managed to get an erection last week!   

I don't care much for my own penis, but I know plenty of trans women who do, I wouldn't say there's a taboo about it, some people like 'em and some don't. 

Hi aniya,

Can be a frustrating time of life, can't it. The best way to resolve the dilemma would be to talk to your therapist and Endocrinologist who should be able to get to the bottom of the issue.

Remember, at your age, there's no rush to get into HRT. The more time you think about the long term implications the better the outcome.

Be safe, well and happy
Lotsa huggs
Catherine

Let me start by saying I have no love for my penis, but I don't hate it either - it's just there.. I started hormones for several reasons: to see if they would bring the peace of mind that I so needed and to help me get a body that matched who I knew myself to be, those are the main ones, anyway.

I got the first of those. And the second is still a work in progress, but I'm fairly happy with the results so far. Which brings me to the point of this post: my penis still functions. It's not quite the same and I do have to be in the 'right mood', but it does still work - even when my T level got down to zero it still worked.

Honestly, I think for most it's an issue of the mind, rather than an issue caused by hormones.

I have been on HRT for two years or so and function is still there.  Just takes a little more time.  In fact the pleasure has increased and feels quite different.  Breasts have become a very important part of it.
Tanya

Quote from: aniya on July 10, 2012, 05:28:30 AM
Argh! I'm at that stage where I'm going back and forth about hormones. I can't make up my mind and its largely due to all the negative things people post about taking them! Also I really don't want to lose my penile function, mostly because I don't know how to sexually function without it! I know for a lot of trans woman its somewhat "taboo" to feel a connection to it, but I'm just not ready for all the effects of the hormones to take place somebody help!

Why do you want to take hormones to begin with?  What do you really want to do?

me too and im worried that at 25 its too late/ pointless to start

im just hoping if my muscle mass goes away my monster shoulders end up looking narrower , but i had a big head and nothing can be done about that

Quote from: mementomori on July 10, 2012, 05:41:10 PM
i had a big head and nothing can be done about that

You can try being more humble 

lol that should read " but i have a big head "

Quote from: mementomori on July 10, 2012, 07:11:50 PM
lol that should read " but i have a big head "

Are you tall? Head size does have a correlation to body size. Although I am one of the outliers being 5'9", but I have a 24.8 inch head circumference (I usually have to go to specialty stores for hats). A big head is nowhere near as difficult as big hands or big feet to mask, you just need to choose a hairstyle carefully.

Quote from: silentone on July 10, 2012, 08:20:47 PM
Are you tall? Head size does have a correlation to body size. Although I am one of the outliers being 5'9", but I have a 24.8 inch head circumference (I usually have to go to specialty stores for hats). A big head is nowhere near as difficult as big hands or big feet to mask, you just need to choose a hairstyle carefully.

im 6 foot unlike a lot of the people im on this forum , i like my height/ being tall   i have big feet i guess size 11 but my hands are small for my height

It's natural to feel nervous about anything making changes to your body which may be potentially permanent.

Talk to your Doctor and endo - you can simply start on low dose and see how you feel about the effects and adjust accordingly - at least you'll have some form of answer for yourself that way.

Quote from: mementomori on July 10, 2012, 05:27:49 PM
me too and im worried that at 25 its too late/ pointless to start

Oh way too old

I'm 60. Working for me

If you live in the U.K you are only legally allowed to go on hormones if you are completely sure it's right for you. You will also need to have full clarification from a specialist psychiatrist and prove you intend to live full time in your new gender role before they will let you start HRT.

In America it looks like these laws are far more relaxed but if you are not sure and don't like the effects hormones might make to your libido and sexual orientation I don't think you should be taking them.

Quote from: Naturally Blonde on July 11, 2012, 05:04:16 AM
If you live in the U.K you are only legally allowed to go on hormones if you are completely sure it's right for you. You will also need to have full clarification from a specialist psychiatrist and prove you intend to live full time in your new gender role before they will let you start HRT.

In America it looks like these laws are far more relaxed but if you are not sure and don't like the effects hormones might make to your libido and sexual orientation I don't think you should be taking them.

I didn't do that. I went to see the specialist at Charing Cross and told him I would rather get prescribed than buy on the black market  and was given hormones without Fulltime. I had to have an appointment with my wife to make sure she was ok with it.

I took them for fifteen years and sexual function only gradually disappeared. After that I stopped and now eight years later it's almost back to pre hormone function

Quote from: sandrauk on July 11, 2012, 09:58:27 AM
I didn't do that. I went to see the specialist at Charing Cross and told him I would rather get prescribed than buy on the black market  and was given hormones without Fulltime. I had to have an appointment with my wife to make sure she was ok with it.

I took them for fifteen years and sexual function only gradually disappeared. After that I stopped and now eight years later it's almost back to pre hormone function

You have been very lucky! I was at the NHS Charing Cross GIC from 2001 to 2003 and after nearly two years of attending their clinic they wouldn't put me on prescription hormones so I had to go private to start on prescription hormones and at that time I was already full time. I've also never had a wife or anything like that.

Your right sexual function isn't affected that much by HRT but can be affected more by anti androgens. Even after more than a decade my equipment still works too well which is quite upsetting for me personally as I hate the thingy.

Hi Aniya,
    For me HRT was an absolute blessing.  The Depression that undiagnosed GID had caused me to suffer ceased within a few days, and I found a whole new level of emotional sensitivity I never knew I had.  I am now well on the way to a body that is congruent broadly with what my mind says should be there, and I just basically love being a girl.
 
  Regarding sexual disfunction, after a short term thing with a non-op transgirl, I found to my pleasant surprise that we both performed completely satisfactorily on a number of occassions.      Actually, although I would rather be without mine, if I was forced to be non-op I would just get a prescription for Cialis and go for it! Therre is a lot more to sex than penetration though, in fact I have found a number that are actually a lot more fun, and they don't end quickly either.

Karen.

I am also a bit concerned about losing penile function once I start HRT (yes, I like to use it), but in my experience dating trans women many on HRT still function- My partner (a pre-everything trans man) dated trans women on HRT before me and they never had issues with being unable to have penetrative sex.

If losing penile function would seriously keep you from taking HRT then tbh maybe you need to reassess what transitioning means to you... it's kind of a serious step to take if you don't feel very strongly about it.