do many people do this and make it work? i know holly woodlawn has lived her life as a woman for all accounts but only took hormones briefly then went off them 

Hormones keep bones strong. Kinda important.

i meant without artificial hormones just the ones your body is producing

I've never heard of it. If it happens then it's an extreme rarity. Why would one want to take this approach, apart for medical reasons? You'd be making life 100x more difficult. Unless, of course, those natural hormones are within female range.

Quote from: mementomori on July 29, 2012, 02:00:40 AM
do many people do this and make it work? i know holly woodlawn has lived her life as a woman for all accounts but only took hormones briefly then went off them

It is possible....I've known 2 full time 'TV's' who lived and worked as women for decades while not being on hormones...both had FFS without hormones but both developed and turned into post op MTF after 20 years or so...

Both had 'non freaky' FFS while not being on hormones which means: no eyebrow'lift', no (overstuffed) cheekimplants, no (overstuffed) lipaugmentation.

Just forehead, jaw, chin and nosework.

Made them look very natural, btw, while not being on HRT. Especially since they had beard/bodyhair removal over the years.

So, yes, it is possible, also to remain living as a man because their FFS made their faces look softer and younger as a 'man'

Quote from: mementomori on July 29, 2012, 04:19:37 AM
well becuase i like getting erections , and have never hated my male parts , i dont feel mentally male or female but i feel closer to female and i dont want to look mauscline ever or live as a " man" id be happy living life like someone like andrej pejic  , basicly in the middle between " male" and " female " but i feel thats hard to maintain as you age so ill probably be forced into taking hormones anyway

I've never had a functional problem in that department after many years of HRT. My T levels are lower than most genetic women. For me, I interpret "making it work" as being completely stealth. "Making it work" will have a different meaning to everyone. If I wasn't on HRT, I'd be as bald as a cue ball. I'd have male fat distribution. My skin would look much, much older. I'd be more aggressive and less emotional. I'd think about sex every 3.5 seconds. Personally, I could not make that work for me. It would be purgatory.

i rarely ever think about sex :p  ive lived as a androgynous person  for a long time now never a ' man"  although now i feel androgyny isnt enough and i just want to be ' feminine " but i do wonder if starting hormones at 25 would even be worth it now i mean its not going to change my bones etc to make me smaller

How about FT without HRT or any surgery? I was FT 24/7 for 3 years prior to starting HRT, and to this day I have not had any surgery. Yes, I'm one of the few that pass without extra help, but "we" are not as rare as some may think.

As for the why... do you have a few hours? Suffice it to say, it felt right and made me happy. In a nutshell. Difficult? Well again some would say getting up every day and presenting as a male when you clearly do not identify as one... or look much like one is even more so. It depends on your perspective I suppose.

BTW: 25 is not too late to start. No by a long shot.

is there a certain reason you are hesitant to take hormones? i would think about that. how you transition is ultimately your decision. most people just start out thinking they don't want to go the full way for whatever reasons. i was one of them, but i ended up seeing some of those things as more important once i progressed.

This might (but hopefully won't) be an issue for me as well, given my low weight and disability. I'm pretty worried that I won't qualify HRT because of these medical reasons. Hoping for the best.