How did HRT affect you?

[LitaKelley]

I'm seriously contemplating HRT.. I'd love to follow that with FFS, but doubt I'll ever be able to afford it and I will not be considering SRS since I am married and really have no purpose for female genitalia other than emotional/psychological.

I'm aware of many of the physical changes, etc from HRT but wanted to know more about its impact on an emotional and psychological aspect, oh, and also I'd like to know if it'll help my voice become more feminine too.

[Stephenie S]

No, it won't.

S

[Melody Moore]

I think you really need to have lots of counselling before you ever decide on going on HRT because first of all it will impact heavily on your male genitalia and it wont function like it use to before starting HRT. Would you be satisfied without ever getting erections & without ejaculation? I can orgasm, but its not with an erect penis & I have very little & sometimes no ejaculate now.

Emotionally you become even more emotional and the littlest of things can really upset you, so the more serious issues are also magnified tenfold when on HRT and can have a very severe impact on transitioning females. Dont expect HRT to contribute to any changes to your voice, its only speech therapy that can help you to feminise your voice. I hope this helps.

[Stephenie S]

OK. Sorry.

To answer your post properly, you have the cart before the horse right now. You need to find a gender therapist and start therapy. You CAN'T get hormone therapy without it. Well, you CAN if you are willing to self medicate, but I'm not gonna tell you to do that.

TG women who take hormones do so not because they WANT to, they do it because they HAVE to. You should not be contemplating hormone therapy until you reach the point where it becomes necessary.

At your age, physical changes will be minimal. MOST of the changes you will experience will be emotional and psychological.

Married huh? What does your wife think about your plans?

Stephie

[LitaKelley]

At your age, physical changes will be minimal.

I'm stuck like this? :( Am I even too old to grow breasts?

[Melody Moore]

I'm stuck like this? :( Am I even too old to grow breasts?
No you are not too old, but if your main reason to go on HRT is only to grow a pair of breasts and for the physiological changes & not the psychological changes then HRT is definitely not for you. And just like Stephanie said, I wont ever tell you how to get on HRT because the emotional & psychological implications with someone like yourself can be quite severe. You really need to undergo a lot of counselling before going on HRT - I also agree that you are putting the cart before the horse here.

[Cindi Johnson]

I'll differ from the rest of the replies a bit. As for voice, you are out of luck. As far as I know, the only thing that works is "practice, practice, practice".
However, I've taken small dosage of HRT for 5 years or so, and yet have no problem with erection. (Although, I've noticed that when I up the dose, I do get dead down there). A small dose over time has put fat on my hips and breast, softened my face a bit, and has really made me feel more and more female. Also happier, more content, more "at peace".

Oddly, hormones have reduced my former compulsion to dress, which used to be truly overwhelming. Now I'm like a female, I suppose: going out dressed doesn't feel erotic or edgy, it just feels normal.

Cindi

[LitaKelley]

...has really made my feel more and more female. Also happier, more content, more "at peace".

Cindi

Thank you.. that's what I was looking and hoping for. :)

I just wanted to know if going on them would help me feel "normal" and like how you said.

[ReineD]

This is a pretty thorough description:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy_%28male-to-female%29

[Jorja]

I just want to say DO NOT START ON HRT WITHOUT A DOCTOR monitoring your levels. Self medication can and does cause a mirad of problems for people including DEATH. Just because they are hormones doesn't mean they are something to take lightly.

[Jeanna]

I just want to say DO NOT START ON HRT WITHOUT A DOCTOR monitoring your levels. Self medication can and does cause a mirad of problems for people including DEATH. Just because they are hormones doesn't mean they are something to take lightly.

EXACTLY. Hormones can very dangerous and risky even with medical supervision.

[Areyan]

if your wife doesn't know you're wanting to do this - be careful... decisions like this could be detrimental to your marriage... i also agree with everyone else here about talking to a doctor first... in most cases hrt is not recommended for folks who don't have gender dysphoria... good luck. :)

[Melody Moore]

if your wife doesn't know you're wanting to do this - be careful
I really have to wonder about this as well after reading LitaKelley's Blog (http://litakelley.blogspot.com/), because it seems Lita's wife & daughter takes great pride in embarrassing her cross-dressing husband (http://litakelley.blogspot.com/2010/09/embarressing-crossdresser-moments.html) & she does it in a very cruel way that makes me wonder if she is trying to dissuade LitaKelley from cross-dressing. :daydreaming:

Also its very obvious to me from reading your posts on this forum & your blog that you still feel very uncomfortable when you go out 'En femme' & that also suggests to me that you are not even ready for HRT - because people who ar truly transsexual & suffer gender dysphoria go on HRT as the last resort & usually by this stage they have no issues with going out in public as their true self & they are at a stage in heir life where nothing else matters and they are usually prepared to risk losing everything, including their relationship with their partners & families

Lita... I still really think you need lots of counselling before you ever decide to go on HRT because it's obvious on your own blog and from your post here that there is so much that you seem to be risking apart from your health which has already been highlighted to you here - you obviously want to keep your manhood which is something that true transsexuals usually dont care about.. So I have a few more questions...

1. Is your wife aware of your desire to go on HRT?
2. Is your wife also aware about how HRT will affect you?
3. Are you prepared to risk losing everything to go on HRT?

[Inna]

Ok I will jump in to the conversation.
Hormones are the language of the cell, chemical compounds send as a messengers to alter metabolism of a cell. We ingest minute amounts of hormones through food intake on daily basis and surely the environment has some influence on our bodies,I suppose it is by design, you sort of become accustomed or altered to the environment you live in, makes sense. Medical science has come to understanding hormone interaction though some of hormone compounds have not been studied long enough to have an absolute understanding of its design.
In the transgender community use of hormones is becoming a daily event and much is understood and safety has elevated to somewhat safe use. But preexisting personal health issues may add to complications so medical testing and supervision is advised. Therapists who deal in TG issues prescribe small doses of hormone in the case they suspect dysphoria but can not pinpoint exactly tendencies of origin weather fetishistic or natural. Fetish may exist and cloudy the actual picture, and with introduction of hormone almost always sexuality driven desire diminishes leaving true core exposed. Hence for majority after being exposed to hormone sexuality becomes second and true feeling of self emerges weather that of male or female.
This approach is safe(or as safe as can be) because of small quantities of hormone prescribed and relatively short period of time. Time has very influential imprint on exposure and longer periods may alter metabolism and characteristics permanently. Higher dosage of hormones may render individual sterile for life and here is where it becomes very significant decision.

Lita, as the girls have already stated HRT is no game, it is serious life altering process, involving whole body and mind, side effects even though may not be detrimental however some may be psychologically intense. Only if you are ready with clear decisiveness to change you life for ever to finally be who you truly are, such decision is warranted. If your decision is based on desire for improving crossdressing issues stick with safe and physical alterations which do not affect your entire being in such involved ways.

[CharleneT]

The advice above is good, thar's gold in them thar hills !!

One thing to add, in most cases, even a small amount of cross-gender hormones will cause a fairly large change - given enough time. Estrogen, by its self, in small doses, over time normally causes all the same changes that a larger dose would in a shorter time span. Sure there is a lot of variation in how it works for different people, but please -- please -- do not think of a small dose as something to take the edge off whatever issues you may have.

[Traci Elizabeth]

Add to this that many outcomes on hormones are irreversible. They are not a for the foolish at heart and certainly not for the "thrill" seeker or "let's experiment" mind-set. Hormones are serious stuff and I would wager in and of themselves have been responsible for the demise of many otherwise loving relationships. So potential health risks are but just "one" of many concerns one should have.

[morgan pure]

This thread sounds like an argument. Let's cool out a little bit.
Cindi expressed it perfectly.
I don't know what's right for anyone. Everyone has to make his or her own decisions. The almost 3 years that I've been on HRT have been the happiest of my life emotionally (and satisfying with regard to my lifelong Freudian mammalia fetish).
(On a personal note, I just quit smoking and I want to kill the world.)

[LitaKelley]

I'm sorry, but I have to get this out of my system....MelodyN, YOU'RE READING BETWEEN THE LINES HERE and are making incorrect INSINUATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS.


I did not ask for advice nor opinions, I asked a very specific QUESTION. How did HRT affect YOU. (Not you personally.. you know what I mean) and you're changing the subject of this thread to reflect on ME and frankly, it's pissing me off. I did not say I was going on them, nor did I say I wish to, I said "contemplating" which means to "consider carefully".. I thought that was OBVIOUS.

Explain to me MelodyN why you linked a blog post highlighting events that occured SEVERAL MONTHS ago and deliberately twisted it to have a negative reflection upon me as if this was something going on now.

Explain to me how everything is so "obvious" to your all knowing magnificent omnipresent self when you do not know even 1/10th of anything about me, my wife, my life or anything else.... Can you really gain the entire story of a whole novel by reading a mere page or two?

Now, if you could kindly refrain from going off topic with insinuations, assumptions and other irrelevant input, I'd appreciate it.

I ask the question because I'm INTERESTED in what it did for OTHER PEOPLE!!!

[Schatten Lupus]

I'm going to assume that you have really thought this out. Myself, I have not started therapy yet but my course has been planned and I am just waiting for the right time to start.
HRT won't affect your voice or bone structure. It will change your fat distribution (which as a side effect makes your skin dry), makes your skin softer, and I've heard some people say it melts the body hair off and some say it didn't do much for body hair.

[arbon]

At 8 weeks I feel really good. My anxiety is way down. My depression is way down. My thinking seems smoother, more focused. I feel more connected to life going on around me. I am being more productive at work. I feel more confident in myself. My skin is way more sensitive. My nipples hurt. Sex drive is completly gone (thats good)

I'm on a pink cloud!

My report. :-)

[LitaKelley]

At 8 weeks I feel really good. My anxiety is way down. My depression is way down. My thinking seems smoother, more focused. I feel more connected to life going on around me. I am being more productive at work. I feel more confident in myself. My skin is way more sensitive. My nipples hurt. Sex drive is completly gone (thats good)

I'm on a pink cloud!

My report. :-)

Thank you for your input :) Much appreciated. I'm happy for you

[rachellenicole]

At a month and a half into taking Estrogen I feel great, my skin is much softer, body hair growth is a little slower and I seem to be much happier. It's to soon for any real changes... in due time. I'm on a fairly low dose for now, but my libido is much higher, I'm sure that will change soon also. In another month or so I have another appointment with my Endo. she will then prescribe Finasteride which is a testerone blocker and up my dose of estrogen, providing my checkup goes well.

I hope this helps!

Rach

[Veronica_Jean]

Let me offer you two things:
1. I have been on HRT for a little over a year and I am 55. I have reasonable breast growth (B-C cup) softening skin, and a bit more hair growth on top, and a bit less elsewhere. Emotionally I have been through several changes including increased sense of smell, more pronounced emotions, intense emotions tend to all come out initially as crying, an overall sense of calm. The sense of calm was not particularly helpful until 2 months after going full time, so the HRT effect alone was not all that helpful. Primarily loss of spontaneous erections, no change in voice.

2. All of us react differently to HRT so what I got, and what others got, may not be at all what you get. Be careful that you balance your expectations with consequences you can live with.

Veronica