Some personal observations on HRT

[Aprilrain]

So here are some observations on my experience with HRT thus far.
It's been 9 months since I started. I got my letter last February and started HRT shortly there after. I was unable to get an appointment with the Endo until July so I was self medicating up to that point. I did have labs done prior to starting HRT to make sure I was healthy. When I saw the Endo everything was normal as far as lipids and liver were concerned. T was lower than average female levels, E was mid range and progesterone was in the normal range. He also tested my esterone levels since I was taking Premarin, that was on the high side but he seemed unconcerned. OK now for the observations.

2 weeks-ish definite change in libido, notable difference in ability to maintain erections

2 months libido returns (but markedly different) sexual functioning on a steady decline (ain't that a bitch!)

3 months CRYING! Haven't done that in like over a decade!

4 months nothing comes out anymore not even pre ***.

7 months OK enough with the crying already! Pretty much an A cup, skin is softer, face looks a little different to me, no more acne, body hair on arms and belly drastically reduced (was doing home laser as well) not much difference to hair on lower body other than growing a little slower (still an ape down there though, UGH!)

8-9 months was having regularly occurring depression for about 2 days out of every week. I thought the amounts of medication I was taking might have been responsible or at least not helping so I eliminated the Premarin and reduced ant-T. It's been three weeks since and I have noticed that I haven't cried for no reason nor found it impossible to get out of bed for 2.5 weeks. My "problems" haven't changed but my reaction to them seems to be much more manageable. Depression can be a problem for post menopausal woman and esterone is the main hormone after menopause so it's possible my high esterone levels were not helping and have since gone down. I will get Labs today so we shall see. Other than that my boobs are still A cups though they look fuller and less cone shaped, I have lost a lot of muscle mass especially upper body and actually have lost a lot of weight period. I eat what I want and am holding steady at 150 LBS, I'm 6' tall. So yeah I look like a 2x4. I don't think I will ever have hips or a butt, oh well.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

thnx for the update.....your effects are much more personal and than physical, and your sexual function is more female with male parts....

so for people that want to dabble in HRT fair warning......................lots of ts people get hammered for bringing this up...but your experience is common..

hopefully you are feeling that you are just experiencing being female the way you desired and all the other stuff is a cost...
if you are truly clinically depressed, i urge you to take care of that... medicine really does help..and like an addiction, the depressed person doesn't clearly see the benefit of getting help.....being a female emotionally does not REQUIRE you to be depressed!!!!!!!!!!!!!

april, the HRT took a really long time to work for me.... i was more curvy to start, i ended up having breast augment but i found AFTER that (2 yrs into HRT) i got some growth!!! i also only got more hippy post srs, and i have seen others where this is the case..

in any case, getting significant hips from HRT is not a likely outcome..especially for skinny girls like you...

also, even tho its not the "sexy" part, losing muscle mass in the arms and legs is much more feminizing than you may imagine and when folks look at you as a total person, its part of what will id you as female..

[Kimberly Long]

April I wish you the best. I have been on HRT over two years, with great results. But before going on HRT about 15 years before I had to have my Testes removed due to injury when I was of police officer. There fore my male T were almost no where to be found. Yes it did affect the emotions crying has become so much easier. All it takes is something good or bad and get out the Kleenex. I think that is part of being a woman, not a hard a.. policeman.
There is no way I would go back. It feels so good to be able to fill a bra without forms.
I am now 71 and enjoy my life so much.
Lots of Love, Kimberly

[Julia_in_Pa]

April,

What you have stated is quite normal.

You might want to reconsider lowering your dosage on certain things because it's quite normal to be experiencing the things you have mentioned.

This is when a transitioning person takes the bad with the good concerning the side effects of HRT use.

It takes upwards of five years to see full and complete results of HRT reworking your body.

I was still seeing breast growth at the six year mark after a period of over a year of no growth whatsoever.

Your very very early into HRT.

It will take alot of time for the effects of HRT to become fully present.


Julia

[Aprilrain]

I didn't mean to put that emoticon in the title. I'm not sure how that happened except I was using my ipad and its funny like that some times. Anyway thanks for the responses. Regarding the on and off depression and medication: here is the rub, I would like to get back into flying (I'm a commercial pilot) but I can't fly right now because of the hormones. I sent in all of the requisite information to the FAA to sort it out and start flying again Hopefully that will happen soon-ish (the government operates on metric time so who knows!). So that is not really the problem more of an annoyance than anything however they are even MORE strict about Anti-depressants than they are about HRT. The FAA did not allow pilots of any description to fly if they were on ANY anti-depressants until last year. Now they are allowing certain drugs to be used but only after you have been on them for a year and during that year you can not fly. I have already not flown for a year and know I have lost a lot of knowledge which means I will require retraining to get back to where I was. Meanwhile I sit and wait and avoid creating yet another reason for them to ground me by not taking anti-depressants.

[Pamela Kay]

Not to hijack the thread or anything but I was just wondering if you noticed any increase in hair growth on your head? I don't really have pattern baldness but I do have thinning hair evenly across the top.

I had been on HRT for low "T" on the male side for several years and was taking testosterone injections weekly. I stopped taking the injections and my acne has cleared and skin is smoothing some. At this point I would rather take female hormones. I will see what happens after working with a gender therapist for awhile.

[StaceyJane]

Crying......I was watching the last Harry Potter movie on DVD today and I almost started crying.

[Suzette Muguet de Mai]

I cry when I break a nail or see hair on my brush after brushing and I have not even started HRT. God, what will I be like. Hold tight Aprilrain, it sure makes one think about the emotional roller coaster ride you are on.

[Kathryn Martin]

I am several months ahead of you and I agree with your points up month 7; I have an easier time crying which was a welcome change for me since I stopped crying after my mother died. At the beginning of month 7 I stopped taking antidepressants on which I had been for 15 years. I am now in month 13 and my emotional and mental stability is better than ever in my adult life.

I have recently gained a bit of weight which is good for curves and am around 200lb and 6'4".



So here are some observations on my experience with HRT thus far.
It's been 9 months since I started. I got my letter last February and started HRT shortly there after. I was unable to get an appointment with the Endo until July so I was self medicating up to that point. I did have labs done prior to starting HRT to make sure I was healthy. When I saw the Endo everything was normal as far as lipids and liver were concerned. T was lower than average female levels, E was mid range and progesterone was in the normal range. He also tested my esterone levels since I was taking Premarin, that was on the high side but he seemed unconcerned. OK now for the observations.

2 weeks-ish definite change in libido, notable difference in ability to maintain erections

2 months libido returns (but markedly different) sexual functioning on a steady decline (ain't that a bitch!)

3 months CRYING! Haven't done that in like over a decade!

4 months nothing comes out anymore not even pre ***.

7 months OK enough with the crying already! Pretty much an A cup, skin is softer, face looks a little different to me, no more acne, body hair on arms and belly drastically reduced (was doing home laser as well) not much difference to hair on lower body other than growing a little slower (still an ape down there though, UGH!)

8-9 months was having regularly occurring depression for about 2 days out of every week. I thought the amounts of medication I was taking might have been responsible or at least not helping so I eliminated the Premarin and reduced ant-T. It's been three weeks since and I have noticed that I haven't cried for no reason nor found it impossible to get out of bed for 2.5 weeks. My "problems" haven't changed but my reaction to them seems to be much more manageable. Depression can be a problem for post menopausal woman and esterone is the main hormone after menopause so it's possible my high esterone levels were not helping and have since gone down. I will get Labs today so we shall see. Other than that my boobs are still A cups though they look fuller and less cone shaped, I have lost a lot of muscle mass especially upper body and actually have lost a lot of weight period. I eat what I want and am holding steady at 150 LBS, I'm 6' tall. So yeah I look like a 2x4. I don't think I will ever have hips or a butt, oh well.

[Sophora]

I cry when I break a nail or see hair on my brush after brushing and I have not even started HRT. God, what will I be like. Hold tight Aprilrain, it sure makes one think about the emotional roller coaster ride you are on.

I am wondering the same as I cry during very emotional scenes in movies or sad songs.

[Starling]

The tears also flow for me at the drop of a hat. But I find in moments of real sadness or joy that I instinctively resist sobbing until my diaphragm is convulsing with suppressed emotion. Will HRT help me let go, so I can cry like a human being?

:sad: Lallie

[Starling]

After two months, April, when you say your libido returned in a "markedly different" form, your "sexual functioning [was] on a steady decline." That could simply mean loss of erectile function. Were you still orgasmic?

Forgive me, please, if this is too personal.

:) Lallie

[Aprilrain]

When my libido came back all I can say is that now it just feels more female. My thoughts surrounding sex are more emotional and I have more interesting and pleasant if not exactly erotic sensations just thinking about sex then I do during sex. When i say thinking about sex mostly i mean intimacy. Id just as soon spend a saturday morning spooning with my BF then have intercourse. I can still masturbate and have an orgasm but half the time I start and then trail off get bored and start thinking about a hundred other things. Other times I'm determined lol. I have certain guys I like to fantasize about (shhh don't tell my BF!) and that is just pure SEX! When I fantasize about my BF I get really emotional and on occasion I have actually started crying. It's not really a "bad" cry just a lot of emotion and physical sensations all at once. Actual sex is very hit or miss, a lot of times it starts out OK but then I'm like "ok are you done yet, I'm tired." I have just accepted that orgasms are out of the question at this point and just focus on what I do like about sex, most of which isn't really sex at all.........well at least not according to Bill Clinton ; )

[Starling]

Thank you, April, that sounds pretty nice. Something for me to look forward to, I hope.

:) Lallie

[Leanne2]

I cry when I look at my pay stub. What is wrong with me? Leanne

[Aprilrain]

I cry when I look at my pay stub. What is wrong with me? Leanne

Wow! You earn THAT much! Lucky you. ; )

[ReneeT]

OMG, April, we are on the same wavelength! I just got done posting my 10 month hrt experince in the "body issues" forum and then came over here. I didnt see your pst before i wrote mine i swear!

Our experiences are quite similar. My libido did drop too but has recently returned. I can still manage an erection, but the spontaneous ones are a rarity - they surprise the heck out of me when they do happen! As my wife still has needs, we have had intercourse ( courtesy of Dr Viagra), and it seems to have satisfied her. Truth be told, i found it more enjoyabe when she played with my breasts!

[Starling]

If she's playing with your breasts now, Renee, you may not need to split. I hope.

:) Lallie

[kimdl93]

OMG, April, we are on the same wavelength! I just got done posting my 10 month hrt experince in the "body issues" forum and then came over here. I didnt see your pst before i wrote mine i swear!

Our experiences are quite similar. My libido did drop too but has recently returned. I can still manage an erection, but the spontaneous ones are a rarity - they surprise the heck out of me when they do happen! As my wife still has needs, we have had intercourse ( courtesy of Dr Viagra), and it seems to have satisfied her. Truth be told, i found it more enjoyabe when she played with my breasts!

Interesting...I'm not on HRT, but have had a lifelong thing about having my nipples stimulated...and Truth be told, I really prefer it to straight sex. Being wary of TMI, has anyone else approached or acheived orgasm via breast stimulation?