Humorous question for a serious topic just for lightness

[emmicd]

I am on this real sureal journey that I thought would never happen but I have set the process in motion since I have been in therapy. I am now dressing openly at home. I am doing electrolysis and my electrologist says I am starting to look a little more feminine with less facial hair and a softer complexion. With that said I still have a ways to go on the electrolysis front. My doctor at Callen-Lorde has given me the go ahead to start on HRT in a month once my blood tests are complete and ok.

I am now going to support group meetings and I am starting to feel more upbeat. My son is ok for now with my situation and I always tell him no matter what, i will always be his dad. My wife quietly accepts my situation and I realize she will have her good days and her not so good days just like I do. I also realize that if she wants out I will have to accept that because I will not be able to be the man she thought I was or should be. I love her and will try to make it work but that remains to be seen especially if I transition.

I love baseball. I always have and I always will. In fact I love having a catch with my son and teaching him the fundamentals.

My silly question of the day is as follows:

If I go on HRT with estrogen treatments and testosterone blockers will that make me start to throw like a girl because my physical attribute will change. If so I will be happy because I am a girl already in my mind!

In all seriousness once you go on HRT what are the things you start to notice first?
Once you start HRT is it true it is life long necessity?

Are HRT treatments usually covered under insurance or do you have to pay out of pocket? I know this depends on the type of coverage you have.

What is your emotional state like when you are on estrogens? Do you start to get more emotional and cry more.

Does female hormones start to make you more attracted to members of the opposite sex, guys? I have always been attracted to women but curious of the effects of estrogen on your feelings of sexual attraction if you are MtF?

Please relate your experiences on female hormones if you are transitioning from male to female.

thank you.

emmi

[Beth-Lock]

I love baseball. I always have and I always will. In fact I love having a catch with my son and teaching him the fundamentals.

My silly question of the day is as follows:

If I go on HRT with estrogen treatments and testosterone blockers will that make me start to throw like a girl because my physical attribute will change.


There is a theory that men who are TS naturally throw like a girl because that is one physical trait and even an indicator of being TS. So, it seems that going on hormones will not change the structure of your arms now, because they have already grown. Therefore, you will not throw like a girl except that you can expect to lose as much as 20% of your muscular strength.



Does female hormones start to make you more attracted to members of the opposite sex, guys? I have always been attracted to women but curious of the effects of estrogen on your feelings of sexual attraction if you are MtF?


The change in your attitude to social relationships is a lot more complex matter than that, and I would think depends on your experience of living as a woman for a long enough time, more than simply taking hormones. Once you identify thoroughly with your new female identity, perhaps it will be possible that you will become attracted to men. Many TS however, never switch over their orientation.

[Aprilrain]

Sexual orientation and gender identity are independent, if you need examples of this in the cisgendered world just look at gay men and women. if you find yourself attracted to men it will be because it was always there but you weren't able to accept it because you are not a gay man. In all likelihood you will still be attracted to women.

HRT at your age won't change much and it certainly won't change your bone structure I'm pretty sure you will throw a ball the same way you always have.

HRT is cheap cheap cheap! Estradiol cost me 12 bucks same with progesterone and I no longer need an anti androgen.

HRT main effect is mental and emotional so yes your emotional nature will change. I'm not anymore emotional but my response to my emotions is very different, now I cry instead of getting angry in most situations (except when dealing with my EX:heehee:)

[Stephenie S]

Well, I always threw a ball like a girl, LOL. But seriously, throwing a ball is a learned physical skill. There is no sex in throwing. Men throw better because they have far more upper body strength and far more practice from an early age. But it's a learned skill hon, not a hormone induced skill. Your emotions will be much closer to the surface and you may tend to cry more easily. Yes, if you truly transition, you will have to take estrogen for the rest of your life. Once you lose your testicles in surgery you will no longer have to take a testosterone blocker. Maybe you will be attracted to the opposite sex, maybe not. I don't think there are any hard and fast rules about this. As April told you, hormone therapy is cheap, cheap, cheap. Will your insurance cover it? Probably not. But Walmart will. How does $4 a month sound?

[Frances]

I don't know about throwing balls like a girl, but a music store guy told me the other day that I played guitar like a guy, and I am post-op.

You are overthinking this in my opinion.

[Kristy_K]

I have been on HRT only about 9 months. I still only like woman. I was also told that could change. On the other side my sex drive is zero.

I find I don't get angry or loss my temper now but I do cry very easy. The effects of HRT has been very positive for me. I can cut myself real easy now so I have to wear gloves at work. My muscles are toning down also.
There has been no noticeable weight grain in any areas of the body for me.

All of my transitioning costs including electrolysis is now cover by my partners new insurance. So there are insurance company's changing there policy's. Lets hope more will follow the lead. It is to bad I didn't have the insurance before I had my FFS and BA it could have save me a few dollars.

[Traci Elizabeth]

Will you throw a baseball like a girl while of HRT? HRT, has nothing to do with the way you throw a baseball. Anyone can throw a baseball like a girl if that's what they want to do. If you have a vision of how a girl throws a baseball, just go outside and throw like a girl. It's as hard as using a fork to eat with.

I have never heard of anyone wanting to be on HRT so they can throw a baseball like a girl! :D

[Deanna Jeanine]

You've obviously not seen many girls fast pitch softball players. I wish I could throw like a girl after seeing them, and no, they don't look like freakish amazons, just healthy high school and college female athletes!

So there's nothing wrong with "throwing like a girl".

[Frances]

Will you throw a baseball like a girl while of HRT? HRT, has nothing to do with the way you throw a baseball. Anyone can throw a baseball like a girl if that's what they want to do. If you have a vision of how a girl throws a baseball, just go outside and throw like a girl. It's as hard as using a fork to eat with.

I have never heard of anyone wanting to be on HRT so they can throw a baseball like a girl! :D

It's the opposite. She is worried about losing the ability to throw like a guy. She could give up on baseball dreams and become dictator for a Caribbean nation. It worked for someone else already.

[DeeDee1974]

I always threw like a girl. My older sister on the other hand threw better than most of the guys on our block. IMO you either have it or you don't.

[Lorileah]

Probably the most obvious example is Rene Richards who did not lose much while playing tennis after HRT. Physiology is what it is. You will lose muscle mass if you don't work on it so you will lose power (we all do anyway as we age) but mechanics are imprinted. Your joints won't change, you bone structure won't change (without surgery which you won't do on arms or hips). You are actually pointing out one of the worries of many sports groups, what if a MtF post op decided to play a sport. Would they have an advantage? This is why they decided to test the African runner to see if she was really XY. I know that I have seen articles about post op playing highly competitive or semi-professional sports (seems there was a MtF trying to get their LPGA card).

As noted earlier, now that women are being coached in the correct mechanics of throwing, hitting and other motions that rely on physics and muscle coordination, you are seeing women who are the equal to many men on the field.

[docrobbysherry]

I always threw like a girl. My older sister on the other hand threw better than most of the guys on our block. IMO you either have it or you don't.
Nonsense! Like Stephanie posted above, throwing is a learned skill. Have u ever wondered why pro baseball pitchers all have very different deliveries? It's because they learned to throw on their own at a very young age! I was accurately pitching rocks at lizards, birds, and squirrels by the time I was 6.

I helped coach my daughter at age 8, in softball. She, and most of the others girls, had NEVER thrown anything before then. So, those that hadn't, all threw "like girls". Which means they threw with their arms only and NOT with their entire body. By the end of the first season, they all had learned to throw properly. Albeit they were still girls throwing. But, they had learned to throw more like boys! My daughter even became a pitcher!

Anyone can throw "like a girl", Emmi! Just hold the ball behind your head and throw with only your arm!

[Sharon]

The truth about HT and even SRS is that you will still be you with the same interests, the same habits and the same everything else short of some (perhaps minor if we're speaking solely about hormone therapy) physical changes. If you want to change any of these things, you will need to do it consciously. I had a good throwing arm since childhood and I still possess it, allowing for deterioration due to age and a bum knee that prevents a good push-off.. I still have the same sexual orientation, excepting that I wasn't willing to accept it when I was trying so desperately to be a heterosexual man (thank goodness those dark times are past.) You will still walk and talk the same as you do now, prefer the same foods and drinks, prefer the same movies, and so forth excepting that you may feel free to open your mind to things you previously felt shut off from because of gender stereotypes.

In short, Emmi, you will still be you when it comes to nonphysical matters unless you want to make changes.

[KellyJameson]

Everyone talking about throwing like a girl because of HRT did make this thread humorous.

No two people react exactly the same to HRT and your age and weight will be a factor.

You may and probably will lose upper body strength.

Emmi you remind me of myself emotionally and if I'm correct than expect to cry alot with no clue to why you are crying. I also think eventually you will love crying and look back with regret that you did not cry more, not only for the relief it brings but the understanding and awareness to life.

Your body shape will probably change, for some reason how the body stores fat is affected.

I'm not a good example because due to birth defects hormones including insulin have always been out of whack in me but the low levels of testosterone threatens me with osteoporosis later in life and my older brother who is turning forty already suffers from the effects and has been taking testosterone since he turned twelve so you may want to ask your doctor about this.

My brother produces zero testosterone and he has no body hair, tends toward being over weight, is five foot two inches tall and easily passes for a woman yet it is not all bad because we are both easy going and happy.

You may see changes to your hair and definitely will see a difference in your skin. I have not experienced male pattern balding and have more hair than I know what to do with on my head and the doctors tell me this is due to a lifetime of low testosterone and people have always commented on how soft my skin is but it can be exhausting being so emotional so everything is a trade off.

In a sense I have lived as if I have always been on HRT so I have always been aware of men and I think you will experience this as well but for me it is not exactly sexual in that I'm fantasizing about having sex with them, I understand them as a woman would because I stand outside of being masculine, it is a type of awareness but happens very deep in the mind so you feel it but do not necessarily think about it.

Of my two friends that have transitioned, one is asexual after being heterosexual and the other wants a boyfriend but before was sexually attracted to both sexes. Do not let this scare you though because it is different for everybody, worry about the future when it arrives.

Because I have always lived with low testosterone and high estrogen for a male I have never gone through the shock to my mind that taking HRT will bring about but I have friends who are taking it after a lifetime of normal testosterone levels and there may be moments where you are feeling as if you are losing your mind and it brings about intense fear, this is normal but it is important you are surrounded by people who love you during this time to help bring you through, it is experienced as intense anxiety, self doubt, possible depression,ect..

I hope my words do not bring apprehension, you are strong, sensitive, intelligent and your spirit is indisputably feminine and I cannot imagine you being unhappy at the end of your journey.

[DeeDee1974]

I still have the same sexual orientation, excepting that I wasn't willing to accept it when I was trying so desperately to be a heterosexual man (thank goodness those dark times are past.)

Same here. Although my ex (who is now a great friend) might not take kindly to me referring to 7 years as dark times.

[Inna]

LOL, No.............................you will no longer be the person you feel you weren't.

Hormone Treatment and adequately, its contents, Estogen, and Testosterone blockers will in fact change the entire language of cellular communication. What is visible, such as fat cell redistribution, soft tissue texture and thickness differentiation and hair quality tone and quantity, are only the surface of difference. Internally, slew of processes, from cellular communication, metabolic rate, neuro-network connections and cognitive processes will be altered.
Testosterone as well as its opposing, estrogen are the chemicals of gender manner, one so different from other, and even though your brain seems to be wired for female the testosterone genetic coding and production of testosterone ran you bio-system on a male software. Now after HRT you will finally regain the balance and shall become cognitively, female software driven.

What may change.......everything or part, but change is inevitable.

Believe in your self, don't listen when others tell you that bone structure does not change, perhaps it doesn't but what you have to loose by believing it does! I was 6'1'' when starting my hormone regimen, now at 5' 10 3/4" those who said bones don't change scratch their heads, I never had hips, well you can rest assured what my curved silhouette I turn heads of man while walking by, I giggle because i still remember the bloke of a guy I used to be not so long ago.

Hon, ask and you shall receive, but believe in the new you, love, Inna

[Jorja]

Lol...... yes you are doomed to throw like a girl! :D

I want you to know, I grew up with several girls that could throw better than the boys. As mentioned, it is a learned skill not something that because you are one gender or the other you can or cannot do. Pssst, according to Inna you will become Emmi 2.0. Cool :)

[melissaK]

Ever see League of Their Own? Watch girls fast pitch softball? Go on HRT and you'll be able to throw well - in a skirt!!

HRT - I feel a whole lot better on it. I tried just anti-Testosterone thinking maybe chemical castration could do the same and avoid the breast growth. It didn't do it for me at all. Not even close. Estradiol, estrogen, holy cow! It is like Huey Lewis' song "I Want a New Drug". And if i forget, or let myself run out, well, I "think" maybe, I have some idea why women get so bitchy during menopause!! :).

Hugs,
'lissa

[Badtranny]

And if i forget, or let myself run out, well, I "think" maybe, I have some idea why women get so bitchy during menopause!! :).

No.

Women are more than a dose of Estrogen. Their chemistry is completely different and all the surgery and hormones in the world will not bring us close enough to understand things that women themselves do not understand. We are limited by birth, and the best we can hope for is a close approximation. The spirit is always disappointed by the body.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

I don't know about throwing balls like a girl, but a music store guy told me the other day that I played guitar like a guy, and I am post-op.

You are overthinking this in my opinion.

Now that is so amazing...the exact same thing happened to me....

did you say in your deepest voice..

"thats because I used to ......."....oh never mind..

[ReineD]

a music store guy told me the other day that I played guitar like a guy, and I am post-op.

Sheesh. I'm guessing you're a great guitar player, and the music store guy has it in his head that girls can't play the guitar. Hope you set him right! :D

[Frances]

Sheesh. I'm guessing you're a great guitar player, and the music store guy has it in his head that girls can't play the guitar. Hope you set him right! :D

No, girls play guitar, but rarely do they play like Robben Ford or Jimi Hendrix in music stores and look like I do.

[GirlieAmanda]

You've obviously not seen many girls fast pitch softball players. I wish I could throw like a girl after seeing them, and no, they don't look like freakish amazons, just healthy high school and college female athletes!

So there's nothing wrong with "throwing like a girl".

I was thinking this too. Girls throw like girl because no one teaches them to throw with velocity like in softball or baseball. We were very sports oriented so I love to throw "right". As for transition, I had similar questions until I met my GF and her trans friends. They really taught me a lot.
After 5.5 months I feel great. My boobs have grown a bit, my body is softening and hair growth has slowed a pinch. My emotions have not changed but come to the surface more easily. I feel more responsive to kids and little tiny shoes when I see them like today shoe shopping. I see women more clearly it seems. I have sort of a chemical bond with them now. Its just weird how its so easy to talk to other women now. I really enjoy talking "shop" with them. I still have all of my old likes(NFL, NASCAR, art, design, sci-fi,nature, making music) and my creative side is still there but it seems to be redeveloping again like when I was in school. Colors are more vibrant or its like I can almost feel them. I seemed to have developed an affinity for poetry too. That's new. The way I can explain it is that I am still me, but just more enhanced of sorts. I just feel everything stronger. Like a veil has been lifted.

Much to my partner's chagrin, I have been seeing men in a different light. It is amazing to me but its as if I can't help it. I see their chest and their arms and get a little tingle when I am around a man with a nice build. More than before. I still love women. I am afraid where this will go since I have really just gotten started. I love my partner. She is TS.

I have had little issues with my insurance covering blood tests but my doc just lists it as an "endocrine disorder". I am still monitoring this subject.