i wood like to ask a ?

[lori m crawford]

wen you started hormomes an on them for a year or so an your body change but did not come out to everbody how did you hide it I wont to be a women but have to be a man for know

[PaulaQ]

How long is "for now? Have you talked with a therapist?

You generally have at least six months before it becomes sort of hard to hide changes, if you are older, you generally have longer. I know girls who, at six months, people were starting to say "uh, yeah, wear a bra please." I know girls who after a year, have not changed much. There's really no way to tell what'll happen. Depending on breast development, you can often hide it under baggy shirts, although changes to your face are harder to hide.

What issue holds up your transition? At some point, once you start, it will begin to get hard to pass as a man, for many. So you need as realistic of a plan of how you'll transition socially too. Generally, people who wait, wait for at least 6-12 months - until they can start sort of passing before going full time. An indefinite period of time is usually not a great plan...

[Jorja]

I would say, it depends. It depends on what success you have had with changes from the HRT. For some there is no hiding it. Others may have very little change and it can be hidden for a long time. However, if you have started on HRT, why would you want to hide it? Most want to flaunt it.

[LeaP]

A few start hormones and in a relatively short period of time become quite noticeable. Most taking hormones take them for at least a year to two years before things get really noticeable, and many never get there at all. And some people on hormones never transition.

I would not go out in a bathing suit (men's) under any circumstances in this point – anywhere. I can barely get away with wearing a polo shirt, even with a compression top or sports bra. T-shirt? Forget it. Although I am clearly still male to others under most circumstances, I have enough ambiguity creeping into my features that it makes some wonder. And I have been ma'am'd while in male clothing. Clothing fit has become problematic. My shirts and tops (men's) pull and drape in funny ways. Neither women's nor men's pants are a perfect fit, but men's pants have gotten quite tight in the hips.

There are all kinds of strategies for minimizing visible changes. How well they work depends entirely on what sort of results you get from the hormones. You mentioned you were 62 in another thread. Even at 62 is possible (if far less likely) that you will get dramatic results that are difficult to hide. Are you prepared to deal with that?

Think through what you want and where you are going. Physical changes from hormones will affect your activities and abilities in many ways, not just your appearance.

Think about it. The gym. The pool. Activities with grandchildren and friends. Light, summertime clothing. Certain activities requiring upper body strength. Even working in the yard. I can also tell you for a fact that though you may be able to hide some things from a distance, your ability to do so closer up is far, far less. People WILL notice and WILL look, even if they don't comment. My chest is checked out constantly and automatically at this point. I'm occasionally stared at and occasionally even laughed at. And this is in men's clothing and with a compression top.

Are you ready for that? Really? If you are not, don't even think about starting hormones.

[arbon]

People did notice with me, which was surprising I don't think the hormones changed me that much. There were several people who thought I was sick, one woman even asked if I had cancer. There were also a few people that guessed I was transitioning. At work I wore a tight sports bra that was the only thing I could really hide.

[DeeDee1974]

For me I recall right around eight or nine months it was enough to put a little surprise into my neighbor. While I had pretty much gone full time, there was no real announcement to the neighbors and i really tried to avoid my neighbors as much as possible.

One day I had let the dog out and when went to the back to let him in he wasn't there. I ran out to the front and he was a couple doors down. As I'm walking over to get him I hear a neighbor calling out behind me "Julie, Julie". Well Julie is my ex-wife's name. So from behind I was passing.

Then I turn around. Mind you I was only wearing a tshirt and short running shorts as I still was in my pjs. Well the chill in the air that morning did little to hide my new assets. The look on my neighbors face was priceless. That's when I realized that probably anyone who saw me knew what was going on.

[Angela Campbell]

just wondering .....why are you thinking about starting hormones? If you cannot transition now, when can you? What do you expect to get from hormones?


In my case after about 3 months I was being misgendered and it was quite noticeable.

[Megan G]

As they say your mileage may vary but I am 39 and a little over 6 months into my HRT and there is no way I will be going topless this summer. Infact I am going to have a hard time hiding the girls on the boat this year. I went into this with a plan of keeping this to myself for the first year while I tell immediate & extended family and give them time to digest it before telling friends.

[addicted4urluv]

heyyy , see it is really difficult to hide yourself , i must say wearing loose clothes always dont work especially when you are in office but by wearing a 2 piece formal may help u , but that again depends on your work. try a sports bra atleast , they can handle things but only upto a level . Well good luck to u

[LeaP]

There were several people who thought I was sick ...

I got that, too. Mostly to others, not me directly.

[thechic]

With me, I started coming out before I went on hormones.