Two Month Mark

[AlyssaJ]

I'm two months into HRT and have good and not so good to report. The good is that I'm feeling good and getting out more to explore the real me. At my 2-month follow-up, my doctor doubled my dosage of both Spiro and Estradiol and will increase the Estradiol again at my next visit in early July. After two months on very low dose E, my levels are already in the puberty range for a female. I have also noticed that my sweat odor is almost completely gone. Where 45 minutes on a treadmill used to make me unbearable to myself, now I can't even detect any body odor.

On the disappointing or not-so-good side, my T levels are still quite high. Definitely on the low side for my age group but not anywhere near a female level. I'm hoping that doubling my spiro dose, which means taking it twice a day instead of once, will pay off and really bring those levels down. Also, I'm so far not seeing much of any physical changes, however, my therapist swears she can see some significant differences in my face. I'm noticing my dysphoria far less often, but when it does show up, the feelings of anxiousness seem to be more intense.

Ultimately, I'm just excited to be making progress. I'm anxious for more physical results, but I know they're coming eventually. Right now I'm just trying to be patient (hard to do) and keep my self-esteem up (even harder to do).

[Danielle t]

Congratulations on to months looking good

[Heidi Stevens]

Doubling up on the meds, especially the spiro will bring that T down. I take mine twice a day to level out the dosage and keep levels same throughout the day. It's a marathon, don't think you'll sprint to the ideal levels right away.

[AlyssaJ]

Heidi

Yep I do understand that. Definitely not panicking and hopeful. Just a little surprised it didn't fall a little faster, but I'll get there, I'm confident of that :)

[Pat]

It can take a while. It took me more than six months to drop out of the male T range and at my last check (nine months) it was still higher than female normal range. Regardless, I'm seeing undeniable effects. My doctor's story was that they like to take the T down slowly to protect bone health while E is taking over as the primary hormone. If they just knock your T down before the E gets up there, you can get into a situation where neither hormone has control and you can start to lose bone density. I can't speak to the truth of it, but that's what they say.

At two months, I was still twisting back and forth in front of the mirror every night trying to decide if I was seeing changes or imagining them. At six months, the changes were unambiguous. Your mileage may vary, but probably not by much. ;) (Keep records. I find tape measures are more accurate than photos in keeping you informed about what's changing. )

[AllieSF]

You look radiant and more confident in both pictures. However, if they were presented as a comparison, then you need to take them exactly the same way, the same place and with the same lighting and makeup. Otherwise, they just become two different pictures and may or may not show any differences. These two pictures like the two shown in your 1 month update are not comparing apples and apples. One has messier hair, one is paler while the other is more sun tanned or with heavier makeup, both with different lighting. For your own analysis you may want to put your camera on a tripod and take the same series of pictures of your face once a month, like a full frontal, angled pictures from both sides and full profiles from both sides, all with your hair, wig or no wig out of the way. You could do the same for your body changes too. Some people also follow all that with a variety of body measurements too. Some people like more details than others.

[Miss Mandy]

You look fabulous girl! Just imagine six months from now, when you will be utterly amazed that you are getting a womenly shape. It takes time, but you are well on your way. You started in a great place to begin with:)

[Emma Beth]

You're looking great Alyssa.

Just enjoy the ride and YES, results will vary.

Prime example. For me, when I went in for my first appointment after beginning HRT, three month mark, my T level was just one point above Female range and by the next one after that it was within Female range. From 0.9 to 0.2.

At the three month mark for me I definitely had breast growth, but my face had not had much noticeable change. Yet by my six Month mark, there was definite noticeable change in my face.

I haven't been keeping track of any progress, for the most part. The only time I track anything is when I think I notice a change. Otherwise I have just been feeling free to express myself and explore that which is me.

I have to say that this approach for me has been a wonderful journey so far and I'm actually looking forward to seeing what happens next in my life.