I'm starting to have breast growth even before HRT

[DeniseNJ]

I know this sounds crazy, but I lost weight lately but I retained my man boobs. I've been trying to walk a lot and exercise and my mind has been filled with the future and how I will feel as a woman. I wonder what it would be like to walk around my complex with a pair of shorts women's shorts and a spaghetti strap women's tee. Well I was doing some shaving the other day and maybe it's in my mind but my boobs are actually growing. It's hard to explain but can this anticipation and feeling of being female had started something. It's like I'm starting with a head start now. , Kind of confused.

[Maid_Marion]

Hi Denise,

I have pecs that look exactly like 32A boobs! I've considered HRT but the loss of height and strength would be a serious downside considering that I'm already small and petite.

Marion

[Teresa]

Denise,
I've noticed my bust appears to be growing , I'm sure it's more down to the male muscle mass reverting to a fat layer . One thing I have noticed is my nipples do appear to be getting bigger and more sensitive . I do think something is going on with my chemistry , I haven't had any levels checked but it could be the effects of my T finally reducing which at my age I've been expecting for some time . I will add I'm not on any hormones .

[Devi SM]

Hi Denise,

I have pecs that look exactly like 32A boobs! I've considered HRT but the loss of height and strength would be a serious downside considering that I'm already small and petite.

Marion

I'm sorry nut this is the first time I read about "loss of height with HRT. I'm 5'8" and I still having the same height. If that would be the case, how much would be the lost of height?

Denise, I start HRT being 58 years old and already had some breast that is normal in that age man. Luckily, HRT enhance that breast that had a shape of something hanging but now are rounded woman's breast, B cups. Very happy!

Devi

[Lana Mae]

I had "man boobs" likely from age before HRT but with HRT they have definately become more like feminine "boobs"! They are rounder and have more projection! They are still only "A" cup but they are still growing! HRT for 17 months! Best wishes with that! Virtual Hugs Lana Mae

[DeniseNJ]

Maybe I'm losing my mind from being stuck inside. I walk every once in awhile I want to take a beautiful picture of this landscape Hill near my condo and post it on Facebook is so beautiful. I'm trying to find things to do.

[Maid_Marion]

There are a lot of anecdotal reports of height loss over on Susan's Place. I'm already shorter than most women.

[DeniseNJ]

Marion, I kind of read something somewhere about the padding between the bones or cartilage kind of shrinks. Tgirls shows a picture of the sneakers she used to wear and then the size she is wearing now after she's been on HRT for a couple years it's like a size smaller.but what they really say it does not change bone structure in your feet or your hands. There might be something to this and there might not.

[Lana Mae]

Feet getting smaller could be all about the redistribution of fatty tissue! HRT causes redistribution of fatty tissue and is the cause of hip, butt and breast growth! It does not change bony structures! The emotional and mentally changes are oh so nice! My hips and butt have only reshaped and not grown larger-yet! LOL I still have some gut to get rid of! Best wishes with all of this and enjoy! Virtual Hugs Lana Mae

[JeanTG]

I've been on HRT for 7 weeks now. Like other male bodies my age I have man-boobs. I still haven't seen any significant change, but I can say my nipples are bigger and get erect very easily, which never happened in the past. They are also much more sensitive and seem to have developed a direct line to the lower parts that didn't exist before.

I don't know how much muscle mass one will lose; I'm an avid cyclist, I've already ridden 120 miles in the last 6 days, so that should help but I've read that most of the muscle loss is upper body. I think height loss would come from osteoporosis, and that would be most likely with NO hormones, e.g. after bilateral orchiectomy but with no estrogen to replace the testosterone. Women do start to lose height but after menopause.

[Bandile]

For me, breasts are something I always had before HRT and before puberty. I was curious how big they were going to grow, which I would say it's more than enough for people to notice. I've been doing HRT for 1 1/2 years.

[Maid_Marion]

Women's sneakers often have a little bit of rise in them, so if anything, women's shoes make you taller! At least the size 7s that I buy.

I have just enough to look great in Junior's tops.

Marion

[Kaitlyn Michele]

I think in general as you go forward you don't want to get to much into the measurements and trying gauge things like this..

You are not growing boobs. There is fat and tissue there of course. I guess if it makes you feel less gender dysphoria that makes sense but dont be confused... do the "work" get healthy in your mind

If you hope for physical changes you have to understand they may not happen, and if they do they may not be what you want... you dont have control over that

[Krisi]

Losing height as you age is pretty common in men and women. I am almost three inches shorter now than I was at my peak. This is without any feminine hormones.

[Robin-in-TX]

Hi, I think you'll find that once you start HRT, you will have fat redistribution, including to your breasts. But also, your breast tissue itself will develop and expand. At least for me, that is where my breasts are coming from. The breast growth is actually painful.

[Maid_Marion]

I'd assume that wearing a padded bra helps a little with the painful part. As your body changes it will take a while for your mind to recalibrate where it thinks your body is. Before that you are likely to bump into things! Ouch!

[Krisi]

Sometimes our minds trick us into thinking we are getting what we want so badly.

The only objective way to tell if your breasts are growing is to measure them with a tape measure. Write down your measurements every week or two.

[Devi SM]

I agree with you Krisi but you know that could be good.
It's a known phenomenon called placebo effect.
Scientific, doctors can't explain miracles. So many ancient culture have their own healers with different techniques and what they do most of the times work not for their supernatural powers or knowledge but for the "faith" of the receiver in the gift that comes from gods.
I was a Christian pastor and experienced so many miracles in my own life and the life of even unknown people on streets. I have a National geographic magazine that goes deep with scientific tests very documented and they just see some brain activity in the "recipient " or patient while the procedure is being administered.
That's the reason that pharmacologic tests with new medicine see all the time, people receiving just sugar with the same shape and color of the real "medicin" is being tested and they experience the expected results of the real medicine....
So, I believe that some of us "need" so much the transition that can boost the real effects....
In churches there are all the time believers that received and others dont receive, they just call it lack of faith....
Mho.

Devi

[Maid_Marion]

There are lots of things that can trigger breast growth besides HRT.

[Jenny22]

Maid M, for goodness sake tell us what really, really works. Most of your sisters are anxious to know!!!

[LeaP]

Most male boobs are primarily fat* and sagging skin. They aren't remotely the same as trans-women's or female's breasts, as any mammogram will show.

True gynecomastia, which is growth of milk glands, lobules, ducts, etc., as well as nipple changes, is fairly common, too, but on a minor scale. Very few males experience the kind of growth that can be mediated by HRT. Those that do are usually getting a substantial dose of estrogens in their diet or from their environment. Alternatively, a few may have very sensitive estrogen receptors. Androgen suppression alone can trigger gynecomastia, but again, usually on the minor side of things.

*(And yes, there is a substantial amount of fat in a female breast. It's interspersed throughout the breast tissue, however, and not in a blob like so many moobs.)

[Laura912]

At the risk of poking a hornet’s nest, there is nothing that will cause breast growth (breast as defined above by Lea) unless it is based on hormones.

[mbmeen12]

Not to sound like a cliche, but the mind is a powerful thing...

[Maid_Marion]

If you are happy with how they look does anything else matter?

[LeaP]

At the risk of poking a hornet’s nest, there is nothing that will cause breast growth (breast as defined above by Lea) unless it is based on hormones.

Thank you, Laura. Just to add on, even androgen suppression in itself doesn't trigger breast growth. That's brought on by the estrogens we all have (or are exposed to), male or female. Suppression allows the estrogens to become dominant, though rarely to the degree brought on by taking hormones.

[Kaitlyn Michele]

I hope you get the picture..

Its a practical matter
Don't risk unneccessary disappointment..

Its possible you will get every thing you hope for. it will take time tho..

Enjoy the feelings of HRT

Most importantly, bask in the knowledge that you are doing the right thing for yourself.

If you can just get good with that, and get good with whatever physical and emotional changes you experience no matter how big or small, nobody can ever take that away from you.

[susanmichelle]

My breast started growing about 5 years ago. I was very sensitive and was also hurting for weeks at a time. I went to see my GP doctor and she checked my levels. She said that testosterone was really low and estrogen was very high. Had me start taking testosterone shots once a week at home I?d inject in legs one or other switching legs each time. I did this for about 5 months was rechecked and levels were normal. I stopped taking injections as it didn?t stop the feeling of growth spurts and did nothing for sexually reasoning so stopped. Since then I?m now in last three years up to a 38 full A cup getting into B starting. If I go into hrt I assume it would possibly grow from there.

[LeaP]

Just to cap off my comments, please be aware that gynecomastia can be an indication of several very serious medical conditions, aside from more the more benign sources that have been mentioned. If you are experiencing breast growth but not taking hormones, not taking androgen suppressants for something like prostate problems, and are otherwise normally healthy, see a doctor. Unexplained breast growth is not normal.

[Maryannginger]

Well belly fat Aromitizes testosterone into Estrogens and if you have low testosterone you have higher estrogen called estrogen dominance.

[LeaP]

Well, no, not exactly. Testosterone aromatization to estradiol is a normal function to maintain levels when there is a large change in testosterone production or an excess of testosterone. Those with low testosterone are the least likely to incur this. [EDIT - I should rather say "in a material way", as there is less testosterone to aromatize.] The most common trigger these days is taking steroids, which disrupts testosterone production.

Estrogen dominance and feminization effects in the male body are more complex than just E vs T balances. Receptor sensitivity, genetics, and progesterone levels play huge parts also. Moreover, receptor sensitivity will usually differ by body part.

Beyond all that, a number of common scenarios for low testosterone in males are accompanied by lower estrogen levels. That's particularly so with aging. Estrogen dominance via aromatization in males DOES occur, of course, but it's not often permanent. Any feminization effects when and if T & E balances return to male norms may or may not last.

[Laura912]

Well written, Lea. It is nice to see someone trying to inject (pun intended) common sense and real science into these conversations.

[LeaP]

Well written, Lea. It is nice to see someone trying to inject (pun intended) common sense and real science into these conversations.

Thank you, Laura. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. It's just that it so important to be anchored in reality though this. I would go so far as to say that being trans is ALL about realities; recognizing them, accepting them, and figuring out how to deal with them.

[Lana Mae]

Thanks Lea! Your last statement is so true! Hugs Lana Mae

[DeniseNJ]

I went to play golf today and I wore regular thin golf shirt. Fat guy shorts on the nice shirt golf shoes. I emailed a picture to a friend man saying this is my Payne Stewart pose,he stated yeah I still play golf but are you going off the ladies tees or the white tees.I says I'm going off the whites but if you really want me to go up the ladies tees if we played I would and then he comes back and says your nipples are really showing through your shirt. I blew up the picture and he's right they were erect. I've only been on HRT for 3 weeks can it be possible.

[Devi SM]

Denise, one if the first signs of the hormones working are
in the nipples. They get swollen, then you start keeling them more sensitive and always hard pointing front.
After that you're going to feel a tissue growing inside....
My experience, I love it, you will too....