Six months and stopping?

Not me, but in the last month or so I've discovered a couple of my friends who started hormones but at about six months they decided to stop. In both of those situations it appears the stability of their marriage was more important than continuing on with transition. I'm without a wife and just passed the seven month mark and don't plan to stop the process. However my question is partly about that 6 month time frame. I know each person and their path is unique, but is it just coincidence that they both encountered that time limit? Are there other time frames or situations that result in a stop or at least serious considerations of stopping? Again, I'm fine with where I'm headed but like so many others, it's nice to know a little about the road ahead if that's possible.

Sarah, I had an attack of panic and regrets around week eight when the physical visible symptoms as swollen nipples pointed that breast was growing I stop but then things came back worse than before, the dysphoria was stronger. One week after that, I talked with the endo and told me to try again and increase as planned the tblocker so estrogens could work better.
On month seven we switch from patches to pills and she lower the dose to a half for 8 weeks. Dysphoria came back stronger again so after check blood samples and see everything was ok we resume to initial full dose.
Near month 10th I had another appointment with endo and asked me bow I was sleeping and I said with sometimes waking up in the middle of the night scared with regrets, so she increase in one third the estrogen. I haven't had pro lem sleeping again and my confidence and resolution in my transition is great.
I tell my story because it could be that hormones for others can be a big element of insecurity too.

I don't think so. Someone might have a crisis as changes kick in and "it all gets too real"? There might be mourning the physical prowess, the loss of "cake and eating it", the loss of real, measureable privilege. The loss of relations. These very necessary thresholds will deter anyone not experiencing sufficiently strong dysphoria/need, right?

That's the heart of it right there Pam. The question every would be transitioner must ask themselves is am I willing to risk everything and I do mean everything--family friends finances potentially even your home and job--to do this? That's the question I am struggling with right now and that question can take years or even decades to wrestle with before one reaches a conclusion. I wish it were easier, but it really isn't.

Sarah,
While I have to consider carefully going down that road but is the six month period a time when changes become more noticeable ?

Interesting! I am on month 5! Is this something that will come up next month? There will have to be a lot of changes to the negative for me to quit now! I stated before I started that I would wait a year and see where I was at that point! We will see! Hugs Lana Mae

No magic to it.

HRT is part of testing your real life.

Could be sex function goes away, could be people changing their view (in other words, omg
"hes" going through with it!!

it could be GD goes away and you start wondering about all kinds of things.. it would not be a huge surprise if at some point they take HRT again..

What magical changes at 6 months?
I took it for 2 months and stopped because my father was sick and did not want this to get in the way.
I did not notice to much ... small cutlets(breasts) which are nice.
But I did not notice to much else.
Keeping a marriage is always a good thing ... see a therapist.
Having a supportive gg is wonderful

I don't think there is anything magical about the 6 month mark. Possibly it could be that a few changes are more visible by that time. Hmm...

Personally I think the main thing that should be seen is that this falls in line with what I have heard, people who stop the transition process tend to do so because of societal issues and not because the humans have changed how they view themselves. In other words, they didn't stop being trans.

I agree with Nadine. You cannot stop being trans, you were born that way. What you can change is how you relate to this fact that is deeply embedded in your brain. After 50 years of fighting it, I had a paradigm shift that gave me my life back. Most of the medical studied that I have read confirm that most of the effects of HRT are felt within the first two years. Six months seems to be a common time when they really kick in, but of course everyone is different.

There is nothing special about the 6m mark, most likely just people who were caught up in some fantasy and when changes started to become a reality and more pronounced (beginning of breast growth) they freaked out and quit. Like Kaitlyn mentioned it’s just hrt testing your life but also your commitment to transition. You have to be willing to give up everything and by the sounds of it they were not (stability of marriage was more important).

With every step taken their should be a marked decrease in your GD and an improvement in your outlook on life....

This is why the saying “don’t transition unless you have to” is so true... it’s not something to play with.

I just had my fourth anniversary of starting HRT. When I started I used a six month window to get my wife onboard. My doctor had told me that Spironolactone took about six months to begin damaging testes tissue. If you stopped around six months, you could stop any internal damage.
Turns out my wife liked my personality and behavior much better on HRT, so I continued. Four years later my T values are almost zero, so I began to ween myself off Spironolactone and today I take none. I will be tested again in June and I will see if any T has returned after three month with out it. I hope the levels stay the same because I feel a lot better off it.
This is my results, your mileage may vary.

Heidi,

Your doctor referenced something I have always heard. The changes caused by HRT start to become permanent at around six months.

Btw, when I backed off of Spiro, about a year ago, my T went up. It was still in the female range, 49, which is not enough to be concerned about.

At that point I had reached my personal limits with the effects of HRT so it is not a big deal.

I now take a tiny dose but even that will not be necessary in three months.

Your statement, "your mileage may vary" can never be expressed enough. There are no guarantees. Almost exactly a year ago I met a twenty year old transwoman who had been on HRT for two years. She had zero breast growth, as do some ciswomen.

Back on track with the OP, if someone is dabbling with HRT, the six month point would be a safe bailout point before changes become permanent. I do have to question why anyone would dabble with something so serious.

I thought it was a coincidence and not a pattern when I first noticed the six month thing but thought I'd throw it out just to see others experience. I know I used my first two returns to the doctor, at 3 and 6 months as a chance for a full stop or at least an opportunity to reflect on the choice I've made. My world is simple enough and it seems that any loss or consequences from continued HT will fall on my shoulders, not a spouse or other family member. I know and respect the two people who attracted my attention to this. They are, without any doubt in my mind willing to and would benefit from transition, but like so many of us value the relationships they have with family and are willing to sacrifice for others.

Am at almost nine months. Around the six month mark, my body started reacting badly to the spiro. My doctor told me to cut the dosage in half and things have been much better. I almost quit due to the bad reaction I was having. Now that issue is in the past and I am very happy continuing on this journey.

I don't think it was around a 6-month mark but rather earlier (3-4 months). It was when I was about to get into bed, I bent down slightly to turn the alarm clock on, my wife looked at my new breast hanging down from a side (the worst pose to show it off - looks larger than it is), and she told me - "I don't like how your breast has grown", and she went to sleep. I didn't know what to do. I didn't think it was large enough but it was for her! I said nothing, and eventually fell asleep. That could have been a stopping point for my estrogen therapy. However, I decided that I am going to move on. The topic of my breast never came back again. It grow more on estrogen, and even more now on progesterone. I wear bra all the time. I am still not sure what happened, but shortly after this, my wife accepted my transition in general and it hasn't been a topic for discussion again. Now she happy to share when appropriate with others that her husband is trans (in a positive way, she is proud of me, which is cool).

I never saw anything magical or unique about six months.

When I decided to start HRT, I also committed myself to transitioning to living as a woman full time. With all the risks of HRT, I was not going to start it unless I was fully committed to transitioning. Also, before starting I decided that I was willing to risk being all alone and in poverty.

When I hit the six month point, I had decided that I would start living full time as a woman at 7 months.

After starting HRT, quitting was something I never gave serious consideration too. The longer that I was on HRT, the more committed I became to having SRS. I realized HRT was not enough. Nearly 2 years after beginning HRT, I had SRS.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by prene

Keeping a marriage is always a good thing ...

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No it is not! There are PLENTY of very good reasons to leave a spouse get a divorce, leave town and NEVER look back! Just ask any domestic violence survivor!

As for the hormones...

Once I made the decision to transition only dying could have stopped me.

Transition has been, for me, nothing short of growing up to become the woman I am today.
I wouldn't trade that for anything!.

Well stated April.

It does become difficult when you are pretending to be someone when there is dysfunction in a marriage.

For some of us it comes down to a choice between becoming what you should have been or not continuing to be.

The becoming is what keeps you alive and lets you really feel alive in ways never experienced before.

This is the reason most begin, and continue, HRT.