looking for advise

[mikayla1964]

I'm wondering if any of you have any advise on staying hrt in your early 50s. Im going to make a appointment this week with a doctor who accepts the informed consent form. I have thought about this for several years and if i could have years ago i would have already gone thru with it.

[Shelly Preston]

Hi Mikayla

You will be fine being accepted by your doctor is a good start but you have a long way to go. Starting at your age will be a non issue.
Good luck with the appointment, just relax and be yourself.

You can actually transition without hormones although it is generally the best route to take.

[Melissa Rose]

If you gather enough responses, whether in this thread or by looking at others, the overriding theme will probably be YMMV (your mileage may vary). Some starting HRT later in life have experienced small changes (physical and mental) while others have experienced more profound changes, and the rate of change varies a lot. I am more in the later situation and some changes were readily evident in less than 6 months and others did not fully settle in until about 2 years. You may be told to look at your family (e.g., mom, sisters, etc.) for a snapshot of what to expect especially regarding breast development. While that may be true for some, it was not for me (I easily exceeded expectations). There are so many variables and the experiences of others can only frame what to expect.

Due to this variability, my only piece of advise is to prepare for the changes to be profound and this includes how it will impact others in your life, but also to accept if the changes are minor. Things will changes and some in ways you did or could not imagine. Are you prepared to deal with those consequences, big and small? Even if you do not plan on fully transitioning, there will be consequences. You do not need to have all of the answers (no one does), but you need a decent grip and foundation before proceeding. The lesser of two evils is to be over prepared than under prepared. However, be ready to accept the changes may not be as good or substantial as you hoped or were lead to believe.

The more clinical answer is to expect some breast development with nipple/areola development being variable, softening of your skin, lighter body hair, minor hip fat placement (if at all), and mental/emotional changes which is also very highly variable and hard to objectively measure. Very generally speaking, the later you start HRT, the less profound the physical changes will be but this is not an absolute.

[Rachael Leigh]

Mikayla, I too am in my 50s and plan on starting HRT in the next few months. I’m not concerned much about the effects
I trust the doctors. I’m already out and in public as Rachael and hope that the HRT will help in improving my appearance
even if it’s small
Good luck to you
Rachael

[Pat]

The best hormone therapy advice is available in the TS forum -- be sure and check them out. Starting at 50 is not an issue so long as you're prepared. Even if you go the informed consent route, I'd suggest you see a gender therapist. Where are you hoping to go with this?

[mikayla1964]

Thank you all I already have breast 38b I have gynecomastia. I'm not expecting big changes just so I feel better and possibly look a little better. I will be more in line with my inner self.

[GretchenM]

I agree with Melissa and Pat and I think their advice is very good. Before you take this path it is probably good to be sure of why you are taking this path and, as Pat asked, where are you going with this step? You don't need every light to be green before starting HRT, but there should be a reason and some kind of plan. There is a slight medical risk at your age, but remember some of those effects are not easily reversible if you change your mind after your redevelopment is well underway. So, I think you need to have a pretty good plan laid out as to why you are doing this and a gender therapist can help you explore that so you don't make a mistake you may regret later. I wish you the best of luck.