HRT Questions

[K.I.N.G]

I am very seriously considering going on testosterone at some point in the future (realistically it won't be any time soon as much as i daydream about it) but i have a few questions that I haven't been able to find any strait forward answers to so if anyone has any answers or just what they experienced while on T id much appreciate the input.

 

Okay well I'm not the vainest person alive but one thing that i am really worried about is my hair receding - it is already stupidly thin for a FAAB and if i was to go on T I'm the kind of person who'd be bald by 30 so is there any way to halt the receding process or just grow more hair on the head in general????

 

From what I've heard going on T is like going through a second puberty so do these let's say symptoms (acne, very oily skin e.g.) slow down or become less with time?

 

Will T make your waist thicker/less notice able? I've heard that it both does and it doesn't.

 

I've heard something that if you go on T you have to wait/be on T for a certain amount of time before you get top surgery or is this just misinfomation?

 

Finally I'm also seriously worried about transition/top surgery regret and if there's any way to know if I may be at risk of getting it and also dealing with it if I do - could it be something that comes and goes? or what if i feel as uncomfortable and panicked as i do now - there any way to know at all?

 

I have started transitioning in a way - adopting certain mannerisms, working out to gain more upper body width, trying to subtly pass or at least some doubt, never referring to myself in female terms - sibling instead of sister e.g. if this makes any difference.

[Starbogen]

I'm not on T yet sadly but I'd also like to know the answer to some of these questions.. More like people's experiences, in particular with the waist since I very much want the fat redistribution part of the effects of HRT. 

 

As far as the hair though, I'm pretty sure this just has to do with your genetic history in the first place in combination with testosterone, so if most of the men in your family end up going bald sooner or later then you could go down that path too if you go on T. Or it's just more likely than if your male relatives are not the kind who have lost their hair. But either way your hairline will receed a bit into a more typically male outline. That's what I understand at least, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

[AwkwardAxolotl]

As far as receding hairline, I don't know of any way to reverse/halt hair loss.

 

My level of acne/oily skin changed with my first go at puberty, but being on T didn't really change it much for me, it stayed about the same as it had leveled out to after my first puberty.

 

I don't think T made my waist thicker, but it did make it less noticeable, as fat redistribution moved fat away from my hips, so there was a less drastic difference between the width of my hips and that of my waist.

 

The surgeon who did my top surgery said that top surgery can be done at any point in relation to being on T, but that he recommends for the most cosmetically pleasing results to wait to do top surgery until at least a year on T. The rationale being that after a year on T, most of the changes in muscle/fat distribution will have already happened, whereas if the surgery is done before these changes happen, the results might not look quite as good.

[K.I.N.G]

11 minutes ago, Liebelit said:

I'm not on T yet sadly but I'd also like to know the answer to some of these questions.. More like people's experiences, in particular with the waist since I very much want the fat redistribution part of the effects of HRT. 

I feel for you - The fat redistribution is one of the things im most looking forward for and im utterly fine with the hairline - just after ive got it i can't afford to loose any more hair :/

 

 

7 minutes ago, AwkwardAxolotl said:

The surgeon who did my top surgery said that top surgery can be done at any point in relation to being on T, but that he recommends for the most cosmetically pleasing results to wait to do top surgery until at least a year on T. The rationale being that after a year on T, most of the changes in muscle/fat distribution will have already happened, whereas if the surgery is done before these changes happen, the results might not look quite as good.

Ahh okay thank you that makes sense.

Actually that's another question if you stop T after a few years will the fat redistribution go back to being a more feminine patten?

[Mezzo Forte]

3 hours ago, I Am Mel said:

I am very seriously considering going on testosterone at some point in the future (realistically it won't be any time soon as much as i daydream about it) but i have a few questions that I haven't been able to find any strait forward answers to so if anyone has any answers or just what they experienced while on T id much appreciate the input.

 

Okay well I'm not the vainest person alive but one thing that i am really worried about is my hair receding - it is already stupidly thin for a FAAB and if i was to go on T I'm the kind of person who'd be bald by 30 so is there any way to halt the receding process or just grow more hair on the head in general????

 

From what I've heard going on T is like going through a second puberty so do these let's say symptoms (acne, very oily skin e.g.) slow down or become less with time?

 

Will T make your waist thicker/less notice able? I've heard that it both does and it doesn't.

 

I've heard something that if you go on T you have to wait/be on T for a certain amount of time before you get top surgery or is this just misinfomation?

 

Finally I'm also seriously worried about transition/top surgery regret and if there's any way to know if I may be at risk of getting it and also dealing with it if I do - could it be something that comes and goes? or what if i feel as uncomfortable and panicked as i do now - there any way to know at all?

 

I have started transitioning in a way - adopting certain mannerisms, working out to gain more upper body width, trying to subtly pass or at least some doubt, never referring to myself in female terms - sibling instead of sister e.g. if this makes any difference.

For the hairline, while there aren't methods to reverse hairloss, there are medications that can be taken to prevent further hair loss. Only catch is that some report that the medicine really slows down facial hair development. Thickness of the hair doesn't communicate whether or not you will develop male pattern baldness though; at best, you can look to your family and make predictions based on your genetics.

 

HRT is indeed a second puberty. The acne should slow with time, but it can be a slow process depending on genetics. I currently juggle four different topical acne medicines At 17 months on T, so while my acne is actually really in control now, I wouldn't know how to properly compare that to how I was before. Pretty sure mine's doing much better though. I would assume that acne would become less common with time. (Some people actually switch to weekly injections or other more frequent administering methods because the hormonal fluctuations of bi-week injections can sometimes spurr acne moreso than the hormone dosage itself.

 

T can affect fat distribution, including that of the waist, but some claim that this only sends new fat to the proper place rather than shifting the fat that's already on your body. I saw some effects of fat redistribution within the first 6 months of T if I remember correctly, because I used to be able to support one steel pan on each hip (I play double second pan), and eventually, I couldn't really do that anymore because they just slide right off me.

 

There's no T requirements for top surgery. Maybe a handful of surgeons will require you to be on T beforehand, but most don't. You can have top surgery even if you never go on testosterone. That said, if you're on T, you'll often be asked to discontinue T for a bit in the time leading up to surgery and potentially for a bit afterwards. (I had to go at least two weeks without administering T, and thanks to delays with my surgical center, ended up going more like 3 weeks without my shot.) My doc was fine with me resuming shots a few days post-op. I've heard of people getting top surgery within the early months of starting HRT, so I doubt there's a time requirement after starting T either.

 

Honestly, HRT is not something to take lightly. While regret is very rare, it's best to at do as much research into the topic as possible. If there are any specific elements that might give you pause, ask yourself if those elements are dealbreakers. That said, if you start HRT, you're free to stop at any point. Some changes are permanent, but others will revert back after a while. Just make sure you can accept the potential permanent changes before starting, especially the ones that happen really quickly like the downstairs growth and voice drop. Personally, I was nervous about the chance of being wrong even when all the evidence pointed to the fact that I was responding well to HRT. "Wow, I'm super happy with everything T's done for me so far and I'm excited for what's to come, but what if I'm wrong!?!?!?!" It's absurd, but that paranoia is hard to shake. I'd say that very few people start HRT without some sort of nervousness, especially if they're well-informed on the topic.

 

[K.I.N.G]

@Mezzo Forte Thanks for the info - yes if I've picked up anything it's that you cannot be half-hearted when it come to T - I have done a lot (but still not enough) of research on the effects and hazards so to say of taking T, there's just so much said about the effects that it hard to find what defiantly will and won't happen and what might happen.

 

I'm a bit iffy when it comes to hair as I have absolutely no idea what it's like on my biological mother's side which seems to be where I've inherited the thinnest of my hair from - glad to hear the acne can be controlled though.

 

7 hours ago, Mezzo Forte said:

If there are any specific elements that might give you pause, ask yourself if those elements are dealbreakers. That said, if you start HRT, you're free to stop at any point. Some changes are permanent, but others will revert back after a while. Just make sure you can accept the potential permanent changes before starting, especially the ones that happen really quickly like the downstairs growth and voice drop.

Sound advice I shall defiantly take into consideration thank you.

 

Suppose I should just keep ploughing at it until I can make my mind up for definite.

[Mezzo Forte]

@I Am Mel, you sound like you have the right mentality researching T. Honestly, I actively questioned if I wanted T before I came out to myself as trans, so I spent a few years with that idea swimming in my mind before it even became within the realm of possibility. My biggest hesitations (not counting social fears) were downstairs growth and the risk of male pattern baldness. If I didn't make peace with the ladder of the two, I probably would have panicked within the first few days of HRT. For male pattern baldness, I asked myself if I'd rather be seen as a bald man or a long-haired woman, and as much as I love my hair, I accepted the risk, I knew that the benefits outweighed the costs for me even in the worst case situations.

 

(That logical part of the brain can still exist with the less rational worries about being wrong though. That feeling does eventually fade though. For me, I think it got replaced with this feeling that my transition is fleeting: like I could wake up any second now with my pre-transition body and name.)

 

There definitely is a lot of misinformation out there, so I appreciate your efforts to sift through everything.

Let me warn you that you may come across a TERF website aimed specifically at claiming that FtM transition is a conspiracy to rid the world of lesbians by poisoning them with testosterone, which apparently gives you cancer and ruins the almighty clitoris. I'll save you the time and let you know that everything they're saying is bullshit. The long-term effects of HRT on the reproductive organs has not been rigorously studied, but many people have actually opted out of hysterectomies and have held up just fine. (I just read an account of someone who got a hysto at 10 years on T and when the doctors did a biopsy on his parts, I think he only had some small cysts in his ovaries or something to that effect.) And I can say that HRT definitely doesn't ruin anything downstairs; if anything, that was one of the most unexpectedly positive changes for me. 

 

For your hair, I'd still look at as many of your blood relatives as you can, but I'm just paranoid and don't know whether the person whose hair thickness you inherit also dictates your risks of baldness. My paternal grandfather and one of my paternal uncles is bald, but my dad, brother, and most my mom's side has full heads of hair. That said, I'm nearing 1.5 years on T with no strong evidence of hair loss beyond what's considered normal changes in hair for HRT. (You do lose some of the fluffy hairs near the hairline and that line itself thus becomes less rounded/more angular, but that's actually a reversible change and doesn't necessarily precede going bald. There are certain baldness patterns you can watch for though.)

 

Staying informed is a really important part of deciding is HRT is right for you, so I'm glad you're taking the right precautions. I'm confident that when you do make a decision, you'll be as fully informed as you can be.  

[butterflydreams]

8 hours ago, Mezzo Forte said:

"Wow, I'm super happy with everything T's done for me so far and I'm excited for what's to come, but what if I'm wrong!?!?!?!" It's absurd, but that paranoia is hard to shake. I'd say that very few people start HRT without some sort of nervousness, especially if they're well-informed on the topic

Yeah, agree with this a lot. HRT is a really serious step and I don’t think the trans community generally does a good job of demonstrating how serious it is. They always seem to gloss over that serious introspective part. There also seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about what HRT is and isn’t and how it works. It’s not magic and it’s not trivial. You can’t just take a lower dose to look androgynous. All a lower dose will do is take longer to masculinize/feminize you. 

 

After doing the research, if you decide to do it, I’d reccommend starting off on a lower dose and if you notice yourself feeling better, you’re probably good. It’s easy to tell how it makes you feel pretty quickly. And if you don’t, you can bail and not really have any ill effects. But you have to be very aware of how you’re feeling in those first few weeks. For me, I felt amazing and since then I’ve never looked back. That’s not to say I don’t have doubts, I do. Every now and then, I’ll think, what am I doing? Is this really right? What if I’m wrong? 800 days on HRT and I can still say that. So you have to be able to parse out which of those things are real and which are just passing doubts. 

[Calligraphette_Coe]

I just wish there were more support systems in place for people who, for whatever valid reason, opt to not go the HRT route. So many times I would find myself crying in the shower when people invalidated me because my medical problems proscribe me from doing HRT. No reputable doctor would sign off on it with my medical history, but instead of people accepting that, I was just dismissed as a 'wannabe'.

 

There are times when I didn't know which was worse-- the dypshoria or being ostraciized/invalidated/gaslighted. Finally, you reach the understanging that biochemistry is FAR more complicated than just what someone thinks about tribal conformity, and that _should_ be enough, but humans are just soooo..... tribal.

 

It just warms my heart to think that forums like this one may be the face of the future. Because the ones I had to endure from my past shouldn't be the ones posterity chooses to perpetuate. And that advice should not proceed from some source with an agenda that excludes people.

[K.I.N.G]

9 hours ago, Mezzo Forte said:

I probably would have panicked within the first few days of HRT. For male pattern baldness, I asked myself if I'd rather be seen as a bald man or a long-haired woman, and as much as I love my hair, I accepted the risk, I knew that the benefits outweighed the costs for me even in the worst case situations.

@Mezzo Forte This is an excellent point thank you very much and also thanks for the heads up i have yet to come across that propaganda.

9 hours ago, Mezzo Forte said:

That said, I'm nearing 1.5 years on T with no strong evidence of hair loss beyond what's considered normal changes in hair for HRT. (You do lose some of the fluffy hairs near the hairline and that line itself thus becomes less rounded/more angular, but that's actually a reversible change and doesn't necessarily precede going bald. There are certain baldness patterns you can watch for though.)

 

I am very glad to hear it that it is somewhat reversible if i end up going off T.

 

9 hours ago, Mezzo Forte said:

Staying informed is a really important part of deciding is HRT is right for you, so I'm glad you're taking the right precautions. I'm confident that when you do make a decision, you'll be as fully informed as you can be.

Thanks and i hope so to.

[K.I.N.G]

@Hadley167  I see your point thanks and I'll definatly take it into consideration.

 

[Mezzo Forte]

1 hour ago, I Am Mel said:

@Mezzo Forte This is an excellent point thank you very much and also thanks for the heads up i have yet to come across that propaganda.

I am very glad to hear it that it is somewhat reversible if i end up going off T.

 

Thanks and i hope so to.

Glad I can help! Honestly, I've found myself talking to people who went on T or even had top surgery with barely any research into what kinds of effects to even expect, and I still can't wrap my head around that perspective. 

 

The reason why I looked at that TERF site as thoroughly as I did was an attempt to avoid exclusively looking at sources that had a 

pro-HRT bias.  The cancer stuff is actually a giant unknown in regards to medical research, and I think the FtM community can actually get a little hasty in their dismissal of the possibility; but the other side claiming that cancer's some kind of guarantee is far more laughable. There's no epidemic of transmen getting cancer, but I do feel that closely monitoring the effects of T with a medical professional is pretty necessary, and that includes pelvic exams and Pap tests for those who still have the parts that need monitoring. I can say with certainty that the TERF side is far more misinformed than the trans community, but you will have to sift through bias nonetheless.

 

In regards to those little hairs: while they certainly help the head hair seem fuller, they definitely lack the length and thickness of regular head hair. Transwomen often report their head hair coming in fuller on HRT, but not so much that it reverses male pattern baldness. If you don't have a genetic predisposition toward male pattern baldness, then you would only lose those little hairs on HRT. That said, it's hard to predict, and I think it's hard to tell at first whether or not the changes in your hair is MPB or not. I still get paranoid about whether or not I'm going to go bald or not.

 

There's a lot of nuance to the ways that hormones can impact the body, and you won't truly know how your body will respond until you're living through the process. Stay on top of that research, and you'll be that much better prepared to make the decision that will suit you best.

[ReyGraves]

Wow, okay, so I was going to say that looking at your mother’s side would give you a stronger indication of MPB buuuuut, that would only really work if you had XY chromosomes. So nevermind on that front. (They think MPB is carried in the X chromosome and thus if you have XY then you got it from your mom. But if you have XX chromosomes then you could’ve gotten it from either parent and it’s inactive with an estrogen dominant body.)

(^Last part is speculation on my part. Take it with a grain of salt.)

 

Anyway, I’m in the same boat as OP, so your responses were very helpful to read. 

[Mezzo Forte]

12 hours ago, ReyGraves said:

Wow, okay, so I was going to say that looking at your mother’s side would give you a stronger indication of MPB buuuuut, that would only really work if you had XY chromosomes. So nevermind on that front. (They think MPB is carried in the X chromosome and thus if you have XY then you got it from your mom. But if you have XX chromosomes then you could’ve gotten it from either parent and it’s inactive with an estrogen dominant body.)

(^Last part is speculation on my part. Take it with a grain of salt.)

 

Anyway, I’m in the same boat as OP, so your responses were very helpful to read. 

To my knowledge, that notion of MPB only coming from the mother's side is a myth even for cis men. You're much better off looking at as much of your family history as you're familiar with to gauge the possibility.

[K.I.N.G]

21 hours ago, ReyGraves said:

Wow, okay, so I was going to say that looking at your mother’s side would give you a stronger indication of MPB buuuuut, that would only really work if you had XY chromosomes. So nevermind on that front. (They think MPB is carried in the X chromosome and thus if you have XY then you got it from your mom. But if you have XX chromosomes then you could’ve gotten it from either parent and it’s inactive with an estrogen dominant body.)

(^Last part is speculation on my part. Take it with a grain of salt.)

 

Anyway, I’m in the same boat as OP, so your responses were very helpful to read. 

 Shit Thanks a lot for pointing that out! i seriously hadn't thought of it!

 

9 hours ago, Mezzo Forte said:

To my knowledge, that notion of MPB only coming from the mother's side is a myth even for cis men. You're much better off looking at as much of your family history as you're familiar with to gauge the possibility.

yeh ill defiantly try to - just so sketchy on my bio-mothers side. 

[F1shCake]

I have a question about hair loss. I am genetically predisposed to MPB (esp. on my dads side). I don't want this to happen (esp. considering I already have a "male" hairline) And I read in some places that if you take GnRH agonists, you can stop the MPB from occurring (or slow it down). What other effects of T will the GnRH stop/slow down?

[ChillaKilla]

1. I've heard of some trans men using Minoxidil or Rogaine to facilitate facial hair growth, and as it is intended to prevent/reverse baldness, maybe you could get a prescription for that if the hair loss becomes too pronounced? AFAIK it doesn't affect your T levels because it's topical and only affects the area applied.

 

2. The puberty symptoms definitely slow a bit as your body adjusts. The puberty analogy is extremely accurate in that (and other) respects.

 

3. My waist area has definitely shrunk, plus T can accentuate your shoulders (which happened to me- it became very pronounced when I tried to put on this sleeveless sleep shirt/tank and it was taut across my chest and back ) so your figure will definitely become more androgynous.

 

4. Don't think there's a requirement- I've seen some people (the lucky bastards) get surgery before starting T. Some surgeons probably want you to have it to make sure you absolutely want this, but thankfully the gatekeeper-y types are becoming more and more infrequent.

 

5. Regret comes and goes. I'm not even sure if I'd call it regret, moreso anxiety about POTENTIAL regret. I cope with being afraid of having made the wrong choice by trying to remember how life felt before T (that is, unlivable compared to where I'm at now), and telling myself that even if my feelings in the future DO change, I shouldn't resign myself to misery and dysphoria now merely because of a hypothetical scenario in which I end up having regret. I have never felt that I made the wrong choice. I've even see some detransitioners say that they don't regret it- it suited them at that time, and while it doesn't anymore, they were content with it in the moment. This former trans man I spoke to about it said something along the lines of "I lived happily as a gay trans man for 20+ years, and now I'm a straight woman again. I was happy with it then, and I'm happy where I am now."

 

Hope this helps, and best of luck on your journey