Foe Those Taking Hormones

[Guest 1charlotte1]

I am jumping the gun because I haven't even seen a therapist, but what should I expect?

hugz!, Charlotte

[Sally]

Blood tests, waiting, seeing doctors and a lot of negative cash flow!

Oh you meant what to expect from the hormones - I'm still in between the blood tests and the seeing doctors.

Someone will be along in a little while to tell you more, Paula Alt has started hers recently, and Donna Jean is a few months into it and Lizzy is at about the 6 month mark so you'll get some information pretty soon.

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest angie]

The first thing you will notice is a deep calm,as your body starts getting

and using,the estrogens it has been craving.

Angie

[Guest Donna Jean]

Hey, Hon...............

The very first thing I noticed was a deep satisfaction with my world as if things were coming into order...of course that is all in my head....lol

But as Angie said:

a deep calm,as your body starts getting

and using,the estrogens it has been craving.

There will be no physical affects that you can feel right away..like if you had a pain pill or something...and it does take some time for the physical changes to start, that happens very slowly..you may not even notice day to day...

But a comparison over week to week and you will notice...3 months for me and I have noticeable breast development, much softer skin, body hair decrease, and watch out for the moods and crying that may come...I have the crying part down to a science!

Lizzy is going on 6 months now and just look at her gallery! WOW real good !!! She is having very good reaction to HRT....see, older people like us sometimes do not get the effects of estrogen as well as younger folks do...but it seems to have kicked into over drive on Lizzy, and working pretty well on me, too...so maybe we're lucky! (hope so!)

Hope that helps some, Honey!

Donna Jean

[Sally]

I told you that they would come, but I forgot to mention Angie and quiet a few others, we have a few post ops here who might remember how thigs started changing when they first started HRT.

You should get a lot of great information and a lot of support.

I'll come back to this thread in mid August and let you know what happens in my first couple of weeks!

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Honey

You will like the HRT. I personally think it is as imporant as the actuall SRS - a lot less expensive, of course, and it's a misconception that you are on it for about two years, actually, it's for the remainder of your life. After SRS certain male hormone producing glands (coy here) are removed but your body will always have T produced somewhere, so this manages it. Actualy a bit of testosterone is good for women. But unless you are a GG you need an estrogen source - one with large production capability. So HRT will be with you from now on.

The effects? Most all have already explained part of that a refers to mood. At first it is all psychological as you realize that now, you are no longer a male full of testosterone, but instead full of estrogen. You are now chemically female.

That's really a powerful concept - and coupled with your life long desire to be this way, actually doing something physically to your body will alter your moods and feelings.

Then the REAL chemical mood change kicks in! WOW - it's not what you ever expected... I can say that. You will feel an interconnectedness with everything. You will lose the male suit of armor. You will 'get it.' Everything your female friends, mother, girlfriends, sister, and casual women aquaintances have ever done will suddenly make perfect sense. HA!

THEN - when you think everything suddenly makes sense - pow... the female mindset full of empathy and sadness will kick in. Everything in the world will seem just a bit unfair. You will feel like crying over everything. You will have a woman's view of what it is really like out there. And internally too - you will see and feel differently. Even your senses change somehow, taste and smell and touch too. A bubble bath suddenly makes sense - combing your hair will become a delight - touching yourself... well... new ways...

And then the body changes kick in. Oh my - face, skin, textures and smoothness you never had - breasts... and more... you will see...

Oh you will see...

Look at http://lgbthealth.healthcommunities.com/transgender/ht.shtml

Hope this helps

Oh watch the roller coaster effect - it gets pretty wild sometimes! You have to develop defenses against mood swings you have never had before.

Lizzy

[Paula ult]

Charlotte, i know how you are anxious to take hormones hon but it's better to wait till you see a gender therapist and get started the proper way. I self medicated 7 months before seeing my therapist but am now going to an endo that monitors my blood levels. I consider myself very lucky

that i did no damage.

Depending on what you are taking, there are some really bad Estrogens like Premarin and Ethinyl Estradiol, both of these make many passes thru your liver and can cause DVT, blood clots which can be deadly, in addition to liver damage. If you get a DVT your days of taking Estrogen will be over.

Get started with a therapist the additional time doing it the right way will pay off in years to come with letters for hormones and SRS.

Be Safe HUGS!

Paula

[Guest Jeannine Bean]

Depending on what you are taking, there are some really bad Estrogens like Premarin and Ethinyl Estradiol, both of these make many passes thru your liver and can cause DVT, blood clots which can be deadly, in addition to liver damage. If you get a DVT your days of taking Estrogen will be over.

Yea, I took those for a little while, LOL...

Not recommended. Blood pressure spikes, heart racing, echos in my ears, body temperature going up really high, confusion... it was quite rough. I didn't really know any better at the time. Then I got an endocrinologist and better medicines... then I stopped being able to afford the endo about three months later, LOL. Five years have passed since then, and I make more money, so I'm trying to find English speaking docs here in Taiwan to help me do it again..

I experienced huge changes in my skin in a relatively short time. My skin went from baby soft (I took lots of vitamin E and used and still use really good moisturizers, plus good genes, both my parents look ten years younger than they are) to absolutely angelic, mindbogglingly stunning... That and probably some water retention that I thought was breast growth, especially coming off them.. Though lovers still tell me my body is quite "soft" sometimes.

--J:.

[Guest Evan_J]

Blood tests, waiting, seeing doctors and a lot of negative cash flow!

ROFL -she's my sister leave her alone its genetic.

[Guest Evan_J]

.....unless you are a GG you need an estrogen source - one with large production capability. .......

Actually, they need one too, its just that thats what a lot of em use the ovaries for. In truth, you easily could think of it as the replacement for your ovaries. When GGs have hystos lots (can't say "most" anymore I don't think cuz docs are trying to discourage them) of them have replacement too. Its how I think of being on T- its just doiing what my testes would do. The same way it'd do it for the "genetic dude" who had a terrible accident, or a birthdefect. When you think of it that way, actually having all the inner core of your gender, the differences between genetic and transitioned become miniscule.

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Actually, they need one too, its just that thats what a lot of em use the ovaries for. In truth, you easily could think of it as the replacement for your ovaries. When GGs have hystos lots (can't say "most" anymore I don't think cuz docs are trying to discourage them) of them have replacement too. Its how I think of being on T- its just doiing what my testes would do. The same way it'd do it for the "genetic dude" who had a terrible accident, or a birthdefect. When you think of it that way, actually having all the inner core of your gender, the differences between genetic and transitioned become miniscule.

WOW - a quick mind! Of course I meant .....unless you are a GG you need an OUTSIDE estrogen source - one with large production capability.

Lizzy

[Guest 1charlotte1]

ok thnx all! I would like to let u know I am not going to nor have I ever planned on taking anything before seeing a therapist. Thank you for all the advice/facts

Luvs, Charlotte