IT HAS BEGUN!

[ThankOurTroops]

My estrogen and testosterone blocker finally arrived in the mail today and I took my first doses! I feel better already in every way just from the fact that it's finally happening.

[Jackie C.]

Heh, and you haven't seen anything yet. The best is yet to come. Muahahaha!

 

Hugs!

[MirandaB]

YAY!

[Emily michelle]

Congrats! Let the fun begin.

[ThankOurTroops]

Thank you. I looked into this a lot and I know a fair amount. I'm not looking forward to a second puberty. It'll be worth it though.

[Jackie C.]

10 hours ago, ThankOurTroops said:

Thank you. I looked into this a lot and I know a fair amount. I'm not looking forward to a second puberty. It'll be worth it though.

 

Totally worth it. My only regret is not doing it back when I was eighteen.

 

Hugs!

[ThankOurTroops]

I'm starting it at 30. I realized I was likely trans late last year, settled on it months later and started coming out in late March. Thankfully this happened now. My situation is unique though considering I look about half my age and I'm just under 5' 4". I'll likely end up being a cute little trans girl despite my age. I can't wait!

[Susan R]

8 hours ago, ThankOurTroops said:

I'm starting it at 30. I realized I was likely trans late last year, settled on it months later and started coming out in late March. Thankfully this happened now.

You’re still so young (compared to moi) and you have so much living left. I’m so happy for you! What a great time to start live the life as yourself...the world is becoming more accepting of us every day. I’m sure you’ll have good results too in time, given your stature and young looks. Keep us updated with your progress if you're willing. These are exciting times but be patient for results...very little happens overnight as you know but it will happen.

 

Warmest Regards,

Susan R?

[ThankOurTroops]

Oh I will be more than happy to share my progress. I also can't wait to look feminine enough to start dressing the way I want to.

 

I never cared about what I wore growing up and never understood why until now. As long as the few t-shirts, cargo jeans and single pair of shoes I owned were in decent condition, they were good enough. Now I know.

 

I also can't wait to get my ears pierced and start wearing jewelry and makeup. Not to mention getting my hair done (if it ever grows long enough).

[DragonflyGirl]

On 10/27/2020 at 5:41 AM, ThankOurTroops said:

I'm not looking forward to a second puberty.

 

As a pubescent forty-something, I can assure you that it definitely is a much better experience second time around! 

 

Enjoy the ride!

[ThankOurTroops]

It's mostly the breast growth that I'm not looking forward to. Although I am looking forward to the results. The pain will be worth the gain.

[MirandaB]

So far the breast pain started out as an occasional 1 on a 1-10 scale, and six weeks in it's still occasional but more frequent and I'd put it at a peak of 2. And I have definite signs of growth already. 

[Jackie C.]

Honestly the breast pain isn't that bad. I'm aware of it, but it never gets very heavy unless I do something stupid and bullseye one with, say, the corner of the freezer door. It's more of a slow-gain thing though I can't sleep on my stomach anymore. That's probably a good thing, it's bad for your spine anyway.

 

Hugs!

[Elizabeth Star]

Recently punched myself in a boob while trying to open a bag of chips, at work. Even with a mask on everyone could see look of pain in my eyes.

[Emily michelle]

Mine is more of a dull pain but it definitely hurts when I hit it. After starting progesterone if my nipples get it hit to that’s when it really hurts. 

[Heather Shay]

Just starting and actually am happy to know they are finally growing.... Yay.... Ouch.... Yay

[Elizabeth Star]

2 hours ago, Shay said:

Just starting and actually am happy to know they are finally growing.... Yay.... Ouch.... Yay

So true. Made me giggle.

[MirandaB]

1 hour ago, ElizabethStar said:

So true. Made me giggle.

 

It's the best pain I can remember!

[Jackie C.]

6 hours ago, ElizabethStar said:

Recently punched myself in a boob while trying to open a bag of chips, at work. Even with a mask on everyone could see look of pain in my eyes.

 

Oh, you poor thing! I have lost track of the number of times I've done that, though I usually nail myself with a door.

 

Big hugs sweetie!

[ThankOurTroops]

I'm sure people here have seen plenty of before and after photos and can take a pretty good guess on what someone's end result will be.

 

Here's a photo of me from several years ago. I pretty much look exactly the same. I swear I stopped aging when I was in middle school.

[Jackie C.]

Oh, I've got one of those. I don't like to look at it anymore. It's like the portrait of Dorian Gray.

 

Hugs!

[ThankOurTroops]

What milestones should I be looking forward to? Like, what should I expect after a month of HRT and so on?

[Jackie C.]

2 hours ago, ThankOurTroops said:

What milestones should I be looking forward to? Like, what should I expect after a month of HRT and so on?

 

Hard to say honestly. We all react differently. At one month for example, your endo may or may not have found the dose that's right for you. It took my endo two tries to get my hormone levels to where they should be for example. It takes about two months for a "try." So I was four months in or so before by bloodwork reflected the hormone levels I wanted.

 

Mental changes happened first, but they're subtle little buggers. I couldn't even tell you when the mental static ended. I just started feeling better. One day I realized I could think clearly.

 

Changes to my breasts and the way my face looks happened the same way. One morning I realized that, "Oh hey! I actually look like a woman." I'm still hoping for, "Look at that! D-Cups!" Probably not happening, but you know a girl can dream. ?

 

"I should really be wearing a bra if I'm going to be running," snuck up on me too. It took me like two years, but I got there.

 

The point being that physical changes can take five to ten years to complete. Mental changes happen faster (and are more rewarding than I was expecting). Both depend on a whole bunch of genetic factors and lifestyle choices. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

Hugs!

[Susan R]

2 hours ago, ThankOurTroops said:

What milestones should I be looking forward to? Like, what should I expect after a month of HRT and so on?

There wasn’t much change after the first month to be honest. I remember watching “1 Month After Starting HRT”  videos after a week or so. I was just as curious as you are right now about what changes are around the corner. Everyone is different and I can’t empathize that enough. It’s a smorgasbord of changes that you may or may not experience. Rarely do we get exactly what we want or expect but enough to ease our gender dysphoria and help us into blend to some degree (if that’s your desire) into our target gender.

 

That being said, I did have a couple of very minor changes I noticed between 4-6 weeks. After my first month, I felt some periodic tingling in my nipples maybe some very slight soreness but nothing too bad. The most unexpected change for me was skin softening. I remember sitting on our sofa and raising my arms to stretch after a movie. I turned my head slightly and my cheeks touched my inner bicep. I was blown away...It felt like completely new skin in that area. I checked the other bicep..same thing. I went to look at the doctors information handout regarding HRT changes. Skin changes weren’t supposed to even start to change until the 3 month mark. Other changes occurred close to on time of slightly later. Flash forward to over two years. Most if not all of the changes have occurred that were mentioned on that sheet but not necessarily in the order or degree.

[MirandaB]

Mental improvement was almost immediate. I thought at my age and from reading the online versions of what some doctors may hand out I didn't think I would see any real physical changes but around a month in I did see changes in my breasts.