Transfem
A community for transfeminine people and experiences.
This is a supportive community for all transfeminine or questioning people. Anyone is welcome to participate in this community but disrupting the safety of this space for trans feminine people is unacceptable and will result in moderator action.
Debate surrounding transgender rights or acceptance will result in an immediate ban.
- Please follow the rules of the lemmy.blahaj.zone instance.
- Bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated.
- Gatekeeping will not be tolerated.
- Please be kind and respectful to all.
- Please tag NSFW topics.
- No NSFW image posts.
- Please provide content warnings where appropriate.
- Please do not repost bigoted content here.
This community is supportive of DIY HRT. Unsolicited medical advice or caution being given to people on DIY will result in moderator action.
Posters may express that they are looking for responses and support from groups with certain experiences (eg. trans people, trans people with supportive parents, trans parents.). Please respect those requests and be mindful that your experience may differ from others here.
Some helpful links:
- The Gender Dysphoria Bible // In depth explanation of the different types of gender dysphoria.
- Trans Voice Help // A community here on blahaj.zone for voice training.
- LGBTQ+ Healthcare Directory // A directory of LGBTQ+ accepting Healthcare providers.
- Trans Resistance Network // A US-based mutual aid organization to help trans people facing state violence and legal discrimination.
- TLDEF's Trans Health Project // Advice about insurance claims for gender affirming healthcare and procedures.
- TransLifeLine's ID change Library // A comprehensive guide to changing your name on any US legal document.
Support Hotlines:
- The Trevor Project // Web chat, phone call, and text message LGBTQ+ support hotline.
- TransLifeLine // A US/Canada LGBTQ+ phone support hotline service. The US line has Spanish support.
- LGBT Youthline.ca // A Canadian LGBT hotline support service with phone call and web chat support. (4pm - 9:30pm EST)
- 988lifeline // A US only Crisis hotline with phone call, text and web chat support. Dedicated staff for LGBTQIA+ youth 24/7 on phone service, 3pm to 2am EST for text and web chat.
view the rest of the comments
When I started I definitely felt different emotionally. I was way more calm and relaxed and emotionally stable personally. However at about the 6 month mark, I do a lower dose btw and aim for a very typical female range, I really started to notice some of the deeper epigenetic changes starting to take place. A bit after 6 months my body hair slowed its growth significantly. My facial hair a bit, and boobs started to appear. I actually noticed a bit of extra butt first, something I liked. I was losing a little hope about my body hair and then It happened pretty quick.
To me it seemed like the personality stuff came on fairly hard from the first day I took it. It took a bit before I started noticing changes in my shape.
So if you are wondering what to expect, I would say,
1st day - personality and emotional changes. Mine was very positive. Lower blood pressure maybe a bit of light headedness. Slight changes in my digestion and stomach ph.
Month 1 - month 4 - skin changes, losing a bit of strength, energy levels becoming more stable then I was used to on guy hormones. Quite mind, comfortable and happy and warm. Body's biosphere is adjusting to new PH. Slight feminization of face due to softer muscle tension and clearer and softer skin. Nipples are very sensitive and I lost most of my male sexual desire. Start to find guys a bit cuter then I normally do. Facial hair became thinner and lighter.
Month 6 - noticing fat distribution changes. Stomach is smaller for same weight, by this point I had lost a fair bit of mass in my shoulder and neck area, started to get the first signs of actual breasts, have to be careful what shirt I wear if I'm guy moding. Stomach is smaller, thighs are getting a bit thicker, and pants fit tighter. I have a butt now! Not noticable but cute. Body hair has slowed significantly.
Now I'm around month 7-8. I had a bit of a depressive period cuz I was freaking out a little about the boobs. I was hoping I'd be able to hide it a little longer. Still I'm very happy and got over it. Instill know I want to do it now no matter what comes of it. It's how I want to live.
I have enjoyed watching the changes because I have an interest in biology. I also like to tell others what they might can expect.
Interesting, for me the changes were slightly different. Started growing out hair about 5 months before starting E.
Day 1 - mostly intense mental happiness, intense feeling of relief. (Still get a little of that everytime I take E). Felt a bit of pressure as if something clenched my arm. After switching arms a few times after this day, and then returning to the same arm, it felt normal.
1 week - felt generally calmer, a bit more happy. As if a veil of mental grayness was gradually lifted, in favour of one of colour and brightness.
2 weeks - skin softened pretty quickly.
1 month - energy levels more stable as well.
2 months - nipple soreness, started growing fat there a little.
3-5 months: very gradual change, hairs started being less overt, boob growth started and is pretty slow. Voice felt a little easier to keep high. Hip pain (I should technically be too old to experience pelvic widening, but that I got this, gives me hope, yay).
6 months - I felt like I looked more (especially facially) feminine there than now somehow. But that might be me. Still only look at gals, but felt less of a disdain for guys. Starting to get addressed by the right pronouns occassionally.
7-8 months - face now starting to feminise much more. Fat is higher up the face. Started bumping into doors much easier. The gravity change of your fat distribution hits really - on your walk style as well, and I didn't adapt immediately to that.
8 months - here be where I am
That's amazing to read those transformation. I'm a cis male, but I'm curious about the experience of being a woman. Reading these stories reveal the difference of experience. Incredible that the hormones have so much power on our body and mind!
Do you think that the happiness and overall fell good and relief is from the molecule or from the gender dysphoria resolving?
Very happy to read your positive experiences and wish all of you girl the best!
The initial happiness (first two weeks) is mainly from euphoria - knowing it'll improve from now on, is a huge thing.
I think for a cis guy a slightly stereotypic parallel might be if you felt somewhat blue during your teen life that you can't quite grow a real moustache yet. Or not looking like one of those muscular guys. But knowing you eventually can likely grow the moustache/muscles - that gives you happiness as something to look forward to.
And for a cis gal, it might be the mental dissatisfaction with one's own body when on period (not to confuse with the physical period symptoms). I feel that that might be a similar thing to dysphoria, though of a more temporary nature.
But, the thing is that for us trans people, this dysphoria/euphoria feels significantly stronger. That's often because all the time that we didn't realise or were unable to transition, the body development and expression feels like going the wrong way. Like an everyday "ugh" feeling, not quite happy. And so - to give a crude example - when we finally get that sweet hormone, it's like the mental trance relief you feel from finally being able to pee after a long movie.
After those initial weeks, the euphoria mostly strengthened as just a general feeling of being able to feel like your happiness isn't faked - more genuine.
Some take HRT (hormone replacement therapy, ie. getting onto estrogen/testosterone), others don't. Some don't have surgery and others don't change literal clothes but others do. Any of that is fine. What makes someone transgender isn't per se the dysphoria - it is the euphoria of expressing yourself as the different gender than the one assigned at birth. If you feel you'd be happier as another gender, then that would be it. The important thing is feeling happy and comfortable in your body. Whether that's already the case or not yet. And I very much do feel so now!
But yeah, it varies. I think the feeling of euphoria vs dysphoria I described is more or less similar to what others have.
Oh and, thank you! Yeah, the hormones have a massive influence on your body. Non-queer guys and gals often think it only tweaks a little here and there, but they do so much more.
You having thicker hair? More strength, oily skin and grip? All testosterone, baby.
Softer skin? Boobs and hips, butt, rounder face? Harder to grasp jars? Period?[1] Estrogen.
[1] they're basically like stomach nausea but feel to be down around where your pee bladder is. And also sometimes like a hand is grasping the area tighter (without feeling like you need to go). This is because periods affect not just the uterus, but also the area a little around. I myself sadly don't have a uterus, though I do wish one even if that meant I'd bleed.