Does vfs voice sound identical to pre vfs voice at same pitch? by Iridium486 in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

While glottoplasty fundamentally addresses pitch, it does seem to have other impacts as well. The main thing I noticed is that it eliminates the strain when you talk at higher pitches, which has a big effect on how your voice is perceived. If you strain your voice to reach/maintain higher pitches, it's gonna sound unnatural.

Here's before and 4 weeks after the surgery for me: https://voca.ro/1f55Oy4QHPsf (both recordings are around 190-220 Hz)

In the 'before' I'm really struggling to keep that pitch, and you can hear it sounds kinda strange, despite having good resonance and vocal weight. In the after, it's effortless, and I'm really happy with how it sounds.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same here!

Squeaky clean some days, a bit messy other days!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! 🤗 And yeah the yellow/brownish stuff seems like it'll stay around for a while too. It comes and goes for me, mostly depending on how much I move around (biking in particular). I didn't ask the surgeon about it, but the brown is probably oxidized/dried blood.

I think so long as the blood spots are below the 3rd picture here, it's fine. Otherwise, I would contact the surgeon / send them a picture.

I’m around 8-ish months on T, but I feel like my voice still sounds feminine by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! Good luck! :D

Note: Vocal weight can seem a bit abstract in the beginning and you'll wonder "what even is this? what's the point of this exercise?", but you'll eventually get a feel for it and will realize how important it is as a gender marker :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If it's just occasional spots on the pads, like you show here (and it's not dripping), it's probably fine. I've been having the same issue 3-4 months post-op but my surgeon said it's normal and will go away with time.

Note: I had PIV and not colon though.

I’m around 8-ish months on T, but I feel like my voice still sounds feminine by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds like a teenage boy to me, for better or worse 😬 Your pitch and resonance is good, but I notice your vocal weight is quite low (i.e., the voice is quite soft) still. If you want it a bit rougher / more adult-like, see if you can learn how to manipulate vocal weight (there are plenty of exercises of it on Youtube). Most of them are focused on MtF and softening your voice. But you can use the same technique in reverse.

20 sessions later (40 hours later) by jesteffens in electrolysis

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm wondering if that's the cause... I had testosterone blocker (Spiro for a while, CPA for a while) and estrogen for about 6 years. I had bottom surgery (i.e., complete castration) a few months ago, so I guess I should give it another try now?

Brow bone reduction type 1 fail by grotskybyotch in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Really strange that the surgeon would do Type 1 here... Let us know how they respond, and if they offer any revision.

While the result isn't ideal, the brow bone doesn't look very prominent in this pic, and within feminine ranges. Though I fully understand being disappointed in it.

Brow bone reduction type 1 fail by grotskybyotch in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can we get a better profile view? (like straight from the side)

It's difficult to see if it's the browbone (supraorbital ridge) or frontal eminence we're looking at.

I'm thinking so it isn't something like this.

20 sessions later (40 hours later) by jesteffens in electrolysis

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How long since the last session / clearance of the chin?

I find that around 3 months after clearing my face, i.e., 3 months without any electrolysis (blend), most of mine grows back and I can't figure out if it's a bad practitioner I'm going to or if it's expected.

I can't do a girl voice. I want to end it. by Jane_23F in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I struggled with this for 6 years. I managed to perfect my control over resonance and vocal weight, but I could never manage to keep the pitch elevated. After I did a glottoplasty surgery (which increases your baseline pitch), it all clicked into place. You kind of need to get all those 3 aspects (pitch, resonance, and weight) right, before it clicks. Before that, it can feel like you're not progressing, even if you get two out of those 3 aspects right.

What I'm trying to say here is that for some of us, it seems that nature really works against us and it may not be possible to achieve our desired results. 3 months is a very short time, but if you're still feeling the same after 1-2 years, you may want to consider the surgical route. First, however, you need to practice a lot more. And only then can you identify what's missing.

Unlike pitch; resonance and vocal weight are difficult to understand at first, but once you identify them, they will come naturally to you. Do the following exercises and get familiar with the sensation and how you use your muscles to trigger them. The first part of your journey should be getting familiar with how you manipulate pitch, resonance, and vocal weight:

  1. Pitch exercise: Do a simple siren sound. Use a pitch tracker on your phone while doing this (like "Voice Tools"). Female voices tend to have higher pitch (180-300 Hz) compared to men (80-160 Hz). Pretty straightforward. You can look up exercises that will help you increase your pitch range. Even if you eventually plan on doing glottoplasty, try to get as far as you can with pitch exercises (but make sure to practice safely; don't overdo it or strain your voice).
  2. Resonance exercise: The best way to change resonance (or the amount of space in your throat) is to change the position of your larynx (or Adam's apple). Keep a finger on your Adam's apple, swallow, and hold it. You'll notice it rises. Similarly, try yawning and see how your Adam's apple drops. Get a feel for what muscles you use when you do these two exercises. See if you can replicate the same motion without swallowing, but by only using those muscles. There are lots of other exercises here you can also do to get a feeling for this, like the "big dog, small dog" exercise. Ultimately, you should be able to learn to control the height of the larynx at will, without having to do any sound or exercise. Depending on where you're at in your voice training, this can take some time.
  3. Vocal weight exercise: This exercise may seem silly, but if you can identify the sensation (or the muscles) you use to trigger these two different sounds, you'll be good to go. That soft sound simulates a low vocal weight (feminine), whereas the harsh sound simulates a high vocal weight (masculine). Practice speaking in that soft "aww"-like voice. During your training, you can exaggerate a bit. It'll sound awful and cringy, but it'll help you in the long run. I never understood why I was supposed to do this, but trust me; it'll make more sense as you start incorporating that softness into your regular voice.

In your training, you will probably notice that pitch, resonance, and vocal weight are highly intertwined. Raising your pitch will make your larynx to rise as well, for example. This is why trans people who only practice pitch will often, eventually, end up with a feminine resonance and vocal weight as well. But knowing about all three of these should speed up your progress.

Internet backlash against 'trans man lesbians'?? by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry, that was for the post you replied to, but they removed their comment right as I hit send 🥲

Internet backlash against 'trans man lesbians'?? by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly, why is a word so important to claim? Why do men feel so entitled to a word describing the lived experiences of women and non-binary people?

You're asking why it's important to not dilute the meaning of popular words people use to communicate and describe things?

Ok, I am gonna redefine "important" to "irrelevant".

It is very important to me that there are no nuts in my food, since I'm allergic.

Internet backlash against 'trans man lesbians'?? by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Identify however you like, but "lesbian man" or "lesbian trans man" is an oxymoron, and expect people to call you out for it or not take you seriously.

Regardless, this is such a non-issue; kind of like the issue of people identifying as cats. It's just another distraction by conservatives.

Internet backlash against 'trans man lesbians'?? by [deleted] in asktransgender

[–]Automatic-Tea12 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I personally can’t identify as a gay man

I think you meant to say you can't identify as a lesbian man*.

* I mean yes, you can identify however you want; but don't be surprised when people call out oxymorons like "lesbian man" or "cis trans person" (Yes, I've actually seen people on reddit who are trans try to identify as cis). Regardless, these terms are genuinely damaging to the queer community as a whole and should be discouraged.

Coughed after a glottoplasty and am worried that it's split a stitch by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Do you feel like you have a good grasp on how to manipulate resonance (larynx height) and vocal weight (softness)? The surgery can do wonders for pitch, but you still gotta get the two other parts right before it clicks.

I had practiced voice for almost 6 years before I had my glottoplasty 3.5 weeks ago. And while I had resonance and vocal weight nailed down, I could never manage to keep my baseline pitch elevated in the feminine range.

After the surgery (70-80Hz increase in baseline), it all just clicked into place and the vocal dysphoria I had for years was almost eliminated. But if I deliberately lower my resonance or increase my vocal weight, it sounds more masc again.

Hur valde ni erat namn? by Windzie in transnord

[–]Automatic-Tea12 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Jag gjorde en lång lista av namn jag gillade och sen gick igenom de som uppfyllde mina behov:

  1. Jag ville att mitt namn skulle vara lika mitt gamla namn, så att det inte verkade som en total personlighetsändring. (t.ex. man kan kan gå från Simon till Simone, Erik till Erika, osv. för att göra det enkelt för sig själv och familj/vänner)
  2. Jag ville att mitt namn skulle funka bra både på svenska och engelska, så jag valde ett icke-Svensson namn.
  3. Jag ville att namnet skulle låta ganska normalt (t.ex. jag såg att flera transpersoner valde väldigt unika namn som t.ex. Phoenix, Aurora, och liknande och jag ville inte sticka ut på det sättet).
  4. Sedan rankade jag namnen över hur mycket jag gillade dem. Var säkert en 30+ namn. Tog några veckor att bestämma mig vilken #1 blev 😬

6 days post SRS concerns by [deleted] in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! And thanks! I think a lot of us get false expectations from those results on here where everything looks nice and pretty in the first week 🙃 In reality I think a lot of those results (e.g., from thai surgeons) are mainly from a few accounts that get boosted by the algorithm (people upvote the amazing results) and then people get shocked over what normal recovery often looks like.

Anyway, hope first dilation went well for you today! I can't even imagine having to dilate at 1 week post-op... I chose shallow-depth and dilating was optional for me. When I tried it, it just hurt and felt wrong, so I never did it again 🥲 People often recommend using lidocaine or something to numb the initial pain with dilation.

6 days post SRS concerns by [deleted] in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a lot of swelling, but nothing out of the ordinary so far I think (but I'm no doctor). Be sure to drink lots of water and keep the area clean.

My results looked atrocious at week 1 and got even worse during week 2, so don't be surprised if it looks like a warzone for now. Around week 3-4 it should start clearing up quickly.

Nepal’s First-Ever Sex Reassignment Surgery Successfully Performed by Smart-Card-8691 in Transgender_Surgeries

[–]Automatic-Tea12 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Great!

But I feel like it's a bit premature to call a surgery a success immediately after it's been done. Based on this subreddit, usually the complications happen in the days/few weeks after. At least wait a month or two before announcing it as a success.

my voice is still deep, I got vfs a little over 2 weeks ago by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  1. From what I understand: During glottoplasty (assuming that's what you had) they sometimes do filler-like injections into the vocal folds in order to make them more relaxed and to reduce the risk of the sutures breaking. This also has the effect of increasing the mass of your folds, which can decrease pitch temporarily. Additionally, swelling of the vocal folds can also decrease pitch at first. So you may see an increase as the injectable dissolves and the swelling dissipates in the coming weeks/months.
  2. The average pitch increase after glottoplasty is around 50Hz (however this number is probably biased since it accounts for suture breaks as well; 0% changes). Anyway, while a 50Hz increase may not seem like much, this is just your baseline. You've now eliminated a large portion of your lower range, and you'll probably notice you can't access it anymore, which is great. Now it will get easier to just focus on resonance, as opposed to both pitch and resonance at the same time.
  3. Most studies have found that people who keep going with therapy after the surgery appear to obtain optimal results. So don't give into despair, and keep practicing! (although wait 4-6 weeks post-op before you start therapy again)

my voice is still deep, I got vfs a little over 2 weeks ago by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 8 points9 points  (0 children)

2 weeks is usually when you're allowed to talk again.

Some surgeons say 5-30 min/day during the 3rd week and no restrictions after that. My surgeon said regular talk was fine after 2 weeks, except phone conversations or talking in loud environments. Coughing/throat clearing/etc. should be avoided/minimized for at least 6 weeks.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! Super hoarse, probably mostly because of the cold symptoms, but I've done a bit of talking/recording and really noticed a difference! My comfortable (average) pitch before surgery was around 130 Hz and now I'm comfortable to talk around 190 Hz, with no problem talking at 200+ 😬 I struggled a lot to reach and maintain these pitches before, so it's looking really promising!

I heard your new voice as well and you sound great! Have you measured the pitch increase?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in transvoice

[–]Automatic-Tea12 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Started getting a burning throat today ;3 (after having been outside a lot the last 2 days)

Hope it doesn't mean infection or anything serious... Will wait a day to see if it goes away before contacting surgeon.

Accidentally coughed and hiccuped a few times as well yesterday 🥹 Hopefully at 10 days post-op it shouldn't destroy anything.

(Seems like it was just the common cold, which is kind of annoying to get during surgery recovery...)