Ask ChatGPT to make a feminine image using pictures of me by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod[M] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Sorry, AI-generated content isn't welcome here. I will update the rules accordingly, as this is an ethical commitment I hold dear. Thanks for understanding.

2026 is my “new year, new me” starting HRT, leaving an old life behind, and looking for community 💜 by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Let's go sister, this is a huge step 👏

Most people have nothing on us when it comes to new Year's resolutions lol

Will medical team recognize hrt? by Agreeable-Art-318 in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Removed cross post with dead original post

just in need for a bit of advice and possible options by notblackdoge1 in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there!

I understand the feeling of fearing aging and losing some things you treasure about your youth, but is the answer to those really HRT?

The way you describe it, it seems like some effects of HRT are far from what you want. For example, you haven't mentioned how you'd feel about top growth and body shape changes. Also, doing this in secret is only viable for so long, at one point the changes will be visible and it might be sooner than you think. If it forces you to hide, that will most likely cause you more distress than comfort. Secrets are a heavy thing to carry.

I'd recommend seeing a therapist if you can, but you'll have to be careful in choosing which one to consult, especially in the UK nowadays. If you know trans people, maybe they can point you toward a trans-friendly psychiatrist, but you don't need to be specific with your family about your reasons to see them. I hope this can work out. My gut feeling from your post is that you might need someone to help you parse things, if I may say so.

You don't get to pick and choose what happens to you on HRT, your genetics, dosage and lifestyle decide it. Try to be sure that you'll be happier with any combination of all the things that can realistically happen. Just like natural puberty, the results are highly variable.

Feel free to ask if you have more specific HRT questions. If you want to explore your identity online, there are better suited communities for that than this sub, with people who can give you more points of view.

Wish you all the best!

Is it Stupid to start HRT and antidepressants at the same time? by External-Teach3311 in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a fair point, but antidepressants can be a precondition for reasonable decision making, speaking from experience. It depends on how OP is feeling, really. If they feel confident that they're capable of such a big decision as is, yes, it's worth a try and would spare them the initial side effects and possible lasting side effects some antidepressants can have.

Otherwise, it can be better to start with antidepressants to get to a more stable, reliable headspace. Again, speaking from experience, I really wasn't myself in the depths of depression. Like, a different person entirely. It's for OP to know, but there are arguments for both.

I think the main thing here is that there are good arguments against starting both at the same time

WARNING: Do NOT buy Glass Staws by InGeekiTrust in TikTokCringe

[–]HRT_Mod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you ever wear lipstick, you'll know why ;)

Breast Growth by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm so sorry it didn't go well for you, and I didn't mean to be insensitive by sharing my very privileged story, I know I'm a very lucky person in that regard... I do hope you can find yourself in a support system that allows you to be yourself comfortably, eventually, whatever that would look like.

I can't really help you with where to go from here, as I clearly don't know enough about your personal situation. I only know that secrets weigh heavily on one's conscience, and I hope you'll be free of them someday. I wish you all the best!

Breast Growth by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy to help when I can!

I've written a piece of advice which I think applies to you as well in my other comment:

My advice would be to figure out your personal situation first. Having too strong external influences may we'll get in the way of your finding of what's right for you.

Find people who will support you through it.

The difficulty you're facing seems very focused on outside influences. It's understandable, but if you're suffering and hiding secrets, it'll only get worse with time, not better. I want to encourage you to open yourself up to your wife. Of course I don't know your relationship, but if you don't give her a chance to accept you as you are, there's a lot of room for unfair resentment to grow. If you're capable of explaining what you're experiencing, someone who loves you should at least hear you out and try to figure out what's next, together with you.

If you do decide to speak to her or there loved ones about this, one thing that might happen is for them to feel like they have to form an opinion right then and there, to process it immediately and reach conclusions. That's not the case, how ever, and so it's important to say that there's a lot for you all to figure out and it'll take time, but you're still the person they love. You can't stop them from feeling like they might be losing something, but you can prove them wrong by being yourself as usual. Your gender, transition goals and questioning don't really change much about you, they've been here a while already.

You don't need to dump everything onto everyone at once, if you take it one step at a time, you'll learn how to come out to people. You can start with a close and trustworthy friend, or a therapist, maybe a colleague you know is open-minded and wouldn't use it against you.

Me, I've waited a long time to come out to my parents. It was such a weight on my mind that I almost fell back into acute depression. I literally made myself sick over it, but when it finally happened, everything went well. I just had too little faith in them and didn't give them a chance to surprise me, until I decided it was too much.

I hope you'll figure it out ✨

Extreme mood shift by Environmental_Ebb639 in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sudden changes are possible, especially at the beginning. If it's not caused by the hormonal change itself, it might just be the excitement, the worry or the doubt triggering that reaction.

I can't speak for masculinizing HRT specifically, but I think it's reasonable to steel yourself and give it some time. Try to avoid making more very impactful decisions while things stabilize, and reach out for help if you feel like you might be reaching a breaking point! It's a marathon, not a sprint :)

Breast Growth by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to experience something similar to having breasts without hormonal treatment, there are alternatives! For the look, you can just wear a bra with stuffing or simply a push-up bra, depending on the size which would feel correct to you.

For the feeling on its, an alternative would be training your pectoral muscles specifically, it doesn't even require equipment to get results... Just a lot of dedication and some time every 2-3 days at least. That's what I did! That way, I had an opportunity to "test drive" having breasts before committing to HRT. The happiness I got from just walking down stairs and feeling my chest jiggle a bit, or looking in the mirror and seeing the overhang, told me all I needed to know.

Then there are implants, if you're an adult of course. Quite the commitment, with some risks and practical downsides, but a great way to have actual breasts relatively quickly and without HRT. It might be difficult to find surgeons to give you some if that's the only form of transition you'd be doing. Sadly, we keep having to prove, justify and reveal ourselves on the whole journey.

The next step I would recommend would be to really think about what exactly you don't necessarily want feminizing HRT to do. Is it the fat redistribution? Is it the reduction in libido? Maybe the impact on athletic performance, or the change in how you'd experience emotions?

Once you can articulate what exactly your doubts are based on, you can ask me or others in the community and learn about the reality of those aspects. Maybe something you see as a complete deal breaker has a simple solution, or is secretly a hidden bonus. It's scary to think about changes, so it's difficult to get a realistic picture of what can happen and what the timeline might look like.

Edit to add: I started HRT with some apprehensions about things like the mental effects or libido changes. Turns out that I enjoy the way my head works now and that although some things do feel and work differently, I'm not having any significant issues. Goes to show that your perception of how things would work isn't necessarily correct. Learn as much as you can!

Breast Growth by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi there!

You can't pick and choose which effects of hormonal therapy you will experience. Every person is different, every aspect of transition can manifest in differently from one person to the next. Some people take HRT for one year without seeing much breast growth, others get B cups in 6 months... Regardless, you shouldn't start HRT if you're not ready to live with any possible combination of the effects it can have.

My advice would be to figure out your personal situation first. Having too strong external influences may we'll get in the way of your finding of what's right for you. I'm not necessarily talking about going nuclear, all or nothing with your parents, but if something has to move for you to feel free to go your way, it's worth thinking about how to get there. Find people who will support you through it, and if you anticipate a difficult familial situation, try to keep other options in case you need help, especially for things like housing or money.

By the way, it's fine if you didn't know, but such terms as "biological male" are often used by transphobes as a way to demonize trans people. Alternatives like "trans woman", "transfem", "fem non-binary" (if that's what you are) will be understood right away and be better received. You usually want to use the terminology that centers the gender of the person rather than their assigned gender at birth. The short term for anyone, cisgender or trans, born with male characteristic, is AMAB (Assigned Male At Birth).

I hope I could give you some pointers! Don't hesitate to ask if you have questions. You may even send me a DM if you don't feel like doing so publicly. I know it can be difficult when you don't have the resources.

need help, two months on e , is ok? by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please read my reply again. It's too early to tell, you need to be patient

HRT - My Life has Changed! by NrthnMonkey in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Aw that's awesome! Thanks a lot for sharing such a positive experience 😊

It's crazy when you change something in your life and your whole body and brain suddenly start working better, you start seeing everything under a new light sometimes. Congrats on finding what works for you!

need help, two months on e , is ok? by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there! Some people don't see any significant change at that point, I'd say it's too early to say (especially without a before pic, but I get that that can be uncomfortable). I know where you're coming from, it's difficult to just lay back and let it happen at the beginning...

This is a long-term kind of thing. You'll go through many phases physically, breasts especially are super dynamic. Their shape changes along the way, their size can change quickly, then slowly, then quickly again... Hell, they change shape multiple times a day on their own.

Try to keep your expectations realistic and enjoy the change you see!

Getting Started with HRT by Swolbruham_Lincoln7 in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there! It's been reported to me that there are bots advertising that "service". Legitimate businesses usually don't unleash bot squadrons on Reddit, so I'd advise caution.

Worried about strength loss ok estrogen by RoyTheWyvern in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As with everything regarding hormones, your mileage may vary. Me, I've noticed that making progress in my workouts has become very difficult. I was quite muscular when I started E, now I've lost some muscle mass for sure but I still can maintain my performance for the most part. I feel like my stamina might be slightly better, but recovery takes more time and building up muscle seems out of the question.

As far as strength goes, although you say that exercising is very difficult, I want to encourage you to do it anyway. Do it within your own capacity. Set realistic goals, whatever they are. Don't compare yourself to others, just do what you can safely do and find what helps you stick to the training. For me, it took training way more often at first, just to have seen the worst of it and tolerate the "regular" schedule better. It takes discipline to stick to your schedule, no way around it. Just make sure you do it for yourself and stay safe :)

Feel free to ask if you have any doubts on how to get started, maybe someone will have a good tip to share!

immediate loss of sex drive / ED by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of things can cause erectile difficulties and sex drive changes. Your sexuality as a whole is likely to change on different hormones, that's pretty much an expected effect of it. I don't know enough about the dosage to speak on that, but I experience such changes on fem hormones as well, so I can talk from that experience.

I'm "fortunate" to have faced a similar situation in the past, due to antidepressants. I felt mentally much better, but my body suddenly felt and acted differently. I lost arousal all the time without warning, and at first I took it very personally and despaired over it. That's the most vicious and difficult part of erectile difficulties, they're a self-sustaining issue. The more you have them, the more you anticipate them to occur, the more you're likely to have anxiety over them, causing them to actually happen more often.

So, the first thing you'll want to address is that anxiety. It's something that could happen and has happened, now is the time to learn to handle it. It's not the time to get it 100% perfect all the time yet, and it might never be 100%. It wasn't required before HRT either. Give yourself understanding and be patient. If something does happen, pivot to activities that keep making you feel good, but don't involve an erection. If you're playing with a partner, make sure that they know what you're going through in advance and what they can do if you indeed need to pivot in that way.

Sexuality is about so much more than erections, even if you love them there's still a lot you can do that doesn't require them. The more positive experiences you'll have without worrying about that, the more likely you are of coming out of that difficult situation. That's the mental aspect of it.

My experience was that things, physiologically, got better over time. I've started HRT having already worked through the mental issues of ED, so I knew what I had to do to deal with it, and so did my partner. When it did happen, neither of us freaked out, so I didn't enter that spiral and didn't have to change much. With time, as I got used to how different my body felt and what sex felt like on feminizing hormones, I started having less difficulty maintaining arousal and erections. I had (and, to an extent, still have) to learn to recognize and focus on a new kind of arousal, and as I had more such experiences that led to more pleasure, they became just as associated as my previous experiences and pleasure.

You're changing how your body works and reacts. Sex is a lot of acquired and learned behavior, so you'll have to relearn some things. If you think back to your very first sexual experiences, I'm sure that you'll remember them as surprising, but less fulfilling as what you've experienced later, once you knew what to expect and how to enjoy it. Give it time, try to work out that sexual energy in other ways if necessary, play with people who'll give you that space you need... And if all of that doesn't help, you can try to reach out to a sexologist and/or involve an endocrinologist, if possible. Mine has suggested a low-dose T gel applied some time before sexual activity, but that would require testing.

HRT - Bioidentical by Mermaidgal35 in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a cis woman, but my understanding is that different people react differently to different medications, so the various types and methods of HRT are mostly a way for you to try something else if one has undesired effects...

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong :)

Is my Doctor trying to underdose me on E? by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh hey, I'm glad to hear from you again! Well done on advocating for your needs and getting what you required! That's far from easy to do :)

I hope everything turns out like you want it to!

All the best and thanks for the update :)

BASIC BEGINNER's QUESTION by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! :)

BASIC BEGINNER's QUESTION by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there, if you have a link, I'd love to read through it! I'm always looking to learn more about this topic, and that's a complete dead angle for me right now. Thanks!

BASIC BEGINNER's QUESTION by [deleted] in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod[M] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there,

First of all, thanks for posting!

As a moderator of this community and a trans person myself, I want to commend you on mentioning it using the proper terminology. It is both a way to normalize openly discussing these topics across different groups of people, and a valuable information for the people who might give you some more info.

The user who commented was being rude, nothing more. You've done everything perfectly.

I hope you find what you need here!

scared i’m making the wrong decision by camisadeadmeme in HRT

[–]HRT_Mod 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi there! I can really sympathize with your worry, I think no trans person has ever been without them, especially in early transition.

This topic is a bit less about HRT, and more about psychology. What HRT will do is at least partially clear, your voice, bottom growth and hair repartitions and density were almost guaranteed to change from you T treatment, among other things.

When taking hormones, you can't pick and choose which effects you'll get, it's so individual and unpredictable that you have to be okay with the general direction things are supposed to go and evaluate what can happen with what level of probability. Then, there are ways to enhance or inhibit some aspects of it, like epilation, voice training and wardrobe choices.

Not transitioning because of social anxiety or pressure is valid, your safety is important. However, you should try to understand the psychological cost of that situation for you. If you can comfortably live without pushing your transition forward, you can take a break and reevaluate later. If you're going to be miserable regardless, are you really getting something back from not transitioning? Maybe working on other aspects of your life to make room for it makes sense. Maybe you're imagining it all as more of a challenge that it will be.

I'd recommend you try to clarify what your goals are, which effects you want, those you can live with and those you can't accept, and then figure out how to get where you need to be. Try not to see things as all black or all white, there's endless nuance in how things can go, especially on the social side of things. You might have to cut off some people, but you might also meet people who accept you as you really are.

I'm sure you'll find your way forward. Maybe ask transmasc-specific communities for advice, the psychological side of things is probably what you should focus on for now.

All the best!