How long can hormonal transition take?

[Deleted User]

Hi Karen

If your doctor cant tell you what to expect that doesnt sound good. Possibly very little experience in this area? Those MD’s who are experienced in helping TG people commence hormone treatment seem to have a good idea of how to handle this process carefully and with some knowledge of outcomes over time.

http://www.transgendercare.com provides a lot of information on the subject

Caroline

[Adrian]

Karen,

You don’t give any indication of what change(s) you were hoping for that hasn’t happened yet. the concept of ‘hormonal transition’ is a new one on me. What do you mean?

But in the HRT forum there have been several posts describing what effects HRT might have on natal males.

The article by Lisa here:
http://forum.tgr.net.au/cms/forum/F176/5691-effects-of-hrt-on-the-male-body
is certainly a good summary as you can get.

But remember we are all different – and the hormone regimes that people use are widely different so you have to expect the results will also very significantly.

[Karen43]

Thank you for your input, I’ll try to be more patient.

Karen

[Catherine]

Hi Karen,

As Adrian eluded to, there are considerable variants in HT. There are several delivery formats and dosages that can play a significant role in out comes. Your blood test results should give a reasonable indication as to HT’s effectiveness. Do you keep a copy of these, and do you have a basic understanding of he results? It may pay you to seek a second opinion from an Endocronologist who is familiar with transgender matters.

Best wishes
Catherine

[Anonymous]

Hey there Karen.
Myself, after being on HRT for two years as well, I only had B cups.
My but had gotten a little larger, softer skin and a lot more sensative skin.
Some change in the face, but I also had FFS twelve months ago, so that’s hard to see what might have been.
I did end up having breast implants at the same time as SRS.
Not sure if this helps at all.

Michelle.

[Catherine]

Hi Karen,

My apologies for not actually answering your question; viz “ I have read that hormonal transition takes up to two years, but after that you get no change. Is this true or can the changes due to hormones take longer?“

Essentially no, it’s not true. A lot depends on the HT itself, its delivery format, dosages, your uptake ability and rate, the list goes on. Nothing is average in transition. I have heard of cases where some women have had considerable breast growth after being on for over 10 years. Who knows how long for you?

It can be a tricky business playing round with your body chemistry, hence an expert in this field would be the obvious answer; an Endo.

Best wishes
Catherine

[Karen43]

Thank you ladies. It makes me feel better knowing that I still have some changes to look forward to.

Karen

[Anonymous]

Hi karen,

it goes on and on and on. I’m over three years and I’ve changed heaps this year.

it takes 7 years for your musculature to become female to btw.

And apparently after srs you change much more too.

You have lots of change yet if I’m any judge of these things.

[Karen43]

Thank You Fiona. I’m getting a bit stressed and depressed about not seeing much change with the months flying past.

Karen

[Anonymous]

Karen43 wrote:

Thank You Fiona. I’m getting a bit stressed and depressed about not seeing much change with the months flying past.

Karen

it’ll happen. I went through that so I got fat. Big mistake. Ive lost most of it and noiticed the muscle is stripping of too.

On the 2 year mark my boobs still looked like old man pecks to me, but they are way more boobish now.

and never skimp on your estrogen. Blocking your T is making us into elderly men. My face has aged considerably this year. Something they don’t tell you. We have the T of an elderly man and the estrogen of a 16 year old girl.

so don’t skip the E, I’m more disciplined now.

[dee88]

HI Karen
I have been on HRT for 4 years and I am still seeing and feeling changes.
Tender breasts, hot sweats are a regular thing. I have been seeing a Endo and my regular GP on a periodic basis and have a implant. If you are unsure see a Endo that understands the HRT road.
dee

[Karen43]

Thanks Dee,
Its great to hear from all you girls who are going through these changes. It makes me feel like I’m not alone in this. My doctor has suggested going on implants as I’m on 10mg of Progynova which is a high dose with an increased risk of clotting.

Karen

[dee88]

If you have good health …then a implant is the way to go. The latest implant didnt even require a stich. and they last 12 months. There are different strengths available.
dee

[Carol]

I’ve been on anti-T and E for 2.5yrs. I switched to an implant for E 6 mths ago after talking to Dee. It’s definitely the way to go. Physical changes have slowed down but I’m hopeful they will get a kick along from my new implant which is just 3 weeks old.

[Lisa_W]

Much of what I was going to say has been covered in the above replies. In my clinical experience I have seen physical changes continue for at least 5 years after commencing HRT. The final size of your breasts is also partially determined by your genetics. A general guide is 1-2 cup sizes smaller than your mother. Remember cis women have big and small breasts, that is why breast augmentation in cis women is such big business.

As already mentioned the type of oestrogen supplementation is also important. Topical oestrogen has problems with variable absorption as does oral oestrogen. Implants do appear to give a better response.

Blocking testosterone is not the only answer. I am convinced that there is another unrecognised hormone produced by the testes. The reason I make that statement is that I have seen a number of times quite profound physical changes following GAS. That is even when the T level has been unmeasurable for many years prior to the surgery.