I was given the OK for HRT earlier last year and I could not have been happier. I decided to make a "diary" of things that were changing in me based on the time I had taken HRT.
First Change:
The first and immediate change that occurred in my body was my mental well being. The sheer fact of knowing that estrogen was now coursing through my body while testosterone was slowly beginning to dwindle was a very peaceful and blissful state of affairs. While, I am sure estrogen had yet done anything worthwhile in my system with that very first shot, it was the mentality of knowing that I have biologically started my journey.
Second Change:
My Emotional state of affairs. I noticed this within the first couple of weeks. When your body starts to deal with the introduction of estrogen as well as the loss of testosterone, you become very emotional. I had started to cry over any and all commercials that was sad or had love in it. It was a unique situation to cry over a Wal Mart commercial considering how much I dislike the company.
My doctor told me these emotional changes were normal and it is comparable to PMS considering I had the estrogen levels of a few women the day of my shot. After awhile, these symptoms had lessened but I still go through some bouts of crying shortly after my estrogen shot and right before it.
Third Change:
The third change I notice was my skin. My skin had become noticeably smoother around 6 to 8 weeks. Some girls will say they notice their skin becoming smoother around 1 week but I think that is actually tied to my first change...which is emotional awareness of yourself changing while there is no actual physical development yet occurring.
The smoothing of the skin was a wonderful change for me. Not only did it make me feel more feminine with the smooth skin and round features, but it also took years off my appearance. Before my transition, I looked to be around forty years old. My transitional video in two blogs prior to this will show you how older I looked. Testosterone made my skin stretched, wrinkly and just plain nasty. When the layer of fat was introduced to my body, I went from looking like i was 40 to looking like I was in my 20s. My co workers all think I am 25ish. I have no plans on changing their opinion on that! :P
Fourth Change:
The fourth change I began to notice was breast pain and itching. This took about 8 weeks for me to really notice it where it really began to hurt. I wont go into the medical details of my past but I had breasts before my transition but they were only A cup.
Since taken HRT, my breast tissue had grown and now my breasts are around C to D cup. Now, remember, Your mileage may vary (meaning every girl is different). Genetics, family history, medication, etc all has a role to play in your breast development. The general rule of thumb is to wait 2 years while on HRT to see what your full breast potential will be. I know some girls who jumped the gun and got Breast Augmentation a few months into their HRT because they thought they would never grow breasts. Sadly, they say their breasts are abnormal as their breasts continued to grow underneath and around the implants which gives their breasts a weird look.
Also, while we are on the topic of breasts....and this doesn't necessarily relate to HRT, but please...if you get Breast Augmentation, please get breasts that fit your body type. I've seen so many girls who got those BIG BOOBS put in and now they look ridiculous. They think it will help them "pass" or "blend" in easier but all it is doing is causing attention to themselves and it almost always get them clocked. A good Breast Augmentation plastic surgeon will tell you what Breast Cup is best for your body. Please listen to them!
Things that HRT will not change (MtF):
1. HRT will not change any emotional disabilities you may have (MtF and FtM). HRT may help ease some mental discomforts and anxiety issues you have about yourself presenting in the wrong gender but HRT will not cure Bipolar, Manic Depression, and other symptoms.
Please continue to talk to your therapist if you exhibit these symptoms and please have a realistic approach to HRT and Mental Health.
2. HRT will not change your voice (MtF). No amount of HRT in the world will change your vocal chords. Your voice will change through practice, practice, practice! This is what I did to change my voice:
a. Download a Spectogram. It's free and there's a lot of them if you have a PC. If you own a Mac, its very hard to find a free one. A Spectogram measures your voice in frequencies. A male voice is 70-150 mhz or so and a female is usually 175 to 256 mhz. My first step was to get the pitch that high and your program will help you get it there.
b. Buy a digital recorder. I got mine at Target for 15 dollars. By using a digital recorder, you can practice by hearing your voice and then making adjustments.
c. Practice your intonation and resonance. This is one of the most important steps for me because this is what gives your voice a feminine quality to it. This takes practice...well your whole voice will take practice. The best thing is to practice practice practice.
d. Avoid Falsetto. It's not good to sound like Mickey Mouse plus it damages your vocal cords.
When I did voice training, I used CandiFLA on youtube. She had some really good tutorials on her youtube and they really worked for me....plus she is free.
If you have money, then I would recommend Kathe Perez. She is a voice coach in Kansas City, MO and she can do personal face to face lessons or through the internet like skype. She is wonderful and you will get results. But she charges.
3. HRT will not change you! You are in full control of your destiny. While HRT will help develop you into the person who you always knew to be, HRT will not make you into a different person than you are now.
Here is my video:
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