Hey everyone!
So, if you’re a newly-out trans girl, or maybe just an AMAB person who’s questioning
their gender, you’re probably wondering what results you could expect from hormone replacement therapy.
So I’m here to round-up everything you can expect to change about your body if you start on hormones.
Obviously some standard disclaimers are going to apply here.
1) Your mileage may vary.
This is super important to remember every time you watch someone’s 6-month hormone
update or hear about how this other girl got C-cup boobs.
Every body is different.
Just because hormones affected someone else in a certain way, that doesn’t necessarily
mean they’ll affect you in the same way.
2) These changes aren’t going to happen overnight.
They’re going to happen over months and years.
There will be changes, but you will have to be patient.
3) Hormones will probably help with your dysphoria, but they probably won’t completely get rid of it.
Again, your mileage may vary, but hormones are often only one step to alleviating dysphoria.
They can be a significant and necessary step, but you may be setting yourself up for disappointment
if you expect HRT to fix everything.
So to get started, what even is HRT?
Well, in a non-trans context, hormone replacement therapy is commonly given to older cis women
to alleviate the symptoms of menopause.
That’s right, even cis people take hormones sometimes -- in fact, it’s pretty common.
But in a trans context, HRT is prescribed to trans women or non-binary AMAB people who
feel that HRT would help them.
For these folks, often referred to as transfeminine people, their endocrine system, the place
that makes their hormones, is putting out too much testerone and not enough estrogen.
So HRT changes that.
There’s a whole complicated process that trans people have to go through to get prescribed
HRT depending on where you live that I personally think is convoluted, unnecessary, and gate-keepy
-- but we’re not going to get into that in this video!
This is just about the changes it will have on your body.
So, hypothetically, you just started HRT, what’s going to happen?
The most major change that you’re probably going to notice the earliest is actually your brain.
Hormones will likely change the way you feel, how you handle emotions, and even just your general mood.
The psychological changes themselves can be huge, and just the act of starting HRT and
being on a path to transition can often be an immense relief for transfeminine folks.
It’s not going to fundamentally change who you are or anything, but it can make you feel
a lot more balanced.
Next, a lot of trans girls worry about body hair.
The unfortunate answer here is that while HRT may eventually cause some of your body
hair to get a bit thinner, lighter, and softer -- it’s not going to completely eliminate your body hair.
Cis girls have body hair too, and once there’s hair growing in a place, it can be pretty
difficult to permanently remove it. And for facial hair, hormones probably won't affect that at all.
For facial hair or body hair that you want to get rid of, you have to look into options like laser or electrolysis.
Obviously, you don’t have to want to get rid of this hair -- body hair is a completely
natural thing for people of all genders, and tons of trans girls can rock a beard,
but it’s understandable if you find it dysphoric.
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Anyway, back to the video!
One change you can definitely expect to see, though it may take a while, is the rounding
out and softening of your features.
This will happen slowly, and it will be pretty subtle, so it’s going to be hard for you
to notice since you see your face and body every day -- but it’s definitely happening.
This is because higher levels of estrogen tend to make you have a thicker layer of fat
just underneath your skin that softens your features and makes everything a little less angular
Speaking of skin, yours is probably going to get a good bit softer and a bit thinner.
Hormones may even change how you experience touch, making you a little more sensitive
to everything you physically feel.
These changes will be very subtle -- you’re not going to have like a spidey sense or anything
-- but they’ll be there.
The skin on your face is also going to produce a lot less acne -- which for many is a welcome change.
But remember to moisturize, because hormones can also dry out your skin!
Thankfully, you’ll probably be sweating a little less, and while your body odor will
still be stinky, it’ll probably smell a bit different.
One very noticeable physical change is going to be the development of breasts.
Most trans women don’t get very large breasts, though some do.
This can vary wildly, and even though you’ll probably start feeling and noticing the growth
right away, it can take years to complete.
You’ll likely have sore nipples and start to notice breast development within a few months.
You’ll probably also develop a lot more feeling and sensitivity around your breasts in general.
Also, you’re going to start to lose muscle mass.
You’re probably going to feel weaker and just generally different.
You can still exercise and gain muscle, but as your body adjusts to the new hormones,
it will likely be a noticeable change in strength.
Plus, your endurance and stamina will likely drop initially as well, since you will have
fewer red blood cells transporting oxygen throughout your body.
In general, you’ll need to be sure to stay well hydrated and nourished to help your body
adjust to the changes.
But you’ll also probably have some salty cravings.
That’s because the main testosterone blocker that folks are often prescribed also makes
your body absorb less sodium -- so to make up for that, your body is going to crave salt.
Lots of trans women develop a fondness for pickles, but olives, instant ramen, and other
salty foods can also help with cravings.
Just remember that salt isn’t evil, and if your body is craving it, it’s likely
because you need it.
It’s totally okay for you to eat all the salty things.
Alright, I guess it’s time to talk about genital stuff.
One of the major things to be aware of is that your body is going to stop producing
sperm, and this change will likely become permanent after just a few weeks or months on HRT.
That means you won’t be able to have biological kids, at least not with the medical technology
we have readily available right now.
So, if biological children are something you might want, that’s something to be aware
of, and you might want to look into potentially freezing your sperm before starting HRT, though
I know that can be super expensive and is definitely not accessible for everyone.
It’s important to remember that adoption is also a potential option if you do want
kids down the line.
Your sex drive will also likely change.
Lots of trans women report having a lower sex drive, while others don’t report a difference,
and some say that it actually raises their sex drive because they feel less dysphoric.
One common thread among trans women, though, is that it will generally change how you experience
sex and orgasms.
This is one of those areas where everyone reports something different, so you can’t
really know how it will change your experience of sex until you’re on HRT.
Some trans women have even reported that HRT changed who they were attracted to, as in,
for example, they became more attracted to men or less attracted to men afterwards.
Obviously that’s not everyone, tons of people experience the same attraction before and
after, but it is something that more than a few trans women have experienced.
You’ll also probably have much fewer erections, find it more difficult to get an erection,
and may experience some pain when you do have erections.
That doesn’t mean your sex life will end, though -- there are plenty of ways you can
have sex that don’t involve you being erect, and as I mentioned earlier, your entire perception
of sex will probably shift in significant ways.
Now let’s talk about your bones.
For the most part, they’re not gonna change.
HRT won’t make your rib cage smaller or your shoulders less broad, and it won’t
change the bone structure of your face.
Your hips might change depending on how old you are when you start hormones.
A person’s hips start to fuse after puberty but take a few years to complete, so if you
start HRT in your late teens or early 20s, it is possible that your hips could get a little wider.
There are no promises, and it’s not the end of the world if you’re transitioning
later, but it is a possibility for younger folks.
Don’t worry, though, transitioning has massively positive effects regardless of what age you start at.
In terms of your voice, HRT isn’t going to change that at all, but you can learn to
alter it with voice therapy.
Testosterone makes your vocal cords thicker, which isn’t an easy process to undo.
On an important health-related note, you’re going to be more at risk of blood clots, which
are reallyyyy not good.
To avoid getting those, it’s important to exercise regularly and never stay seated for
more than a couple hours at a time.
Always get up and stretch if you’re working at a desk, and take frequents walks in the
aisle if you’re on a long plane ride.
Blood clots are nothing to mess with, but with proper care, you’ll be totally fine.
And if you’re feeling weird through all of this, that’s completely normal.
Your body is going through a second puberty, so it’s understandable that things might
seem a little wonky at first.
And I know I said this in the beginning, but I’m going to repeat myself: your mileage may vary.
Just because you heard that X happened to some trans girl on the internet, that doesn’t
mean X is going to happen to you.
Every person’s body is highly individual and hormones are never going to have the same
effect on two different people.
Some women have big boobs, some women have small boobs.
Some women have really wide hips, some women have narrower hips.
These things apply to both cis women and trans women.
There’s no such thing as a singular “female body”.
If you’re a woman, cis or trans, you have a female body.
But I know that that reassurance alone isn’t going to get rid of your dysphoria, so do
what you gotta do to alleviate your dysphoria.
Just remember not to get caught up in the endless quest of chasing a perfectly “female
body” because there is no such thing.
If you’re looking into HRT or just getting started on it, I really hope that it works
out well for you.
If you’re currently unable to get on HRT, I want you to know that you’re not alone,
there are other trans girls out there in your exact position too, and things will be okay.
Lots of people are out here fighting to make HRT more accessible every day.
I really hope and believe that you’ll be able to access the care you need one day.
In the meantime, you’re still a badass woman who’s just as valid as any chick on HRT.
Also, I’m going to respectfully ask all of you to not ask me any personal
questions about this stuff and to not speculate about my personal medical information.
I’m making this as an educational resource for trans girls and questioning folks out
there, but it is not about my personal experience, so it would be inappropriate to ask me about those things.
Even though I make videos on YouTube, I am allowed to keep parts of my life private,
and I’d really appreciate it if you could respect that.
And likewise, no other trans person owes you private information about their medical stuff.
Lots of trans folks talk about this stuff on the internet to help other trans or questioning
folks, but no one is entitled to that information.
So it’s totally okay if you wanna talk about your experience on hormones, but don’t go
demanding that from other people.
It’s usually considered rude or impolite to ask people for private medical information
-- regardless of what it is -- unless you’re close friends or family or something.
So try to avoid asking strangers about this stuff unless they’ve explicitly said they’re
willing to talk about it.
And remember that trans people are still trans even if they don’t take hormones, and whether
they do or not is nobody’s business but their own.
Hormones do not make someone trans, they’re just one path that works for a lot -- but not all -- trans people.
Anyway, I think that’s all I had for you today.
If you have any questions, ask your doctor, because I can probably not answer them.
But thank you so much for watching, and I’ll see you next time.