hi! do you think you could talk more about the more important side effects of taking hormones? or things you should know about it before deciding to? i'm not sure whether i want to or not, mostly because the whole infertile thing kind of scares me
If youāre asking about like, negative side effects, thereās really not that many. The most notable one for some people is, like you say, that youāre very likely to end up sterile after a bit. It turns out if you pull all the testosterone out of that particular system it tends to not work so well. Thereās always the option of freezing sperm for if you wish to use it in the future, but Iām told itās quite expensive (I didnāt bother with it so I dunno exactly how much).
Along with that thereās a chance that your overall sexual function will decrease somewhat. You may find it slightly more difficult to get and maintain an erection, although the chances of things completely not working are pretty slim.
People will tell you a lot that your libido will likely decrease but Iām gonna be totally honest if thatās ever happened to anyone I havenāt met them. If anything it seems more likely that it might increase as you get more comfortable with yourself.
This one Iām still not sure about but Iāve heard a lot of women corroborate it and my own experience seems to line up: thereās a possibility you start to experience some of the symptoms of PMS. Obviously youāre not gonna have an actual period, but a lot of the side effects of that process are hormone dependent, so you might find yourself going through a few days of discomfort every month. The types and severity of symptoms you experience depends on the person; even in afab folks thereās a pretty big variation from person to person. Personally I tend to get pretty nasty mood swings, fatigue, and really sore breasts.
Speaking of breasts, theyāre not gonna go away even if you stop estrogen, but usually thatās part of the appeal so thatās probably not a problem. They will ache and be ridiculously sensitive pretty much constantly when they start coming in though, so Iād recommend investing in some really soft sports bras and some painkillers, and if you have habit of flopping down on your front break that now, cuz youāre gonna regret it sooooooo much the first time you do it after this starts.
If you have a family history of migraines but you donāt get them now thereās a chance you might be a little more susceptible after. I get them every now and then whereas before I think Iād had like two.
Thereās a small chance you may shrink an inch or two, because your pelvis is gonna rotate forward a bit. It may also widen a bit depending on how young you are when you start. This Iāve gathered just from my own reading so Iām not 100% confident thatās entirely true, but it does seem to make sense, and would explain why I spent a few weeks with a significant amount of pain around my hips around the six month mark. Seriously, that was definitely the least enjoyable part of this whole experience.
Specifically about the medication, youāre gonna spend a few days being incredibly nauseous while your body adjusts right after you start, but thatāll pass. Spironolactone also makes you have to pee constantly for a few hours after you take it, and reduces your sodium levels quite a lot. Youāll have to make sure you drink plenty of fluids to avoid being dehydrated, and youāre gonna crave salty food, which you should eat plenty of to offset the medication. This is where the whole ātrans girls love picklesā thing comes from.
Finally, thereās a few health things that your doctor is likely gonna bring up pretty often. Your chances for blood clots and breast cancer will increase, BUT what may not be entirely obvious from whatever info they give you is that that increase is still TINY. Blood clots arenāt very likely unless youāre predisposed already, and your chances of getting breast cancer are only slightly higher than a cis manās (it can still happen tho, so learn how to do a self exam!). What they also likely wonāt mention is that your chances of prostate cancer drop SIGNIFICANTLY. Again, youāre still gonna want to get checked once youāve reached the age for that, but while itās pretty common in cis men, itās very rare in trans women.
And thatās pretty much everything I can think of. But if you think that sounds like a lot, the list of benefits has to be like, twenty times longer. Itās really insane how much changes; I donāt think I can put it all in one post.
