*LISTEN I DUNNO HOW THIS ENDED UP IN QUEUE AND NOT DRAFTS IM SORRY! LOL*
ANYWAY...NOT TOO MANY CHANGES FROM MONTH 9
LIBIDO - Fucking wild yall! Like can the horny train please calm down! lol
FAT REDISTRIBUTION - This one was mostly me realizing how much fat has moved off of my inner thighs! I hadn't even been looking for it and then suddenly happened to notice while bathing! Not sure it gave me euphoria or anything, but it was interesting to see where all the fat redistributes from!
MUSCLE MASS/BUILD UP - I'm trying a new/higher protein intake as well as more physical activity (working out/moving around more/etc) in hopes that I can FINALLY start putting on actual muscle! I am also attempting to see if doing these two things will help my chesticles get even just a LITTLE more smaller/more shaped like pecs if possible? Will keep yall updated if this happens (i dont have a BIG chest but not a SMALL one either so I'm not sure how successful this will be!
VOICE CHANGE - HOLY MOLY! I CAN'T REALLY TELL when just hearing myself speak, but with recorderings and such it's VERY obvious how deep my voice has gotten! It's actually happened a LOT faster than I thought it would!
BOTTOM GROWTH - Nada, but that's okay, maybe soon!
SKIN OILINESS/ACNE - I got bad bacne but in the sense there's a lot, not in the sense it's all...big and popping and such lmao
HAIR - I dunno, it's just doing it's own thing. My facial hair is growing in gloriously, the left side seems to be getting darker while the right side is still lighter. Wtf lmao
APPETITE - Hard to tell cause of the new low sugar/low caffiene/more protein, etc thing I'm doing! But I'm definitely a hungry a lot!
BODY TEMPERATURE - Has calmed down some, thankfully. I got soooo tired of being hot all the time lol
SWEAT - Has also calmed down, thankfully just in time for warmer weather.
SMELL - Not noticeable really, probably cause of the less sweating lmao
OTHER:
No period since July 1st
In the process of trying to decide if I want to pay for top surgery or put that money toward my fiancee and I getting our own house. It's the constant struggle of "no dysphoria right now, but maybe dysphoria later"
My incoming body hair is so pale that I only notice it in certain times when it reflects the lighting as little sparkles on my skin. I’ve got sparkly arms and belly now
does testosterone make your hair start to thin? im scared lol
Depends on genetics. Check out the cis men in your family- how much hair do they have left and how early did they start losing it? Your hairline will almost definitely change but that isn't drastic, and it happens to a lot of estrogen-dominant people over time as well.
Androgenic hair loss (hair loss caused by testosterone) is caused by a form of testosterone called DHT, which promotes hair growth on the body and hair loss on the head. That said, not all men go through significant hair loss, it really depends on your body.
The good news is theres preventative measures, you can always take a DHT blocker like finasteride, and topical treatments like minoxidil are also an option. Theres a couple other meds as well like dutasteride, and some people say that anti-dandruff shampoos like Nizoral, which contains a DHT blocker called ketoconazol, can help prevent hairloss if used 2-3 times a week.
There's also options like hair transplants and lazer therapy if the hair loss has progressed further.
At the end of the day it's possible that treatments wont work or that you wont tolerate them, but that doesn't seem to be the case for the majority of people. Hairloss from testosterone doesn't happen all at once, none of the changes do, so if you're paying attention to your body you should be able to notice if/when it starts.
Hair loss has been a big fear of mine being on T, but I think its important to remember that there's lots of hot bald people out there, and also that human bodies always have downsides in the aging process, and it just matters which ones you would prefer to deal with.
If you try testosterone you might find that the other benefits and changes make the possibility of hair loss worth it for you, or you might not, and both of those options are totally fine. But if you think T might be good for you don't let yourself be scared away because it might have aesthetic results down the line that you don't like.
You can be on T for as much or as little time as feels right for you, and if you pay attention to the process and check in with yourself you'll have lots of time to stop if it doesn't feel right. You might also consider going on a low dose, so changes come on slower (though if you do that you may not get the maximum changes in terms of stuff like cartilage growth and body fat redistribution).
Theres a lot of fear mongering about HRT and frankly it's some real bullshit. We're just opting into the same hormonal effects that cis people have. No human body is perfect, testosterone and estrogen both have their up sides and down sides, and you just need to figure out which one gives you the balance of pros and cons that you feel comfortable with.
So I've been on testosterone for 3+ years and, while others experiences may vary, I actually feel more in touch with my emotions than previously. I think this is a result of my mental health improving in general, as most of my depression symptoms got a lot better, especially post top surgery. (Anxiety is still here though, lol)
I admittedly don't cry as easily as I used to, yet I still feel the same happiness or sadness just as deeply. The only difference is the physical tears. And I am still fully able to cry.
Okay, SO. It’s been a while, but I did my fourth shot today! Here’s a list of all the changes I’ve noticed so far:
Good LORD the hair (it does itch when it comes in, and a salt/sugar body scrub will be your best friend to help make sure you don’t get ingrown hairs)
The SMELL. I stink so bad and for why. This is why teenage boys were walking axe clouds, please invest in a strong and cheap cologne (axe, BOD, JOVAN musk if you want grungy disco vibes like me, etc) and a men’s deodorant (I seriously highly recommend JOVAN musk it stays in your clothes for DAYS without needing to reapply it and its less than 20 USD)
Losing weight, gaining muscle, and body fat distribution
I’ve heard this doesn’t apply to everyone, but I’ve been sleeping more (like taking naps) and I can tell its exhaustion from my body changing, so be potentially prepared for that
More physical energy, better mental state, craving for high-protein foods
Being hot and sweaty more often (I’ve been keeping ice cream or popsicles in the freezer and drinking more ice water)
Slight voice drops paired with having a scratchy throat (also if you’re like me and your body decides to grow an adam’s apple, be prepared for a sore throat and slight trouble swallowing for a couple days)
Start of facial hair growing in, but nothing extremely noticeable yet
Bottom growth (if you’re not used to stimulation there, it will hurt when it rubs against your underwear or pants, the smell changes up so sometimes you should air that sucker out especially with how much you will be sweating so be sure to wash that mf too)
- Keep in mind that T doesn't work overnight. You won't turn into a big hairy man in 2 days and probably not even in a year.
- That being said also don't expect minimal change. Especially mentally. Mental changes will happen a lot more than you expect both good and bad.
- Everyone's body is different. Your voice may not start dropping until month seven. Sometimes it's not the dose and sometimes it is. Not every doctor's approach to testosterone will work for you.
- Your singing voice won't disappear it may just take some time for it to get "back to normal"
- Periods don't vanish overnight. And sometimes they get even longer than before. Be prepared for this.
- Some changes may happen a lot more than you expect some won't or won't happen to the degree you expected. Your growth may be a lot or only a little. You may grow a ton of hair in the first month. Be prepared but don't have expectations.
- Doubting yourself especially during and after the first shot is normal. Just be patient and let your body grow.
- PEOPLE 👏 WONT 👏 THINK 👏 YOU'RE 👏 UGLY FOR 👏 BEING 👏 ON 👏 T! I can't stress this enough. Your dysphoria is the one telling you you're ugly. Don't listen to it. You're handsome and you deserve happiness.
- For some reason cis people, even when you know you 100% pass as a guy still misgender you. It's really the small changes that count. Don't let this deter you. Giving it time will help.
- Again with the don't ahve expectations but don't expect to grow muscles overnight. That's just not how bodies work. Some people might find that this happens but it's usually because they work out in the first place.
- Some things that you may not have wanted when going on T you may want now and vice versa. I went on T really not looking forward to body hair and now I love my body hair.
- Sometimes that big change that you were waiting on is anticlimactic, sometimes it's the little things that count. Now I will look down at my arms and see a man's arms and it makes me feel really euphoric.
- Fat redistribution takes a loooooong time. And usually you don't even notice it when it happens.
- In the end it's your body so do what you need to do to feel happy.
