Everything You Wanted To Know About HRT

But Were Too Afraid To Ask Disclaimer: We can not offer personalized medical information, treatment, or care, just generalized transgender health information. We are volunteer-run and cannot respond to urgent inquiries. If you have a pressing health concern please consult a medical professional.

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i just found out from my dad that aortic aneurysm runs in the family, and an ecg for an unrelated health problem turned out borderline, instead of what would be the statistical norm for my (pre-T) self. from what i've read, the science around the effects of T on the hearts of transmascs is kinda mixed. if i have the beginnings of aortic anerysm, or a family history and some lifestyle risk factors, how likely is that i'll be gatekept from going on T? i'll be attending an nhs gic sometime in the next year for reference

none of this should stop you from going on T. they may increase monitoring depending on the severity of your family and lifestyle risk factors, and your current health status, but there is no evidence that T increases the risk of AA, and there is evidence that low T can increase the risk (while animal studies show that T can decrease the risk of AAA, which is an AA located in the stomach not the chest).

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if puberty acne is caused by a spike in androgens for cis boys, and go away in adulthood because the spike subsides, then will acne caused by testosterone HRT never go away if the dose does not change?

It tends to improve after year 1.5/2, you can read more about it by searching for acne on here

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Why isn't T really growing my actual clit much at all? I have a giant hood and both vaginal lips, it was huge even before T and is getting longer and thicker on T. I mean massive and thick, the hood sticks out like 3cm and 1cm thick at the front, the outer lips a bit similar and my clit still sits there like a tiny nub at the base. I can't tell anything about clit sentivitiy.. I've never actually learned to use it.

These things don't generally respond to testosterone. I would talk to your doctor.

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I am currently looking into private top surgery in the uk, but some surgeons don’t list prices, and some don’t take referral letters from gendergp - does anyone, either mods or followers, have any advice on who to go with for the most affordable but good surgery?

Thanks

Followers with knowledge, reply here

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do phallo dicks have jiggle physics? (I honestly do not know a better way to phrase this)

Phallo folks care to answer? (there are phallo groups on facebook that might be better suited to answer this)

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is there such a thing as estrogen gel, like there is for testosterone?

they're not as commonly used as testosterone gel, but there are several non-patch topical options (like divigel and estrasorb).

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for the cholesterol anon, I'm in the same boat as them. something thing my doctor told me is that they're generally hesitation to give Ldl lowering meds to someone under 30-40 unless there's a pre-existing condition there causing complications, and something specific that can manage it is incorporating more soluble fiber into your diet. did some research on my own and it seems to check out. hopefully this is helpful? that aside, keep an eye on it and keep your doctors informed, as always

This is true.

Here are the biggest changes you can make to help improve your cholesterol:

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Hello!!! I checked the tags but I’m still not positive if someone has answered this. If one were to go on a low t dose and then go off of it once the permanent changes have happened, would they still run the risk of hair loss/balding? Thanks ;;

whatever balding the T is set to offer, it would pause/stop at that point (after you stop T, no more hair will be affected)- HOWEVER all the hair on your head that the T was planning on making fall out, it will still fall out (over the next year or so) because of the way hair growth cycles are, until things stabilize. This also means that you may get hair loss significantly prior to the permanent changes that you want, depending on what you're looking for.

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Is there anything otc I can use to numb my skin before using an epilator? It's sounds painful so I'm scared that I only shave, but it never seems to shave clean, always little scratchy tips sticking out, and the next day they'll just grow back 1mm again. Is it me or does it seem that it grows back faster on T?

i don't know where you live, but in the usa, you can get lidocaine 5% cream as a muscle ache remedy over the counter. (check ingredients, there are other types of creams that you DO NOT want to put on your skin prior to using an epilator). You might be able to get this or something similar in other countries (reply here if you are somewhere outside of the states and you know).

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Is there any way to minimize the appearance of “perky” nipples after top surgery? I got the inverted T procedure, and while my chest is flat my nipples are extremely obvious through any shirt. They were the same way before surgery, but the padding in bras would hide it. It makes me extremely uncomfortable (especially since I’m still read by others as female and I might get stares because it’s very noticeable unless I’m wearing a bra, even post top surgery)

something like this might be your best bet. (silicone nipple covers)

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so it's common knowledge that the clit gets bigger on T, but does the WHOLE thing get bigger or is it just the external part? doesn't the clit also have all those internal bulbs and stuff? tbh I never paid attention to myself until after I started T so I haven't been able to tell any difference in that regard but I'm very curious.

The TLDR is we just don't know but possibly.

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I have stretch marks over an inch wide on my chest, do you think a top surgeon would be able to work around those? I don't mean an i ch long, I do mean wide, whoch is why I ask-- theyre larger than any stretch marks I've seen, and it makes me worry about compromising my skin's stability.

it depends on the location of them (i had some massive ones on the breast tissue itself, where it was getting removed). That will take a consult from the provider. If you have many this large in multiple locations on the chest, it might be difficult for the surgeon to find a great selection of skin, and this might make your incisions longer or might limit your choices of technique. If you only have a few this large, or they're limited mostly to the skin that's going to be removed, it shouldn't make much of a difference. Keep in mind though, that this type of stretch mark usually comes from rapid size change (rapid chest growth, height change or weight change)- all of which are totally natural processes, and you will be guaranteed not to be the first patient that your surgeon has ever seen with stretch marks. They will be able to come up with a plan to accommodate your body to get you the best possible results.

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Just to add to the last anon that’s the case in America but most countries around the world Do require diagnosis and that often comes with an Insane waitlist

ah yes, sorry- for the "is this legit" anon. I had meant to mention that I was talking about US specific info. I can't speak to the details for other countries as I'm not there, each country has its own rules. i'm just confirming that when you see a person talk about seeing a provider and just getting the HRT, it's a valid and WPATH approved (internationally recognized) method of treatment- but it's certainly not the only one, or the most common way worldwide. What you see being talked about by trans folks locally is more likely to be accurate for your specific situation.

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Hi I have been on T for almost 2.5 years and quite suddenly my cholesterol has shot up (just my bad cholesterol, nothing else has changed) and I'm wracking my brain for a reason why since my diet is unchanged and my cholesterol was previously low

testosterone alone isn't usually the cause of a high LDL, but other things can be- total and LDL cholesterol naturally increase with age, weight gain (which testosterone can cause) and sedentary lifestyle. Additionally, a moderately unhealthy diet (if you think you might have one) may be able to be overcome for a time, but it "catches up to you"- that is cholesterol levels build up over time. Genetics also can play a role in cholesterol levels. It's not likely the T alone causing the cholesterol change.

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Do you have any DHT blocking shampoo brand/product recommendations? I'm experiencing a little hair receding on T and I'm only 20 and 2 years on T, so I don't want to start Finasteride because I hear it slows changes by stopping DHT conversion.

there are no FDA-approved DHT blocking shampoos- finasteride is the only medication that has been studied and evidence proven to block DHT. other shampoos and products may be marketed to do so but without the evidence that they work, it's all marketing. The only other thing shown to work is minoxidil. Both finasteride and minoxidil only work as long as you're taking them- stop and the hair falls back out.

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Is derma rolling helpful for top surgery scars? I'm almost 3 years post-op and I was wondering if you have recommendations on what needle mm to use and how often to do it.

here's the evidence on it.

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Any advice on what beard products a trans guy trying to grow facial hair might use? I'm on T and I want something that'll moisturize my skin and facial hair but not increase my acne. Minoxidil is drying my skin out and making it flake.

minoxidil isn't meant to put on facial skin so that's why it's drying out your skin. Our policy here is specifically not to endorse using anything in a way that's not FDA approved (and this is one of those things). There is only one study where it's been used this way, and it wasn't especially promising (whereas it worked well applied to scalp and eyebrow hair- it didn't have the same response to beard hair and the base it's in is too harsh for face skin). Getting a good facial moisturizer will help with dryness, and ensuring the one you have is good for acne prone skin will help. There are no legit products that are medically approved to make beard hair grow better and anyone selling anything for that use is trying to waste your money.