MtF Transition Journal @transitjournal - Tumblr Blog

50 Days HRT Update 🔥

No, HRT will not make you turn to a cute anime girl instantly but it will surely do you these things.

Estradiol Hemihydrate 2mg/ Cyproterone Acetate 50mg

First of all, thank you all for your support and interest on my blog. It's what keeps me going. 💕

I used to take DIY HRT with different medications 2 years ago, with spiro and E2 valerate from January 26 2020 to late July 2020. Those doses were pretty low, at least considering from my point. And after I had to stop those meds, all my changes are rolled back, except some very very little breast growth. Now that I'm seeing doctors since October 2021, since HRT is gatekeeped in my country. Thankfully, I finally got them in July 25, officially got a prescription and had my legit cocktail! Now, of course I'm done with talking, let's move to the changes :)

Physical Changes

My skin is much more thinner and more translucent, and I'm more prone to bruises or tear even by slight contact with something. I feel that I have less tolerance for cold, that I now have to run my air conditioning in higher degrees. IDK what will happen in wintertime though! I've noticed my penis is also getting slightly smaller, as well as my testicles, since there's no T supplying those tissues anymore. No longer have to deal with morning wood or random erections, and this makes me so happy! I've noticed tucking is slightly easier because I can't get erections easily, and probably because of my testicular atrophy. I have small breast buds developing much faster compared to my old cocktail in 2020, (check my old posts if you'd like to get to know more about) the sad thing is since I'm taking single estradiol pill a day, fluctiations of estrogen affects my breast tissue. Sometimes it's like it's not there at all, and sometimes it's noticeably there (like a preteen girl's breasts, to compare).

My facial hair is slightly thinner, but it's still there and I have to shave everyday. The thing I didn't expected is, the growth pace of my facial hair is slowed considerably. Considering laser hair removal in future months, I'd do now but I'm short on cash nowadays. I always hated my facial hair, and it was (and still) my biggest cause of dysphoria. I've heard HRT makes laser hair removal on facial hair much more effective, so that's why I've been waiting around. I am also happy that, my scalp is less oily as well as my skin. I've had like soo much oily skin that I had to use lots of products to get rid of. My acne on my forehad is 90% gone, and I'm so happy for it.

Because of T reduced on my system, the sebum production is decreasing, making my skin dryer. And I tried to masturbate twice in a month, but it was so hard to reach climax. I guess I need to find different ways to please me. But my orgasms were more like a full-body experience, and it was... mind blowing.

Mental Changes

Okay don't be afraid of those negative things I say first cause they're not always here, haha. PMS symptoms, usually once a week (sadly). Cramps on my intestines to the point I can't move. Sometimes I find myself that everything in the world irritates me.

And my love life started to bloom again... at least from my side. I find myself I'm falling for handsome guys much more easily... I can't stop myself. It's more of emotional than sexual this time. I started to be able to cry again after months, I cried for my breakup with my boyfriend for first time after 3 months, why it happened is another story to tell about.

And I cry on emotional scenes in TV series. But being able to cry makes me feel free! 💕 I don't have specific craves to foods, but sometimes I feel hungry out of nothing... it's harder for me to say "no" to some foods. My emotions now feels like a rainbow.

#transgender #mtf #estradiol #estrogen #transgender hormones #mtf hormones #mtf hrt #trans girl #trans woman #lgbt #pre op trans #trans #transisbeautiful #queer #lgbt representation

MtF HRT Hierarchy

This one covers MtF HRT only, FtM HRT deserves it's own blog. Here's a quick information handwritten by me. From now, I'll use those abbrevations;

CPA = Cyproterone Acetate

E2 = Estradiol

P4 = Progesterone

T = Testosterone

AA = Antiandrogen

Common brand names; Estrofem, Progynova, Cyclo-Progynova, Delestrogen, Estradot

First things' first, Estrogen is very important thing, and without it feminization is almost impossible. There are four types of estrogens, Estrone, Estradiol, Estriol, Estetrol. Estradiol is the most potent one and found in higher levels in women of reproductive age. We have to take estradiol. Estrone usually is found higher levels in post-menopausal women, and it only provides very very little (almost nonexistent) feminization. When you take estradiol orally, some of it is converted to estrone by your liver. So it's important to check your estradiol-to-estrone ratio with your endo to get sufficient feminization. If you are taking E2 injections or sublingually, it's probably E2 Valerate, which is less potent than E2 Hemihydrate (but it's good, since you're probably taking higher doses of it and it skips liver in those administrations). E2 Hemihydrate is recommended for oral administration since it's more potent, and bioavailability is reduced since it's being processed by liver. So it's important to get more potent form of E2 if you take it orally. E2 Cypionate is very similar to E2 Valerate, and it's usually found in intramuscular/subcutaneous injections. If E2 Valerate injections in your local pharmacy are out of stock, you can get E2 Cypionate they basically do the same thing.

Common brand names; Aldactone, Androcur, Proscar, Propecia, Casodex

An antiandrogen may seem like eye candy, but it's important for us girls to suppress our gonadal function. So that way, we can use less dose of E2 to get sufficient feminization. An antiandrogen, depending on what type of AA it is, usually suppresses your gonadal production of Testosterone and Dihydrotestosterone and prevents your androgen receptors from absorbing them. Every kind of it does it different though. CPA is known for both reducing T production and nuking androgen receptor function, can also be used in very low doses to have effect. Due to stupid regulations of FDA, this drug is not available in the United States, leaving trans folks there with only three other options; Spironolactone, Bicalutamide and Finasteride. Finasteride, as much as I know, only blocks the potent form of T called DHT (Dihydrotestosterone) which is only acts on skin, hair follicles, prostate gland and testicles. It does not stop or block the effects of testosterone, so it's not really what we actually want. Bica and Spiro, unfortunately does not reduce T levels, but they block androgen receptors so the T and DHT in your body is moving freely, without binding to receptors and I think it's better than nothing. Those ones is the most with side effects, so it's important to read what others experiencing, share with others and talk to your endo about it. Also, most AAs are known to cause vitamin B12 deficiency, and B12 deficiency is a serious thing. I suggest you to get your vitamin B12 levels checked if you are using AAs for longer period of time. I am not including GnRH antagonists, since technically they're not antiandrogens and I don't know much about them yet. You can get more information on r/asktransgender about GnRH antagonists if you'd like.

Common brand names; DepoProvera, Depo-SubQ Provera 104, MPA, and Provera

This is the most controversial one, even in our community. Some say P4 does wonders for their breast growth, mental mood and even their sleep patterns. Some say it fixed their "cone" shaped breasts. Some say it didn't do nothing for their transition. The thing is, Progesterone is almost not present in adolescent cis girls, and it's function in trans women is very understudied. Progesterone is at peak levels at cis women aged 20-24. Personally, I think taking progesterone before your first 2-4 years of HRT is unnecessary, give your body time to adjust then you can add P4 to the mix (If you want). Since it's our second puberty, following the natural pattern of cis female puberty is more ideal for me. I think more funding is required for trans studies to see P4 effects on us girls. Feel free to share your thought about this!

This one is very rarely used in with us trans women. It is usually prescribed by request of patient, and 99.99% of time it's prescribed after surgical removal of gonads (Genital reconstruction surgery/vaginoplasty or orchiectomy). The target is to reach cis female range of testosterone and retrieve some of libido, and mood changes like self-confidence. The effects of T in females is similar to effects in males, but some doctors don't agree with the fact T has to do with libido in females. If you're one of gals using it, feel free to share with me about your experience.

#transgender #mtf #estradiol #estrogen #mtf hrt #mtf hormones #mtf girl #trans woman #trans women #lgbt #lgbtq #transgirl #transgender female #transgender hormones

UPDATE: September 2022

I am happy to announce that I'm making a comeback. I changed the blog's desc. from DIY HRT, to HRT. Due to personal reasons, I had to discontinue my DIY HRT in late August 2020. But it doesn't mean we're stopping here :) This time, I got hormones legally from an endocrinologist in a university hospital. I've got different kinds of medications this time, and I think the outcome would be different, or even different.

DISCLAIMER: P-rn accounts, chasers, fet-shers or any kind of f*ckery, please stay away. I made this blog to medically and personally inform everyone who's interested in HRT, trans or not. If you're non-trans and reading, welcome, that's just fine. But my blog is not being written to fulfill your fantasy about something else, thanks for your cooperation.

#mtf #transgender #estradiol #estrogen #mtf trans #lgbtq #lgbt representation #queer

itxylopez

doubleca5t

fenderjess

Also the form of estrogen they prescribed trans women in the 90s, Premarin, looked like this.

And lest there be any remaining doubt.. remember the blue pill? The pill Neo could have taken to forget the truth, bury his troubles and go back to living a normal life, without fearing a system that wanted to destroy him? The pill that was easy, perhaps cowardly according to some, but comfortable? Here’s Prozac.

For a trans woman in the 90s, where the choice was be safe, suppress, cope, and pretend everything is still how it was, or embrace the danger, accept the truth, realize your full potential, and transition into a world that still thinks you’re a joke and would rather have you dead…. well. The metaphor is pretty fucking clear.

benemylence

Y’all

steakplissken

Lana came out as a woman after Speed Racer in 2008, and Lily eight years later after the release of Jupiter Ascending (2016), so if you see original home copies of the Matrix (pre-2008), they are referred to as the Wachowski Brothers on it. It was a branding thing, like the Coen Brothers. That’s how they were called, because they were still presenting as male to the industry and the industry sold them as a creative unit.

I remember after Lana came out, the boxes switched to calling them just The Wachowskis, so I imagine now it’s the Wachowski Sisters.

So, yes, they’ve always been sisters, but if you didn’t know that, it’s not your fault. It’s been a long process and I’m glad they did it on their terms in their time.

thefloatingstone

Before Lily came out but after Lana did they were often credited as The Wachowskis siblings. So some places may still refer to them as such.

I was actually unaware that Lily was also trans so thank you for that info!

theslowesthnery

Has your sexual orientation changed or feel that hrt has confirm one preference?

Well, I was always interested in males. Even when I was In grade school I constantly had crushes on boys, so we can say it confirm one. After HRT, the only thing changed is I wanted more deep emotional connection in sex.

thisisnotjapan

Famous Japanese Trans Women

Aya Kamikawa (上川あや)

“A Tokyo municipal official, the first openly transgender person to seek or win elected office in Japan. She was elected in April 2003. Kamikawa, then a 35-year-old writer, submitted her election application papers with a blank space for “sex.”

She won a four-year term as an independent under huge media attention, placing sixth of 72 candidates running for 52 seats in the Setagaya ward assembly, the most populous district in Tokyo. Despite an announcement that the government would continue to consider her male officially, she stated that she would work as a woman. Her platform was to improve rights for women, children, the elderly, the handicapped, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

In April 2007, she was re-elected to her second term, placing second of 71 candidates running for 52 in the same ward assembly. She is the only openly transgender official in Japan at this point.” x x

Ai Haruna (はるな愛)

Ai Haruna is a singer, actress, and businesswoman. Growing up she experienced a lot of pain and hardship due to the ignorance of her parents and Japanese society as a whole. However, this didn’t stop her from living out her childhood dream of becoming an idol and tv-personality. x x

Kayo Satoh (佐藤かよ)

She is a fashion model and particularly famous in the fighting game community. She was born in Nagoya and after she graduated middle school she ran away from home because of the pain she experienced in a society that didn’t understand her. That night, she went to her childhood friend’s house, who lent her clothes that suited her. She then worked at a convenience store, and 4 years later she got a job as a clerk at a women’s clothing store. Soon after, she was scouted by a modeling agency which she still works for. x

She has a book called Re-born on amazon

Ataru Nakamura (中村・中)

“a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, as well as being an author and actress. She is most recognised for her song ‘Tomodachi no Uta’, which was used as the theme song for the drama Watashi ga Watashi de Aru Tame ni (in which she also appeared as an actress). She’s also known for being one of the few openly [transgender] celebrities in Japan, having been [assigned male at birth], and has spoken of the struggles she underwent with issues of identity before transitioning. In 2006, she signed to popular record label avex trax, and in 2010 moved to Yamaha Music Communications.” x x

whatmountains

TRANS WOMEN: HERE'S SOME SHIT YOUR DOCTOR WONT TELL YOU ABOUT HRT

1. Progesterone: not for everyone, but for many people it may increase sex drive and WILL make your boobs bigger. Also effects mood in ways that many find positive (but some find negative). Most doctors won’t prescribe this to you unless you ask. Most trans girls I know swear by it.

2. Injectible estrogen: is more effective than pill or patch form. Get on it if you can bear needles bc you will see more effects more quickly.

3. Estradiol Cypionate: There is currently a shortage of injectible estradiol valerate. There is no shortage of estradiol cypionate. Functionally they do the same shit.

4. Bicalutamide: This is an anti-androgen that has almost none of the side-effects of spironolactone or finasteride. The girls I know who are on it are evangelical about it.

naidje-deactivated

@euryale-dreams

joyeuse-noelle

Are there HRT medications that don’t increase blood clot risk? I’m already at risk because of my blood pressure, and my doctor won’t prescribe HRT that increases clot risk while I’m on the medication - and I may never not be on the medication.

euryale-dreams-deactivated20201

Absolutely.

The concerns surrounding venous thromboembolic events as a side-effect of hormone replacement therapy can mostly be traced back to one particular study known as the Women’s Health Initiative. This study was an enormous undertaking which, unfortunately, demonstrated significant adverse effects of the hormone therapies studied. As a result of this the use of hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal cis women was dramatically reduced as the medical community began to question whether or not the therapy caused more harm than good.

Naturally, trans women have been suffering from this fall-out ever since.

What physicians seem to fail to recognize is that the study examined a very specific hormone regimen which was, arguably, outmoded at the time the study was conducted: It examined the use of conjugated equine estrogen (Premarin) with or without the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate. Neither of these drugs is regularly used for the treatment of transgender women.

The estrogen most commonly used to treat transgender women nowadays is 17β-estradiol either in pill form or in the form of a sticky patch that you apply to your skin. Esters of estrogen (e.g. estradiol valerate) are also sometimes used either in a pill form or as an intramuscular injection.

Transdermal estradiol patches are the gold standard when it comes to treating women who are at high risk of a venous thromboembolic event. It simply does not increase the risk of developing a venous thromboembolism. The only thing you should keep in mind is that patches are not always well tolerated because of the lifestyle changes required to keep them from falling off and the fact that they tend to irritate the skin.

Fortunately, oral 17β-estradiol appears to be safe, regardless of the increased risk. At least one large study has shown that the use of oral estradiol in trans women is not associated with venous thromboembolic events. An individual woman’s risk would need to be substantial in order to contraindicate the use of oral estradiol.

For those who have significant risk of venous thromboembolism because they have had a previous thromboembolic event, because they are paralyzed, or because of some other factor it is good to know the relative risk between oral and transdermal estrogen. The latest research indicates that the use of transdermal estrogen lowers your risk of a thromboembolism to 80% of what your risk would be using oral estrogens.

It’s difficult to find hard numbers regarding the relative risk of venous thromboembolic events with regards to hypertension. The best I could find after an hour or so of searching was this study regarding VTE in lung cancer patients. Hypertension increased the risk by a factor of 1.8.

However, to put that into perspective being of African descent increases your relative risk for deep vein thrombosis by a factor of 1.3 when compared to Europeans. Europeans are, themselves, at increased risk when compared to Asians and Pacific Islanders by a considerable margin: a four-fold increase.

I should point out that being ‘male’ is also a risk factor for developing a thromboembolism and hormones are likely to be a contributing factor. Also, menopause is another serious risk factor. Given this information it is likely that the use of transdermal estradiol will lower your risk of thromboembolic events significantly.

As far as the anti-androgen is concerned: The primary use for spironolactone for cisgender people is as an antihypertensive.

Even if the risk of thromboembolism was truly significant with modern hormone replacement therapy it wouldn’t justify what your doctor is doing to you. The fact is that mortality in the transgender community from suicide–caused in part due to the lack of access to hormone therapy–is substantial. The quality of life lost when a trans woman is denied hormone therapy is substantial. The fact that your doctor does not appear to be taking this into consideration when they weigh the risk of thromboembolism against not receiving necessary medical care is deeply concerning.

I strongly recommend that you seek a doctor who is more sensitive to your medical needs as a transgender woman.

Edit: Fixed a minor, but embarrassing, error.

whatmountains

oh wow this is so helpful & good info

blackthorn-and-iron-deactivated

Everyone who cares about transfem people please reblog this

thetolerantleft-deactivated2017

this was really fucking helpful

5 Months HRT Update 🦄

Estradiol Valerate 2 mg/ Spironolactone 50 mg

Hi, it's been a while and I'm going through a little bit hard times those days. Sorry I couldn't post for a while.

I started HRT at January 26, 4 days before my birthday and it's one of the best days in my life. Although I have to go a lot of struggles with this, I've never regretted to start HRT. I'll categorize the changes to make it more easier to read! 💗

Physical Changes

My face is much more feminine looking (more plump lips, more prominent cheeks when i smile) because of the fat redistribution, I feel much happier with myself when I look in the mirror.

I lost 30 pounds since January. I'm 125 pounds and 5'5", I'm OK with my height :) most cis males are taller than me and I get gendered correctly, I feel blessed! 💗

Breast development more visible.

Body hair grows back slower and changed in pattern, my facial hair also thinner and grows back slower than it used to. I'm considering laser hair removal for the upcoming months!

Mental Changes

I experience PMS symptoms, usually every 3 weeks. Though Prozac helped me with this significantly, it's still debilitating. I get cramps on my guts and I have mood swings, I cry and laugh a minute next. I crave chocolate and sweets even though I actually like savory snacks. I hope this will get better.

Obviously, I feel much more empathetic and emotional. 💗 I seek more peace and security in my life.

And, most importantly, I finally started to see my reflection for the first time in 21 years, I consider this both mental and physical 💗

#transgender #mtf #estradiol #estrogen #LGBT #trans girl #trans woman #mtf hormones #mtf girl #pre op mtf #pre op trans #spironolactone #transgender hormones #transgender woman

5 months update coming this week!

#mtf #transgender #estradiol #estrogen #hrt #diy hrt #lgbt #spironolactone #trans #pre-op #trans girl

International Women's Day event in Berlin, Germany – March 8, 2020.

#international women's day #international women's month #march 8 #womens day #human rights #trans rights #womens rights #trans misogyny #transphobia #misogyny #lgbtq #womenempowerment #support your local girl gang #trans women #women #berlin #germany

2 Months HRT Update 💗💊

Estradiol Valerate 2mg/a day – Spironolactone 100mg/a day

I'm still going through an emotional rollercoaster. It is now harder to lift heavy things, the struggle is obvious: I'm losing muscle mass, and my fat is still redistributing to my hips & thighs.

My skin is not only soft, but it's much more thinner, translucent and delicate. I have some shower gels irritating my skin and my skin is picky now. Leaving the house without having hand moisturizer in my bag? Those days are gone! My skin needs care like a baby now! 🤷🏻‍♀️

A shopkeeper in my neighborhood asked me if I have a brother, and I think that he's probably confusing me with my old self, amazing how much I've changed!

I have to pee every 25 minutes, because of Spironolactone is a diuretic, it's sooo inconvenient :/

I have more strong desire to nurture people. I wanna cuddle a baby and hugs are more feely now 💗 👶🏻

I can't stand seeing people in pain. I already had this, but it's much more unbearable. When I see cute animals I cry! omg girl I can't stop! Even when I read a sob story. 📖

I can't tolerate spicy food anymore, I used to love it a lot, but now I have less pain tolerance so it's unbearable. :( 🌶️

One month on HRT Update 💗♀

I AM SO EXCITED to tell you all the new things!

Estradiol Valerate 2mg/day - Spironolactone 25mg/twice a day

First things first, my face have been started to get feminized a little bit! The difference is not obvious, but my Virgo physics makes me detect all those tiny details! My jaw is a little bit rounder, my under eyes and cheeks are puffier, my face looks so cute!

I have started to cry more easily, even moody on trivial things. But I’m only doing it if it’s appropriate like when I’m alone, nobody notices because I cry so silently. But I’m afraid that I might cry in front of my friends when something emotional happens, I’m afraid I might not be able to control it. 😔 But hey, it feels great! I feel like I’m dumping all those emotional baggage caused by not being able to know who am I for years, all I knew is I always wanted to be a girl.

My perception of smell is so enhanced. Male body odor catches my attention very easily. It makes me uncomfortable that I can smell men now even from a distance :/ My tastebuds are enhanced too, but I lost my interest in food, don’t know why, maybe because of Spiro, or maybe it’s because I’m more interested in beauty than food. I usually eat because my body needs to eat, not because I’m hungry. I lost weight, about 13 pounds this month. I’m eating well, don’t worry! 😊 My BMI is 22.5.

I’m prone to cuts because my skin is soft and delicate now. I have those “mysterious” cuts on my body which I have no idea when or where they happened :/

I’m losing my muscle strength. The upside is I’m happy with it, the downside is I will need to stay in groups because if I… encounter a dangerous person it would be a great deal of force and since I’m weaker now it will be harder to defend myself. :/ But, I don’t know why, but feeling vulnerable makes me feel impeccable, I feel like I have divine protection from the source! 🙏🏼😌💕

So thanks to everybody for reading my blog! Have a nice day and love yourself! <3 I’m planning to get prescribed HRT with endo supervision, I think that’d be so much safer! I can’t believe the girl that was hiding in me comes out of the closet after so many years.

Edit: Forgot to add NSFW content! Not sure if it’s NSFW, though. It takes too much effort to pleasure myself, so I’m hardly ever doing it. I feel good about it because it was so exhausting, testosterone used to make me think about sex most of the time. I can now focus on better things in my life!

#mtf #trans #transgender #trans girl #lgbt #trans woman #diy hrt #male to female #hrt #hormones #hormone therapy #estrogen #estradiol #spironolactone #mtf girl #mtf hormones

One month update upcoming next week! Stay tuned people 😊✌️🌼

#mtf #transgender #hrt #mtf hrt #mtf girl

From now, I'm BLOCKING all the perverted transphobic accounts who interact with my blog, and I'm gonna REPORT them. You pricks dehumanize us, fetishize us and treat us like zoo animals. We will not tolerate this. We will stand together.

#transphobia #announcement