Another Trans Advice Blog

I'm Lee! I'm here to compile and make posts that educate people who may need it. My askbox is always open and I don't bite I promise. Out for ~8 years, on T for 5, got top surgery late 2022

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Free Surgery and Hormone Letters

There is a group of mental health professionals who have signed a pledge to provide assessments and letters for hormone therapy and surgery for FREE. The website is https://thegalap.org/. It is U.S based though.

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Trans Affirmations Day #3

Being trans is nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of.

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Trans Affirmations Day #2

Being trans is beautiful.

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Trans Affirmations Day #1

My gender is real and people see me as my true self.

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New to E Tips

As someone that’s been on estrogen for nearly a decade at this point, I’d like to highlight a few things to expect that a doctor may not tell you starting out (cw: genital mention):

Your skin will get softer and more sensitive. If you’re already fair-skinned like I was, this can be a blessing and a curse. I can’t have someone rest their head on my chest or sit on my lap without it hurting like nobody’s business.

When you begin to experience breast growth you will feel a lump under your nipples. I was constantly paranoid about it being breast cancer, but those lumps are normal and will probably hang around for two or three years. However, if you are concerned about the cancer possibility, do not hesitate to contact your doctor.

The amount of initial breast growth you will have may not be a whole lot, but they can get bigger later on. I was an A cup my first five-six years, then I gained some weight and my breasts doubled in size.

It’s pretty well known that estrogen can kill your libido for the first few months. Be aware that this could have an effect on your romantic/sexual relationships and don’t let your partner force or coerce you into doing anything you don’t want to do.

Speaking on the libido effect, the phrase “if you don’t use it, you lose it” is applicable in this situation. If you want to maintain the size of your penis, make sure to experience regular erections. After months without use the penis muscles will begin to atrophy making your penis smaller and any erections you may have be painful.

If you are also taking Spironolactone, it can sap your sodium levels. This can cause you to feel lightheaded, nauseous, or weak. If you start feeling this way, eat something salty. I personally just pour salt directly into my mouth and eat it, but I understand that’s not for everyone. If you experience these Sodium deficiency symptoms often or severely though, contact your doctor.

These may  not be universal experiences, but they are one’s that effected me that I would have liked to have a heads up about. Feel free to add your own below if you have anything worth sharing : )

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Hey! Are you a young trans (or just someone who wears a binder) who is still in school, is hiding a binder from their parents and doesn’t know how they’re going to wash it? Cause you’ve come to the right place!! (This is also just a tutorial on how I wash my binder).

Step 1: Be prepared.

It will be helpful if you go to a school where you carry a bag around. You need to prepare that morning. Make sure you have nothing going on that day after school. You’re going to need:

Your binder

A plastic bag (preferably two)

Washing detergent (either buy some before/after school, steal from your laundry or use hand soap like I did)

A sink (with water)

A normal bra

A clothes hanger

A school bag

And a towel.

You’re going to need to take a few of these to school with you (binder, bags, soap, bra, towel). And make sure you do this the moment you get home so your parents aren’t suspicious of why you are taking your school bag into your bathroom.

(I personally forgot this step and almost had to explain what I was doing).

Step 2: Washing time

Ok, take off your binder, and put on a bra (if you want to that is)

Pour warm water into your sink.

And soak your binder in it.

Pull it out and put some soap on it (I use A LOT)

And then rub it in and put the binder back into your sink.

Drain your sink and fill with cold water. Put binder in again and soak it.

Drain the sink and run your binder under cold water to get off the extra soap.

Get any extra water out by squeezing it and put it in the plastic bag/s.

Put it in your school bag (along with anything else) and sneak into your room.

Step 3: Drying it.

Pull out your binder and hang it up in your closet with a hanger.

I like to put a towel underneath to catch all the drips. And to prevent my carpet from being ruined.

Your binder will (hopefully) dry overnight.

I know a lot of people are in different conditions when it comes to family, resources etc. so this might not work for everyone. This is simply what works for me. If you need help/advice, you can always ask me.

And since this has gotten so many notes (thank you for that), I’ve posted a part 2

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My Copper (paraguard) IUD Insertion Experience

To preface: I am a 19 year old AFAB man (I'm also on mobile so sorry for any formatting errors)

I just got out of my doctor appointment. It was scheduled for 2:30 and it's currently 4:20. The waiting was probably the worst part of the whole ordeal as I forgot to bring earbuds. First bout of waiting was me waiting for my doctor, second bout was waiting for the numbing cream they put on my cervix to kick in which took about 20-30 mins.

Then came time for the actual insertion, I felt nothing at all as they clamped my cervix, like genuinely I didn't know it was even happening. I felt a sharp pinch when they dialated my cervix but it maxed out at a 4-5/10 and it died down very quickly. I believe they used a size 6 paraguard and insertion after my dialation just felt like a normal period cramp for me, probably a 3/10. I imagine the numbing cream helped greatly with this though. Right now it has been around 15 mins since the doc finished with me and I feel pretty much no pain other than an occasional very dull cramp that's maybe a 2/10.

Tldr: Waiting was the worst part, I highly recommend asking about numbing cream on your cervix if you can. Overall I would do it again in a heartbeat for 10 years of protection.

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Flip n Tuck STP Review

So I've had this stp for a few months now and it is by far my favorite stp I've own (I have three). I love the way it packs even though it took some getting used to, and I love the way it functions as an stp device. In addition to this, the owner was super helpful when I needed my address changed after ordering due to a mess up on my end, and it arrived 10 days earlier than Etsy estimated it would thanks to the speed of the owner. It was worth every penny.

First up let's talk packing. The stp itself comes with a harness to pack with that clips on to the top flap of skin that the product has and, here's my first piece of advice: Be wary ordering the adjustable harness unless you need the larger size. I ordered it because my weight is fluctuating a lot recently and I didn't want to have to order another harness if gained or lost considerably. The adjustable works well for this function but, I didn't consider how much leftover strap I would have hanging down once I tightened the harness. I end up wrapping the extra fabric around the waistband of the harness to keep it out of the way. Anyways, back to packing. It takes some getting used to due to it not really sitting the way I usually angle my packers (the head of this one hangs straight down and you cant shift it due to the harness and construction of the stp). This downward hanging has lead to some awkward tents if I sit down wearing kinda tight shorts due to it kinda jutting off of my body and sticking out straight due to my laps angle. I found if you shift the packer upwards when sitting it doesn't do this as much. Other than those awkward tents it's comfortable but slightly bulky, nothing too bad though and it's a manageable size for me (5'5 and ~180lbs). Also, I really love being able to wear this while I am using the toilet sitting down and being able to see a dick there due to the harness allowing it to stay on, huge dysphoria reliever for me.

As for peeing, this product is amazing, all you have to do to go is grab the shaft and lift it up so it's aiming at the toilet, go, then flip it back down to the position it hangs (no awkward placement fumbling!). I was able to go first try without any leaks or hangups at all. This is also the first stp I've been able to use with my pants above my knees, usually, I have to pull them all the way down and kinda squat due to me having thick thighs but the cup on this one is narrow enough that I can stand regularly and use it without a hitch. I've been using this stp non-stop since I got it and I've only leaked once, and that was my own fault as I was 3/4 asleep and didn't have the cup fully extended down. Also, I believe it would pass a quick glance at a urinal without setting off any alarms

TLDR: This is the best stp I own and I really can't see myself replacing it any time soon. It works great, packs decently even if you're a shorter guy, and I would recommend it to guys who have trouble fitting wider stps between their thighs, or really anyone to be honest. Kudos to Number One Laboratory for the amazing product.

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FLAVNT Bareskin Binder Review

I surprisingly haven't been able to find much about this binder on the internet so I figured I should probably change that. I've had this binder for a few months now and I have very mixed feelings. -Ratings- Comfort: 5/5 Binding: 3/5 Quality: 3/5 To start on a high note, this binder is by far the most comfortable one I've used even compared to my GC2B binders. It works very well for exercising as well due to it not being that tight. Unfortunately, that's where the good review ends for me. I followed the sizing guide and since I was on the cusp of an M and L, I sized down as FLAVNT's website recommends. The shipping was fast but as soon as I put the binder on you could hear stitches blowing out and this still happens months later. As for binding, it underperforms and probably shouldn't be marketed as a binder imo. It looks like I'm wearing a sports bra and that's it. I was extremely disappointed, to say the least when I looked in the mirror wearing it. As of now my FLAVNT is my exercise binder and nothing more and I'm still sad, I had so much hope for it.

Here's a photo album comparing the binding of my old GC2B binder and my FLAVNT one as well as showing the ripped stitches on my FLAVNT. https://imgur.com/a/pK61loF