Tips I Wish I Had Growing Up FTM
Don’t throw away your favorite shirt just because it’s pink or in a women’s cut, one day you might be passing and confident enough to wear it again. Don’t stop wearing or doing something you like just because it’s not traditionally masculine.
It can take years, YEARS, for even the most supporting family member to use the right name and pronouns, because they’ve known you since you were born as one thing, and it can be hard for them to automatically correct themselves. I know you hear this a lot from THEM, but this is coming from another trans dude. If they’re trying their hardest to understand you, if they support you in your transition, don’t treat them like the devil for slipping up on your name and pronouns. Try to be patient in correcting them. Above all else, they love you. Remember that!
If you’re in a safe home environment, it’s best to come out to everyone at once. Rip off the bandaid. It can be really stressful for close family not to know what to call you in front of other family members when you use your preferred name and pronouns with everyone but certain people. Don’t feel like you need to hide yourself from certain people if they’re extended family that you’re not going to see until next Thanksgiving. Put it out there so that everyone knows and nobody needs to sneak around the subject.
Don’t resent previously transphobic relatives for things they said before they came to support you. Sometimes it takes someone in the family coming out for them to realize that trans people are people to. Take pride in the fact that you changed their perspective on it, don’t hate them for what they used to believe.
Don’t go out with straight guys. I can’t stress this enough. If he’s only into you because you’re AFAB, stay away from him. Ask him about his sexuality. If he says anything about “only going out with trans guys”, get the fuck out of there. Stay away from straight guys.
Bind in moderation. Don’t bind at home, and don’t bind under baggy clothing. Not only is it bad for your ribs, but you can get a pretty gross rash from wearing a sweaty binder all the time that’s a pain in the ass to get rid of.
If you’re a B cup and under, you can flatten your chest down with a single sports bra and get pretty much the same results as using an actual binder. I’m a B cup and I can pass with just a sports bra, not to mention it’s ten times more comfortable.
When you’re trying to get a recommendation for HRT, you’re going to need to see a sex therapist, and you’re going to be asked a lot of uncomfortable questions. You’ll be asked about your sexual and romantic preferences, on top of questions about dysphoria and general trans stuff. It’s awkward and anxiety inducing, and it’s gonna suck, but the therapist’s goal is to get you in to see the endo and the questions are there so that they can see if you fit the diagnosis for gender dysphoria. All you have to do is tell them you identify as trans and you have dysphoria, nothing else really matters.
Having a personality disorder doesn’t invalidate your identity or your need for hormones. That concern didn’t even come up when I got my recommendation!
Opt for injections over gel. I know a lot of young trans people go for testosterone gel because it’s less scary than the injections, but I haven’t met a single trans dude my age that was happy being on the gel. Every trans dude I’ve met that was on the gel says that it didn’t offer much physical change for them and they switched to the injections instead.
The injections don’t hurt as much as you anticipate they will. It hurts less than having your blood drawn. The fear of needles is usually what gets people, but if you have a family member that can do your injections for you, it’s far easier than doing them yourself.
Testosterone makes your body odor smell ridiculously bad. Shower daily and use deodorant.
Testosterone makes you really horny, and that’s the first symptom you’re going to notice. This is going to lead you to want to make bad choices in the name of getting laid. Don’t let your hormones get the better of you. Find a nice, SAFE way to relieve those urges. Don’t go sleeping with just anybody (again, stay the hell away from straight dudes!). There are literal forums dedicated to things you can use to get off when you don’t have any toys, I shit you not, and that was my godsend growing up.
Wait at least a year to get rid of your pads and tampons. Just. Just trust me on this one. It can happen.
Don’t have unprotected sex under the guise that you’re completely infertile because of testosterone. Again. It can happen.
Any other trans adults are welcome to add to this!!!
Some cis men have boob. Some trans men have boob. Some nonbinaries have boob. Some cis women have boob. Some trans women have boob. It’s all good. People have different body types. Don’t pressure yourself to be flat as a board. (You don’t have to have a really tiny chest to flatten it a lot with just a sports bra. Really.)
Keep in mind that a lot of your clothes were probably bought with the mindset of making you look good with boobs, and if you bind them, the fit changes. No, your chest isn’t really that prominent. Put on your binder before you go clothes shopping and try on some different styles.
You don’t need to make any changes you don’t want to. Sure, keep some of your birth parts if you want bio kids or just don’t really object to them. It’s your body. Sure, don’t bind. Personally, I often feel more masc without a bra or binder on, and I’m an F cup. Maybe embrace a little moob. Sure, don’t go on T. Not every transition is the same.
Ask about stomach injections! They work just as well as the thigh ones, but they’re easier to do and there’s less chance of side effects. The medical community is just now making the switch, and not every healthcare practitioner has heard much about it, so speak up and ask them to look into it!
