this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2024
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LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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What has your experience with HRT been like? I think mine might have been abnormally fast but I'm not sure. (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone to c/mtf@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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So I'm wondering if I might have klinefelter's (XXY chromosomes) or if I'm just very receptive to estrogen because the effects of HRT happened to me way faster than I've heard other people say it happened to them.

I've seen charts like these and I am a bit dubious of them because my timeline doesn't match up at all.

image of chart

I don't know if my experience is actually normal or not, but when I started estrogen about a little over a year ago, it only took a few days for me to notice my skin being softer, and then literally the next day I woke up with breast buds and about 2 to 3 weeks later I had noticeable breasts that were big enough that it was difficult for me to boymode at work. I'm pretty sure I got to Tanner stage 3 in like half the time that's expected.

From what I've heard from others is that they didn't get breast buds until at least 3 months in and that made me question why mine happened so quickly.

I've also always been pathetically weak and it's also always been difficult for me to gain muscle. Which makes me think I had low testosterone even before I started spiro. I remember when I had my 3 month follow up, my t was at 89 ng/dL and I remember my doctor commenting that that was lower than he expected, although I have zero idea if that is actually lower than normal for 3 months on 100mg spiro.

I'm curious if any of you also experienced a similar timeline to me, or if your timeline fits the charts that I've seen. I know my timeline is quite fast and that it might be hard to believe (idk if my experience is normal or not), but I swear it is my genuine experience with HRT.

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[–] LadyAutumn@lemmy.blahaj.zone 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Onset time varies a lot. Those charts are very generalized. It's possible you had lower T levels to start.

[–] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 month ago

Thanks for the reply. I always assumed that because it showed a range it was the earliest possible start time to the latest end time for some reason, but yeah it makes more sense that they are averaged and very general.

[–] OldEggNewTricks@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Nowhere near as fast as you, but things I've noticed so far (from my notes):

  • Day 5: reduced BO (why is this never on the charts?), reduced spontaneous erections, libido gone
  • Day 10: swollen nipples
  • Day 18: definite buds
  • Day 24: semi-clear, low volume emission

I had quite pronounced man-boobs already, so it's hard to tell about breast growth, but I've been losing significant amounts of fat everywhere else and I think they might be a bit more prominent than they were.

Not really noticed stronger emotions or anything like that yet, although I am quite a bit calmer / happier. That could just be because I'm facing the right direction now though!

I've wondered about Klinefelter too (didn't have much of a beard until well into my 30s, for example) - will find out next month when I get my test results back.

[–] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 month ago

Thanks for the reply! It's definitely interesting to see how varied everyone's timelines are. I am learning that I developed quite quickly so I am considering looking more into getting a Klinefelter's test too. I hope you get the results you're hoping for on your test!

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Did you get baseline blood-work to know your hormone levels (estrogen and testosterone) before starting HRT? That's what my endo did.

I thought I might have had XXY as well (I had a much delayed puberty, relatively large breasts, very little body hair, etc.) and had my karyotype tested but I did not have XXY, so ... I now wonder if I might have a mild androgen insensitivity syndrome, maybe caused e.g. by long CAG repeats on the AR gene which is a commonly genetic mutation in trans women and would impact the functioning of the androgen-receptor.

Either way, it seems there is a huge amount of variation in the ways people respond to HRT, some trans women actually have worsened gender dysphoria related to their body when they take estrogen. To make matters more complicated, the routes of administrations, whether people take anti-androgens, whether people take progestins or progesterone, and so many other factors in how HRT is administered create even more variables.

FYI I think I was at tanner stage 3 around 6 - 8 months of subq EV injections.

[–] Lumelore@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I wanted to get tested to see my starting levels, but my endo said it wasn't necessary so I didn't get one.

I really appreciate the information about androgen insensitivity syndrome, this my first time hearing of it, and I think it's quite possible that I could have it.

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 1 month ago

I usually hear about Complete Androgen Insensitivity (CAIS) like the intersex activist Alicia Weigel who has CAIS.

I don't see as much discussion about Mild (MAIS) and Partial (PAIS) versions. I suspect I could have MAIS, though that's entirely speculative, grasping for explanations that could just be as simple as "normal variation".

I would like to get genetic testing to find out if my AR gene is one of these common variants found in trans women or not.

There are many ways to get to the same outcomes, biology is wildly complex.

[–] Blazingtransfem98@discuss.online 6 points 1 month ago

Mine was very slow compared to other people, maybe it was because the DIY estrogen I had is weaker or maybe I could've gone with a higher dose. I've been on it for about 6 years and by now I for the most part completely pass except for my voice. It did take about twice as long as shown or more for me to show some of the changes. Thankfully for me hair loss isn't common in my family so I'm lucky I never had to deal with that (my grandfather is in his 80s and still has a full head of hair, it's completely white but it's still lush and thick)