My partner has been on hrt for over 3 years now, she says you're looking at 2 to 3 months minimum before physically feeling any changes. Its a long slow process, her body still continues to change. Take your time, trust the process. You've already done the hardest part :)
this post was submitted on 01 Apr 2025
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Yep and it takes about four years for physical progress to slow, even though some alterations will continue. Oestrogen isn't like serotonin; where increased levels of serotonin cause fairly abrupt changes but the results across those who take SSRI/SNRIs are inconsistent, the results of higher oestrogen levels are slow and hard to notice at first without taking progress photos, but it is consistent, works for everyone, and will be noticeable in a few months. Body hair thinning and lightening for me was the first sign.
thanks for the advice! okok i thought so but wasn't sure, someone close had told me i would experience mood changes and such within a few weeks after starting lol
I've been on HRT for ~4 years now. You need to give it more time. Whoever told you it took a couple weeks was pretty off. Personally, it was at the 3-6 month mark that my emotions began to "widen" I guess, and the quality of my attraction change. It took around a year (so, after the feminizing hormones had been affecting my body for a while) for me to begin feeling different about myself, to feel happier about my body.
It takes time, I know that sucks, but the changes will come.
DIY enanthate vials usually have 40 mg / mL, so 0.15 mL should be 6 mg?
Using the injectable estradiol simulator, this is what levels would be estimated to be over time:
Notice how it takes nearly a month to even get to a steady state ... EEn has a half-life of 5 - 7 days, so it takes a week to peak and another week to eliminate. This is compared to estradiol valerate (EV) which has a half-life of 3.5 days, so EV peaks faster and higher, and eliminates much faster than EEn.
When I first started EV injections, I could feel changes the night I injected, but I didn't feel any obvious benefit or mood change until the third day or so.
But it's important to note that not all trans women react to estrogen the same. Some feel no difference at all. Others actually have worsened dysphoria.
So early on you are not likely to notice many physiological changes. In my first month or so of HRT, the earliest changes I noticed were softening skin, changes to body odor (less spicy / less smelly), and fewer involuntary erections overnight and in the morning when I wake up. I wonder if you will start noticing these soon, too.
EDIT: I had sore breasts pretty quickly, too - I think it was a matter of weeks, but I was taking EV which brought my E levels up quickly. I would expect breast soreness in 1 - 3 months with EEn, but I'm not certain - I bet others have written about their experiences starting with EEn.
thank you for that graphic! i hope so too actually.
There wasn't any major change to how I felt either. My emotional range did expand but my day to day didn't feel any different. Been on E for 2+ years now.
If your testosterone levels are suppressed, it's working.
Hi! I've been on E for 9 weeks now, and on my third dose of AA for a week. The first effect I noticed was my smell (transpiration) after a week. But then I had to wait until this weekend for the second effecr which is some light boobs budding. Hormones are slow! Be patient and know that things are going to get better!
Edit: Oh right, I am able to produce tears through emotions again! (I couldn't say since when)
So about a month in you may start noticing emotional changes. If you hit 3 months without anything like breast tenderness or random crying ask your endo (if you have one).
Monotherapy should be fine but may be slower. If nothing happens within 6 months get a level test for certain
3 weeks ain't that much time especially with no blockers. hell with blockers and a hoodie you could boymode for quite some time and get changes. 🤔
I'm also a few weeks in and not seeing any changes. I am also on a t blocker, though I don't know if it's working yet as my first blood test isn't for another month. It takes time. I feel a little different mentally, but I am physically still a giant hairy man.
My advice is to try and find one person you can absolutely trust and confide in them, if you can. It's better to do this with help than alone. Maybe find a local-ish group that meets up in person and attend if you aren't comfortable with people who know you. I find it odd to think about, but I am more comfortable discussing things with people I have never met but who share in my daily struggles than to talk with someone I know who doesn't.
yayay buds! im not on a t blocker tho. i do actually have someone i really trust and do confide in! tho they don't have much exp with transitioning itself lol
Also if neither of you have started yet, voice training and hair removal take FOREVER. They're almost as slow as HRT itself, so get started as soon as you can, if you can/want that to be part of your transition. Honestly I wish I'd done the hair removal a decade ago even without transitioning. It just feels so much better!
yo hair removal ughhhh... been using an epilator for my legs and tweezers for my sensitives but like god damn does it hurt. don't have the money for laser tho...
That's very brave of you. I don't think I could cope with the pain of tweezers! I get razor bumps already and decided to try out at-home IPL, but it's only been two weeks so I can't comment on results yet.
and surgery takes a long time as well, so if you think you might want it, you want to start electrolysis for hair removal for a vaginoplasty a year before the surgery, and you will need to find a therapist who will write you a letter for that surgery (at least in the U.S., therapists are often gatekeepers in other countries too).
Everything takes a long time, so get the ball rolling early.
I keep reading about this but I am missing something. Is it ok to start now even without a surgery date? If I finish electrolysis 6-18 months before a surgery date, do surgeons have an issue with this? I am intending to get on a schedule as soon as I am permitted to, so I want to get started on hair removal now. I just don't want to hurt my chances with eventual surgery results.
no, the earlier the better and if you can remove all the hair well before surgery that would be ideal - you have more time to catch any stray hairs that were not eliminated in previous growth cycles.
I know girls who have finished hair removal for bottom surgery and still haven't made the first steps towards getting a consult with a surgeon, let alone a surgery date.
Meanwhile, I'm rushing my electrolysis and trying to fit it into 4 months because I started too late and my surgery date is this summer 🙃 Don't be like me, it risks having hair in your vagina.
What would a non-rushed electrolysis timeline be? 6-8 months? Longer? Place near me runs about $90 an hour, and i want start (even if surgery would likely be years away).
I think the common recommendation is at least 12 months, 2 years would be better because you have a chance to catch all the hair growth cycles twice and catch any that were missed the first 12 months.
Genital hair removal for SRS should be started at least a year prior to surgery, and probably more. It needs to remain clear for the entire hair growth cycle to be sure its all gone. Any remaining hair may be impossible to remove post-op.
from the trans surgeries wiki on Reddit
Due to hair growing in cycles it takes a very long time to remove properly. If you removed all of it in each cycle (so about once every month or two) you'd need a year. In practice doing a full clearance right at the start probably won't happen. To be assured its gone you need to count from when full clearance occurs and make sure it stays that way for a year. Worse there's not a 100% kill rate of hair, so just because its gone doesn't mean it won't come back in a year - you'd want to wait another year to catch those hairs on the next cycle. Anything less increases the risk of hair, and how much risk you're prepared to accept.
from the hair removal section of the trans surgeries wiki on Reddit
The surgeon usually removes or cauterizes the follicles during the surgery, and some surgeons even suggest not doing hair removal at all, but 7% (roughly 1 in 14) of women post-op report having hair in their vagina, and while rare, infections can occur and that can lead to situations you really don't want to find yourself in.
Anyway, I'm low-key terrified of having hair in my vagina, but I'm also worried my opportunity to get a vaginoplasty is under threat, so I'm hoping to get it done before it's no longer an option.
It’ll take time; everyone goes at their own pace. They’re hormones, after all, not an instant pot of coffee. 0.15mL isn’t a large dose either, depending on the concentration. I’m 17 months in, and it just keeps getting better as I go along.
lol fair. someone i know who's alrdy transitioned said i should feel some emotion changes within a few weeks. in hindsight i should have waited longer before asking but i get nervious im doin something wrong.
Oh, hello! And welcome :)
Do you know the concentration? That is, how many mg of estradiol you are using?
I wouldn't expect to see much effect from E per se at three weeks, especially if it's a low dose, but one of the first things to look for would be nipple sensitivity. If your T is suppressed, you'll get a noticeable drop in libido and body odor pretty quickly.
nip sensitivity, huh? so that explains that :/ genuinely didn't think anything of it
Congratulations: you're growing boobs! :3