For guys who are on some form of estrogen...l

What type are you taking? And what effects have you noticed? Breast tenderness/development? A natural change in voice? (Without you trying to change it), head hair growing back thicker?

Here's the thing... I'm 21 years old, but I'm just starting to lose my hair, and it's depressing the hell out of me. Hair is pretty much my favorite thing in the world, so you can imagine how I feel... I've read that taking female growth hormones is the only way to reduce male pattern baldness. Now, I'm also gay, short, thin, and a little bit flamboyant anyway, so honestly I'm fine with whatever feminizing side effects it may have (except the voice... my voice is high anyways. That's my career tool).

If anyone can help me out and answer those few questions, I'd... well, love to give you hugs in person, haha.

Thanks for your time, guys and girls.

 

Eostrogen has no effect on the male voice whatsoever. (eostrogen CAN be used to stop the voice breaking if it's taken in early puberty. It can't reverse the effects of the already broken voice though.) Which is a source of frustration for many female transpeople. While the surgery available for female transpeople is better than what is currently available for males, it's the females who get the short end of the stick when it comes to hormonal effects on the fully developed adult body. Males get facial hair, and deepening of the voice, while females are stuck with facial hair and stuck with the male voice. It is a fact that the effects of the male puberty are a lot harder to reverse, (with some being impossible) than the effects of the female equivelant.

I can't see taking female hormones being enough to stop male-pattern baldness. You'd probably have to be on some form of anti-androgens as well, to help with that. Seeing as the male hormone is the main cause of early baldness in men. It's not really eostrogen that is the reason early baldness is much less prevelant in women. Its the lack of the male hormones. You'd probably have to be on oestrogen and male hormone blockers to see much of an effect in that area.

You say you'd be happy with the feminizing effects, but you should also realise, taking female hormones, especially in combination with anti-androgens, will shrink your penis, and eventually cause erections to stop. You're basically "de-sexed". Normally this doesn't matter, as most female transpeople have no desire to be sexual with their male organs anyway. You may have a problem with it though.

Unless you identify as female, I would strongly advise against taking hormones and anti-androgens. If you are happy with eventually losing sexual function though, then go for it.

 

Thanks for the quick reply!

You're right... and I strictly do never use my penis (I'm the receiver) so that wouldn't matter to me at all. Sometimes I'd rather have a vagina, since it would be easier for sex!

I know a form of estrogen (Estradiol 1mg pill) is possible (and super cheap for a monthly supply...), but what kinds of anti-androgens are there that might do the job?

Honestly, I'm ready to become a woman if that's what I have to do to save my hair. There's no part of being a guy I like (besides my 'boyish' voice, which gets me pretty cool jobs in video game and anime voiceovers). As for effects like body hair... I'd be SO much happier with no body hair (I shave anyways) and more feminizing features.

As you said, my penis would basically shrink and not work, but would it completely eliminate a sex drive? I know transsexuals can still get frisky...

Thanks again for the quick reply... I really appreciate it.

 

No Problem!

I dont think any specific kind of anti-androgens would be needed to help with male-pattern baldness. I think any anti-androgen in conjuction with eostrogen would be sufficient enough.

I can't say Ive ever heard someone say they want to become a woman to save their hair, but I guess there's a first time for everything!

It does decrease the sex drive, yes. You'll still find the same people attractive that you were attracted to before of course. Just that your body will no longer give any physical sign that you're attracted to them. It eliminates sexual function in as much that your sexual organs will stop working. It wont stop sexual attraction, but the sex drive usually does drop. Most transpeople see this as a relief though, rather than being a negative thing.

 

Trust me, you're not ready to become a woman to save your hair. You're under the impression you'd be nearly the same as you are now, you can't underestimate the effects of hormones not just on the body but on the brain itself. You'll just wind up where most transsexuals start, hating yourself and wanting to die. It's a very long and complicated process that can make many people hate you. I assume you're gay, so think about this, would a gay man really want a womanly shaped man? No, they want a man who looks like a man. And if you're passing as a woman and attracting attention from straight men who see you as a woman, well most of them generally do not respond well to the idea if their woman having a penis still

Your sex drive, well, generally it will go away and become nothing for quite some time after starting anti androgen/estrogen. It'll come back, but it won't be the same as it was before as it will be that of a woman's.

As for anti androgens, spironolactone is the most commonly used in the US.

I can't tell you not to do something if you really want to, but people generally like their gender pretty well. Would you really be ok having the mind/body of a woman to save your hair?

 

I have to agree with Syd. You identify as being gay, but most gay men will no longer be attracted to you once your body becomes feminised. And as Syd mentioned, most straight guys even if they were initially attracted to you, would be none to pleased about finding out you have a penis. I myself have this problem, and cant enter into relationships for this reason. I have attracted straight men, but I can't persue any relationship with them, even if I wanted to. Because I know most would reject me because of my masculinised genitalia. Not that I would wish to have sexual relations anyway until I have genitalia Im at least not totally disgusted by.

If the ONLY reason you want to take eostrogen/anti-androgens is to stop you from losing your hair, I would strongly advise against doing so. Nobody can stop you, of course. But I would certainly advise against it.

 

Absolutely. The idea of being a girl always made me feel happy, but I always put those thoughts aside all my life. If the thought of looking like a woman creeped me out or made me uncomfortable, I'd say hell no at first thought. After looking up ways to keep my hair, I came across this... more or less changing genders. That's fine with me.

Also there are PLENTY of gay guys who prefer a feminine/androgynous guy. I'll still be wearing my skaterish clothes... I won't be dressing too feminine (most of the time, haha). I'm far from looking manly anyways. I barely grow facial hair, I have a high-ish voice, I'm short, and I don't have a lot of muscle like most guys, so the guys I've been with like me for not looking like a "manly man".

Honestly, I'm ready and willing to do this... I just need that little bit of advice from people with experience in this general area.

Also, you're in CT? Me too... whereabouts?

 

There's a big difference between a feminine/androgyness guy, and someone with female physical features, like boobs. Femininity/androgyny has nothing to do with the physical, but behaviour. You're talking about changing your body physically. Most people are not attracted to "chicks with dicks", gay or straight.

You may not look very "manly", but you're still a man. Hence why gay men are attracted to you. Your body is still male, not matter how "unmanly" you may look. Gay men are generally not attracted to the female form, physically. Hence why they are gay, and not straight.

 

I'm 100% okay with my body changing... it'll be weird at first for everyone, of course, but if it reverses male pattern baldness and eliminates things like body hair, I really won't mind growing breasts and my body changing shape.

 

I'm around the New Haven area, just to the east of it on the coast, New Haven is the shit. Been here my whole life.

As for the changes, you gotta think though it's not just physical, it's mental do, don't underestimate how hormones effect how your brain works, and the problem is if you don't have level of gender dysphoria, your brain might not be happy being subject to the hormones of the opposite gender. Look at transsexual people and generally how miserable they spend their lives being on the inside before they can finally fix it.

And the physical changes, you have to think of all the bad that can come from it too if you don't want it. Your muscles will waste away, you'll become weaker, you'll get a layer of fat around your body under your skin, you'll ass will get bigger, you'll lose the awesomeness that is the male metabolism, you won't really lose body hair in areas women have it, just have less of it and have it be finer, remember women have to shave to be that smooth. You'll grow boobs, which if you want breasts great, but if you really don't, you gotta think what sane person would want boobs, just these things hanging off your chest that bounce around and get in the way most of the time.

If you got some free time I'd recommend reading the first 3 posts of this thread:
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3203710
They sum up a lot

and if you a lot more free time, I'd recommend browsing through this thread, a lot of things get asked about/answered talked about
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3126198

 

I've been to New Haven station like 20 times in the past month... dang NYC!

I've read through the first few pages of both threads... and it actually seems to make a lot of sense to me. It all sounds fine to me, and I actually really like the idea of becoming a girl... I just don't like the fact it could take a while, and might be a bit complicated... I mean, I've always admired the way girls look and are able to look feminine without people staring... you know? But I didn't think playing with Barbies when I was younger and being jealous of girls' cutsie appearances meant anything like that, haha.

 

Did you know despite ranking at 145 in terms of it's size for population, Union Station in New Haven is one of the busiest in the country

But remember, gender is a state of mind, not a state being. Transgendered girls like regular girls come in all kinds from the super femme to the flannel and ripped jeans, to liking the gosip, to liking the firing range. While everyone I'm sure would love to be the opposite gender for a while if it were easy, it is a great challenge to do so under normal circumstances, and most people only do it for the fact they've felt like the opposite gender their whole lives and living in the gender they are is a serious cause of distress.(the attempted/seriously considered suicide rate of transsexuals in their life is near 1 in 2, having been part of that statistic, it sucks) While the idea of being a girl may be fine, I'm just worried that the odds are after subjecting your brain to estrogen, and your body to being feminine, you're brain is going to be like wtf, this is not what I'm programmed for and you wind up at the state of depression and distress transsexuals spend the beginning of their lives at. Unless you have had serious gender issues in the past.

 

Union Station is? Really? That's crazy... it is pretty hectic.

The closest thing I think I'm coming to of having a gender issue, is absolutely despising the fact I'm starting to get thicker chest hair, facial hair... and, well, starting to look like a guy. I always looked like a girl when I was younger, in fact people made that mistake all the time... which actually made me happy. Now that that's changing, I've been getting pretty depressed over it... now that, mixed with starting to get male pattern baldness, is pretty much making me want to jump off of a high building. Seems like there's no way out, and I'm only going to progress more like a guy, and that scares me as well... I desperately don't want that.

 

Well, hating looking like the gender you are could be a sign of some level of gender dysphoria, I remember when puberty hit me................................it was terrible. I wanted hips and boobs, I got chest hair and a beard, wtf.

 

I wouldn't mind hips... boobs, well, I'm not a fan of them nor do they turn me on, but something about having them, myself doesn't seem all bad...

Maybe I do have some form of gender dysphoria... never really thought of it like that.

Either way I'm seeing a psychiatrist October 5th about getting this done due to the male effects (hair loss), but... I'm afraid to bring up these feelings to him. If I'm lucky, he'd be willing to help me out, and I'll be able to take estrogen, some anti-testosterone, and hope to become more of a girl, and... with some luck, my hair will grow back thicker like it was a year ago, and I'll look prettier than ever

 

Ah you can never have hips, neither can I, it's the holy grail for transwomen. Sure your hips can look a bit bigger as they will get a bit more fat on them and estrogen will make your waist come in a bit, but most of the size of female hips comes from the pelvic bone.

Though I have to say I don't think any psychiatrist will approve estrogen on the sole basis of hair, getting a psychiatrist just to prescribe hormones for people with severe and obvious gender dysphoria often takes long enough.

 

This same psychiatrist was willing to prescribe me with whatever I needed when I was a bit depressed... when I had a bit of an acne problem, he prescribed me something I'd have to get at a dermatologist. When I started taking finasteride, he prescribed me a generic which saves 80 a month, when a dermatologist wouldn't. He's pretty open minded... so here's hoping.

 

This is true. I was getting psychiatric treatment for nearly 2 years before I was finally prescribed hormones. (without anti-androgens, which at the time, I had no idea I needed) I find it highly unlikely that any medical professional would prescribe you oestrogen purely because you're unhappy with male-pattern baldness. As Syd said, even getting hormone treatment if you have severe gender dysphoria can sometimes be like pulling teeth.

 

Shoot... I don't know what to do then... all I can do is ask him. If he doesn't do anything... then I'll probably slip into some heavy depression, which I'd like to avoid... Also ordering things like this from the internet isn't a very safe thing to do...

Shoot :'(

 

Trust me, he won't say yes if you ask, hormones are serious shit. But actually ordering hormones over the internet is pretty easy, tons of trans people who need to self medicate for financial or whatever reasons do it.