A couple of discussions popped up on Twitter today with respect to hormones, but one in particular caught my attention as it highlights the value.
There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet and I'm sure you're quite surprised by that tidbit... However, joking aside, when it comes to hormone therapy, the bigot brigade is spreading a lot of the misinformation and that is harmful to many trans people.
So, the main thing here is that your approach to starting any form of HRT should be a discussion between you and your doctor. I am not one and I am not going to tell you to start HRT, that's a decision you need to make. What I want to talk about is why I felt I could start it and what it has meant.
My doctor asked me, before she prescribed my hormones, what my transition goals were and I told her that I didn't truly know at this point, that I was on a journey, but that I knew how the start of that journey needed to look. More importantly, what made it easier for me to get started was the knowledge that most early physical effects were reversible and relatively minor. Breast growth, which is not reversible, usually sees onset around the 3-6 month mark, but other changes are not as dramatic or as permanent. However, what I wanted to feel comfortable with was the emotional and mental impacts of the change in hormones would bring in me.
I've mentioned this before, but the impact to both my physical and mental health as a result of HRT has been enormously positive. My alcohol consumption has gone from 5-6 per night to 5-6 per week, if that. I am exercising daily and I have lost weight where and how I wanted to. I am also eating far better than I have in decades. I'm simply feeling better, sleeping better, and feeling more positive for my future than I can remember ever feeling before.
Things like changes in my alcohol and diet happened pretty close to immediately, within a few weeks. It is clear that the reason I turned to alcohol was to suppress who I am and when I stopped suppressing the reason for alcohol disappeared, much to the delight of my doctor and my therapist.
So I knew, within weeks, that I was on the right path. It became crystal clear to me that there was no way I was turning back from this journey, but now I had confirmation. I'm in my fifth month of HRT and my body is reshaping and I am beyond thrilled by that and, with that, the road ahead is becoming clearer to me as I travel it.
What does that mean? Well, what I can say to you, if your egg has cracked and you're wondering if you should, then see your doctor and discuss. If HRT turns out not to be for you, you can stop. If it is right for you, then I think you will know fairly quickly.
Here's the tweet I mentioned.
For me, personally, HRT had a dramatic increase on my quality of life, more than surgery. But the best part is that if you don't share that experience, you can just STOP taking HRT. The first several months of changes aren't permanent, so if hormones aren't for you, no worries pic.twitter.com/dnrFwCmDY5
— Crystal Frasier (@AmazonChique) November 15, 2020
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