HRT not working?

An online friend of mine confessed today that she didn't think that she was getting much from the HRT she is receiving from her doctor. Hormone replacement therapy is one of the medical procedures we go through prior to surgery as a transsexual. It is similar to what a normal woman goes through after having a hysterectomy. The difference in transsexuals is that the doseages are elevated in an attempt to counteract the effects of testosterone. Many transsexuals experience feminization in their physical features. Most experience some breast growth and some redistribution of body fat.

For what it is worth, I didn't get a whole lot from HRT prior to surgery. There were many times when I felt like you. And there were many times I took a step back to reexamine my decisions... sometimes at great personal and mental harm.

When I hear someone playing up how wonderful HRT is, I always think "what's with that?" For in my personal experience, HRT did almost nothing. And you know... in all likelyhood, I seriously believe that there are many just like me who are afraid to admit it. We do have a culture, like it or not, where we feel we "must" show something for our efforts. What happens when there is no progress? What do we have to "brag" about? What do we have to show ourselves that what we are doing is showing positive results? Does it matter? ... really?

6 months after my surgery, I finally noticed what a lack of testosterone was like. My mind finally cleared and I no longer felt depressed ALL the time. I didn't have that thing churning in my mind pushing me to do crazy things. As I look back, I'm glad that I did have periods of introspection. I'm glad that I did try to return those times. It helped me solidify my decision. It has given my life a stronger drive to move ahead and not linger in non productive thought.

Unfortunately, there is no ruler against we can measure our progress physically or mentally. The only measure we track is amongst the people we know. And for that, our TG/TS community sometimes will drag us along to some degree. I always advise not to get caught up in that aspect. Caution is always best when considering such life changing decisions.

If you are on HRT and have doubts , spend a weekend totally in drab (as a guy). See if it floats your boat. Slick back your hair and go spend a weekend in another city. That may give you a better idea where you are going. But don't worry about the HRT drugs. In my opinion, there is way too much attention given to this part of the process.

Cindi

Copyright 2006 by Cindi Jones RSS feeds are allowed