Welcome

Welcome, if you’re new here, I recommend starting at the beginning of my journey. The moment I was asked Are you Trans?

The early changes

As I mentioned in Starting Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) within a day or two of my first testosterone injection I experienced a few noticeable changes.

• Sore throat, scratchy voice – testosterone thickens the vocal chords which results in a deeper voice. During puberty in teenage boys, testosterone production thickens and lengthens the vocal chords. In trans men the lengthening of the vocal chords is restricted by the size of the larynx which is typically smaller in transgender men compared to cisgender men. Results vary from person to person in regards to how much one’s voice drops.
• Increased energy – the first few days after my shot I have an abundance of energy. I especially noticed this in the beginning. Others experience a drop in energy levels near the end of their week the last day or two before they take their next shot but this isn’t something I’ve noticed.
• Increased appetite – before I started testosterone injections I typically ate a few small meals a day and a snack or two. I’ve never been able to eat large portions at one time. When I ordered restaurant food I often took home at least half of my meal to eat later or the next day. Two days after my first shot, I was out for lunch with friends and I devoured my entire plate of food and looked over at my friend Kit’s plate to see if she had anything left I could swipe off her plate. This was so completely out of character for me on so many levels. I also remember waking up in the middle of the night feeling famished and having to eat.
• Increased sex drive – I have always had a healthy sex drive but testosterone sent it soaring through the roof! When I started testosterone I was single so there was a whole lot of self love going on in those early days 😳😂
• Bottom growth – aside from my scratchy throat feelings, bottom growth was the only other physical change I noticed in the first few months. Bottom growth refers to the changes that happen to the clitoris on testosterone.

Are all these changes scary?

The changes in the first few months on testosterone are not typically noticeable by others. Many transgender people, myself included, have/had concerns about starting hormone replacement therapy because they’re unsure how they’ll feel about all the changes. I’m here to tell you that the initial affects don’t happen as rapidly as they may seem and it allows you time to adjust to the transitions taking place.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Not all change is permanent

Irreversible changes

There are a few changes that are a result of taking testosterone which are permanent. In the first few months the vocal changes and bottom growth which occur are not reversible. Below is a video of my voice 3 months on testosterone. You can compare this with my pre t voice in Starting Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Let’s talk about the reversible affects

Many changes are not permanent. As you can see in the pictures above, my face began to fill out more as a result of taking testosterone injections. A person’s fat distribution is impacted by the dominant hormone in their body. If I were to stop administering my shots, the estrogen in my body would alter my fat distribution once again. I’ll be sharing more on this in the coming weeks. Another reversible change is menstruation. I had my last cycle the month I started testosterone. If I were to stop taking testosterone, my period would return unless I were to get a hysterectomy.

Stay tuned

Be sure to follow my page as I’ll be sharing more of my journey in the upcoming weeks.

Looking for more

Are you transgender, nonbinary, gender nonconforming, genderfluid, genderqueer or questioning your gender? Struggling to accept yourself? Wondering what’s next? What does my future hold? Do you need support in coming out to family, friends, at work? Are you out and now looking to discover yourself and live your best most authentic life?