Changes I have experienced on Hormones?
There is a little bit of information that I have found from other people but it doesn’t really explain much. I would like to gather more information or have your input if you can think of anything about your change that you would like to add. However, I will tell you about the things that I have experienced as a change for me. I can only explain things from a male to female transition.
Since I have started changing 4 months ago I have noticed many things about my personality that has changed for me. Although, I am still the exact same person that I have been for a long time there are subtle differences that have shown up. I am not sure if it has to do with the fact that I have come out and feel more open or if it was the hormones that are actually causing the change. Though I will mention that nearly 1 year before I was able to start hormones I didn’t experience these new effects until I was several months on hormones.
The first thing that I began to notice from month 1 to month 2 was a change in personality. I would express a more feminine approach to things and even be all girly like when it came to talking like a prep. It would happen randomly and sometimes intentionally because it felt more natural. This happened a lot for me and still happens on a regular basis. This could be that I am starting to become more female like and able to express my inner self. This is just the beginning of the things that have started to change for me.
I believe this is because of the Spironolactone that I am on that I have experienced an increase in cravings for salt, which is not a big surprise because of the effects of Spironolactone. See Spironolactone is a diuretic and helps remove water from your body as well as salt so it makes you want salt more. As far as other beta-blockers I can’t speak for but if they are a diuretic they may do a similar thing.
I have noticed many other little changes like a desire to eat things that have vinegar in it which prior to hormones I used to hate anything with Vinegar. In addition, I also used to love ranch for salads and now I don’t like ranch anymore unless I absolutely have to have it. The taste just seems so off to me and I can’t stand it anymore. This is just a few things that have changed with my taste buds which I believe to be mentally affected by the hormones otherwise I imagine I would still love ranch and hate vinegar.
Pheromones are something that has changed both physically and mentally for me. I have completely noticed that my body is giving off a different body odor then it used to. I used to sweat all the time and have to take extra care of keeping clean and reducing my body odor because of such a heavy man body odor. Now, while still keeping clean and taking care of my body I have noticed that the odor of a man has vanished and now I smell more like a female in my opinion. I don’t have the same odor as I used to when I sweat, and I actually hardly sweat as bad as I once did. I take this as a huge benefit for me. This is not all, because of the change in odor I have also noticed that my perception of other peoples odors have changed drastically too. When I am walking by someone or near someone I can notice there scent and I can smell boys differently than before. I used to not even pay any attention to it and didn’t even know that people could smell the way they do. Not always pleasant to say the least but I notice more than ever now. Men give off a distinct smell that is different from women and same with women giving off different smells. Anyways I didn’t notice them before and now it’s like an overwhelming sense of smell to these new odors or perfumes or cologne. I can’t quite explain it in full because I don’t really understand it myself I just know that I have taken a huge notice in the change the way people smell.
Let’s see, there the all famous PMS that women experience on a monthly basis. Well, guess what as an MTF you may end up experiencing them too like me. I now go through stomach pains, weakness, tender breast and attitude change about 4–5 days every month for the last 2 of my 4 months. When I mean stomach pains though I mean stomach pains, like as in nothing will cure them, not even Advil or Tylenol. I end up having no other choice but to take a Midol for cramping and PMSing associated problems. If you ask me, even without an SRS surgery you can still have the effects of PMS because it is associated with your level of hormones and not ovaries or another female anatomy. It sucks, but it’s a welcome feeling because it makes me feel like I am finally being the woman that I have been all my life inside just finally showing it.
Another thing that is interesting is the fact that when I see something sad on a movie or a show I can’t even hold back the tears that start rolling down my face. Its like instant sympathy for what is happening and there nothing I can do to stop it. This also means that I have been a little sweeter to other people around me and what not but still the same me, at least in my eyes.
Oh, and I have noticed something really big that I would have never guessed would have ever happened to me in my life. I used to watch shows with lots of blood and guts and even things that may have seemed disgusting and it never affected me. I could watch them all day and it is like no big deal, but now, OMG, there are so many things that are disgusting and have blood or guts or other nasty things and my stomach turns upside down. I can’t control it and it takes every effort for me to not throw up right there on the spot. It crazy how that happens but it’s an uncontrollable reaction to something that is disgusting. This makes watching something’s really unappealing for me and it sucks because I really liked my Zombie shows before hormones. I have been dreading watching them now…
There are other changes that can occur but I don’t necessarily think that they are related to increases in hormones as much as they are about expressing my girly side, but hormones may emphasize the number of feelings towards it. Things like wanting to wear pretty things, having to wear makeup almost anywhere I go, enjoying shopping and buying new girly things like clothes and dresses and skirts and whatnot. There are so many things that could be me just being happy about being a woman finally after I was stuck as a guy for 32 years.
Overall you are going to be the same person that you were before you started hormones. You are going to feel the same way about who you are but you will slide to one side or the other depending on if you are becoming male or female from your transition. You are likely going to see different results from things that happen to you as you change genders. You may find that you are interested in new things that you were not before, but it is very likely that you will keep doing the things that you are doing now just a little different.
What changes have you experienced on hormones?
