Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
small observations for people who are just starting testosterone HRT
If you suffer from chronic fatigue, chronic illness, or mental illness, you may notice that your energy levels dip down very low after first starting T. this is due your body needing extra energy to process the extra hormones, not anything long lasting. after your body adjusts, this fatigue will go away, and you may actually find that you have way, way more energy now
Beards love to be patchy and mustaches love to be invisible or nonexistent at first. if your beard is patchy at first, or if you just can’t grow a full mustache, this is also normal. it can take years of testosterone HRT for beards to become full, especially if you had low T to begin with. moisturizing your beard regularly can help reduce this, and also any potential itchiness from being too long. beards will get itchy for many if they get long.
The acne (should) go away after your body adjusts, and you will not be greasy forever. you will find that your natural body odor smells different, though. this lasts as long as you are on T, as far as i’m aware for most people, but it’s only noticeable for me when i get very sweaty after a lot of exertion, or illness.
You may find after you adjust that you have generally a bit more stamina or ease with starting up or adjusting to new physical activities after you’ve adjusted. it may be easier for you to work out now because you don’t become fatigued as easy, for example, or you may find it is easier for you to put on muscle density.
The mood swings will calm down in time- they are most severe right after you start T, and then taper down as your body adjusts. it doesn’t turn you into a “rage monster”. you just go through normal pubescent moodiness. it’s manageable, especially if you have good coping skills like physical activity, journaling, or art while stressed.
Libido goes either way, i’ve noticed. many people see a huge spike in libido at first, sometimes it stays for a long time, other people don’t notice any change whatsoever. also, T for most people will not change what gender or type of person you are attracted to, however it can change how you view yourself in relationships and lead you to changing your identity labels, or questioning things. it generally doesn’t make people change their identities overnight, though
Periods do stop for the vast majority of transmascs. it can take a long time, but they do stop if your doseage of T is right for you. if yours haven’t stopped and you do not have reproductive health issues, you likely just need a higher dose to see this effect.
Breast tissue reduces in density when higher levels of testosterone are in the body, so it is very likely that you will see your breasts become flatter or even “Deflate” a bit. this is entirely normal. my chest has been like this my entire life due to very high T from hyperandrogenism & intersexuality
Balding can definitely happen, but this is generally only if you have a genetic predisposition to it. i have actually not seen many transmascs bald, although for many of us, our hairlines do shift upwards, but it’s not noticeable unless you compare how you look now to older pics of yourself, and generally it takes years for your hairline to migrate anyway, which is natural for AMAB people later in life anyway. even if you do bald, you can speak with your prescriber and have access to medications to help with balding. it’s not the end of the road and many respond very well to medication.
Out of all the fish that go from female to male throughout life, think we should adopt the California Sheephead as a transmasc symbol because they’re extremely cool looking and also kinda intimidating
hello trans side of the trans website
has a trans masc ever done a cover of No Doubt’s “Just A Girl”?
Bought the sports bra that’s supposed to function as a binder. Well, for me, it really doesn’t. But my tits are outliers and shouldn’t be counted. Am firmly convinced there is no boob holder constructed by god or man that could properly contain and minimize these unwanted freaks of nature.
But! I will say! This bra is doing the best job of containing my tits than probably any boob container I’ve ever owned as an adult. And it’s comfy! It’s a bit of a bitch to get on, but again that’s mostly my tits’ fault.
Ultimately, I DO Recommend at least trying it if you have the money. I will be wearing it for the next ~six months or so before I am released from the tyranny of my chest tumors.
[ID: A tweet that reads “For my trans friends on testosterone, go check your lot number, there’s been a recall due to bacterial contamination.” The tweet includes a link to the news source detailing the recall and a screenshot from that source. The link to the news article is:
been told t is making me ugly. constantly flipping between “yes thats the point” and “no im actually even hotter now”.
anyways i love being a man. i love my pronouns. i love being on t. i love becoming “ugly”. i love my hair and my beard and my sideburns and my mustache and my legs and my big stomach and my voice and everything about it. im going to love my top scars and my surgeries and my efforts.
if its not about being transmasc and loving it make a different post.
OKAY so a bud asked me once about what the difference was between being a Trans Dude and being Transmasc and it hit me that I have no idea. Like Ik there's a difference and they're not the same thing but I'm also struggling to find a succinct explanation. Ik you've talked about it before but I can't find the post, can you help me out please?
A trans man is just that: a man who is trans. A transmasc is trans men, but also non-binary or genderfluid or multigender people who are transing their gender in a masculine way or fashion.
It’s an “all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares” thing. I’m not a trans man; I’m a non-binary transmasc butch. I’m not a woman, I’m not a man. I’m something else. My experience is similar to the experiences of trans men in many ways - I take T, I have considered top surgery and a hysto (decided against both, one for the time being and one permanently), i have sought surgical confirmation of my gender via a bilateral salpingectomy, but I’m not a man.
I’ll never pass as a man, and I don’t want to.
So the company of transmascs, including trans men, is where I find gender solidarity. But. And again I repeat. I’m not a man, and people using trans man and transmasc as if they’re interchangeable are either misgendering me or they’re misgendering trans men.
Ever since I wrote this ask my brain has been chirping
I’m not a woman I’m not a man I am something that you’ll never understand
Which is GREAT but at least mentally play me the REST OF THE SONG
Thank you so much for this clarification, this is so helpful for me, because I’ve been wondering where I fit since I’m really more of a femme person, but also actively pursuing avenues to become more masculine in certain specific ways, such as surgeries. But I’m not a trans-man, I’m a non-binary woman, so I don’t quite fit there? Anyway, it’s nice to know I can conceivably fit in the transmasc community even as I’m still more woman-identified on the non-binary/genderqueer spectrum.
Btw. This is what community is for. For showing us that we are not alone, and that our experiences can be similar even if we come at it from different directions, and that we don’t have to struggle with figuring out who we are on our own, we can borrow from the experiences of those who have come before us. And it’s why the loss of so many queer elders is a tragedy, and why the cutting off of queer kids from queer adults is a crime. We need that community to help us with understanding ourselves, because without it we are simply going to be confused by the dominant heteronormative culture that has no room for our experiences and no explanation for them.
Anyway, I digress. Hug (virtually if necessary) your queer elders, they are so important, and protect queer kids, they are important too.
shoutout to all the ftm dudes out there who aren’t smooth lil twinks. this one’s for the guys takin testosterone & it made them hairy chubby boner goblins basically. you’re very good & cute & hot even if your body isn’t shaped like those other guys. pass it on
Testosterone is NOT a contraceptive, and there is a chance you can get pregnant (if you’re having sex with people who can get you pregnant) even if you aren’t having a period anymore. You CANNOT rely on T for birth control.
