Hey there everyone! It’s great to be back again. What better timing than this week. It’s just about my Three Months on Estrogen mark for me on my Hormone replacement treatment. So I figured it’s a great time for an update on that.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get online to write much around the time I started on the Estrogen. So I didn’t get a chance to write about that at the time, albeit a monumental occasion for me. But now its been almost 3 months already. So I’ll update you as I go.
My First Three Months on Estrogen
So after a wait that seemed like it was never gonna end, I finally got an appointment with the Chalmers Gender Clinic in Edinburgh in February. Having returned for a couple of follow up appointments and blood tests etc, I finally started on the hormones at the beginning of June.
Hormone Patches
When I got started on hormones, the doctor at the clinic explained to me that there was 3 different forms of Estrogen prescription in the UK. Tablets, Gel and patches. You also get injections but these are not available in the UK. At least not on the NHS anyway. Although, it is said that the injections are far more effective than any other method of taking Estrogen.
We decided not to go for the tablets to begin with as they are known to have the biggest effect on your blood stream and have a higher chance of causing blood clots. Alongside smoking, which I was still doing at the time, this actually creates a higher risk. So we decided to leave them for now. The Gel seemed OK but you have to apply that every day and make sure you don’t get the area wet for up to 4 hours after application.
So, I got started on Estriadol patches which are little stick on patches that have Estrogen in them. These work pretty well for me and all I have to do is change the little patch Twice a week. The patches come in little foil wrapped sachets and are both transparent and waterproof. I usually stick mine on my hip as this area is least affected by sweating or movement, so the patch stays on well. It’s entirely up to the individual what days they choose to change their patch, but I usually change mine on Sundays and Thursdays.
What effects have I noticed?
Feeling Calmer
Although I was informed by the doctor that it would likely be a couple of months before I start to really notice any effects of the Estrogen, I actually started to notice some after just a couple of weeks. I seemed to feel a lot calmer in general.
Actually, I first noticed this whilst chatting with a friend where we got onto a certain topic that normally would get me wound up. I suddenly realised that I was far more calmer than usual. Since then, I have felt so much calmer in general with my day to day activities. This has felt so good and has helped me be able to focus on problems and handle them so much better.
More emotional
As expected, I have felt much more emotional than before and there’s been a few times where I’ve played a song or watched a movie or show that has brought memories to mind or invoked an emotional reaction and I’ve felt tears well up in my eyes.
I really love it when this happens, even if its a sad feeling because I know I’m feeling the way I should feel. It’s like I know I’m being human. I must admit, this has been something I’ve been working on over the past 2 or 3 years. But the hormones have really worked wonders in this department. When I was younger, I used to get emotional and upset really easy. I used to hate myself for this as I felt like I was a failure as a man. Apparently men didn’t cry. So I always felt like I was a reject.
But after years of learning to supress my emotions or channel sadness into anger, I eventually realised I’d become emotionally numb. Not a good place to be at all. But a couple of years ago, I was eventually able to open up and cry for the first time in years. It felt so healthy afterwards. So I’ve been working on letting my emotions flow free since then. But since starting on the Estrogen, it has really accelerated this process. It’s also a good sign of confirmation that the hormones are indeed working too.
More Empathetic
Besides just feeling more emotional since being on the patches, I’ve also noticed that I have become much more empathetic towards things. I mean, I’m not saying that I was hard hearted before or just didn’t care about people. Of course I did. But my way of thinking about things when something tragic or unfortunate would happen to someone has been changing.
I’ve noticed this a few times when I’ve watched the news or heard about something happening with people i know. Lately, I’ve noticed that I often think of the person involved and how it must be for them. Whereas before, I’d think less about these things. Again, this has been a good feeling and a a feeling of affirmation that the medicine is working.
Softer skin
I must admit, it has only been over the past couple of weeks that I’ve noticed it, but my skin has definitely become a bit softer than before. Of course I understand that this is something that is likely to take its time in developing, but it’s great to see things happening even if only slightly. I guess that only Three months on Estrogen is a pretty short time really so I hope to see much more progress here.
Sensitive nipples
I’ve often been curious as to how much an effect the Estrogen will have on me when it comes to the matter of breast development. I’ve always been quite skinny due to a high metabolism. So, I’ve never been too optimistic about developing large breasts.
This is because the breast formation that Estrogen brings comes from the body using what fatty tissue there is already around the front torso area. Since I have very little fat, then I’ve expected very little breast development.
But over the past few weeks, I have noticed something. Unfortunately I haven’t really noticed any obvious breast growth yet. But I have noticed that this area, especially my nipples have become really sensitive. I mean, I’ve always kinda had sensitive nipples anyway.
But recently, they have been super sensitive. Much more sensitive than normal. So once again, this is another positive sign of the hormones working their magic which makes me happy.
Looking more feminine
Well, when it comes to looking more feminine, I cant say that I’ve noticed anything personally. But I have had a few people mention to me that I look more feminine.
I don’t know if they’re maybe just saying that to encourage me or just imagining it. Or maybe its just been the way my makeup has been those particular days. But it feels nice to be told that anyway. It’s definitely a positive thing.
I hope that what they’re saying is true but either way, this should hopefully be the case in time anyway. I guess it can be hard to notice any change in your own face when you see it every day. So, I’ll take their word for it and assume that the Estrogen is doing the trick in this area as well.
Contentedness
Well, given the effects that I have mentioned above, I have to say, it feels good. I’d certainly say that these first Three months on Estrogen have gave me a feeling of contentment. Content that things are finally starting to move in the right direction at long last.
I must admit, things were really starting to look bleak at the beginning of the year, as it seemed like things were never gonna happen. From the way many of the waiting lists were looking, It appeared that I’d probably be waiting another 2 or 3 years just to be seen by the gender clinic, let alone getting started on HRT.
But at last, I can see and feel things finally starting to move in the right direction and this has brought with it a level of contentedness that has really helped me to cope with day to day life in a much more positive and productive way. So, that in itself is also a positive effect of the HRT.
Coming up Three Months on Estrogen
So, now here we are coming up to the Three months on Estrogen mark. I’ll go back to the gender clinic again next week where I will discuss with my doctor the next steps. I’ll probably need to do another blood test so that they can monitor how my body is responding to the hormones. But hopefully all being well, I will get started on the testosterone blockers.
I was a bit reluctant at first to go jumping in the deep end with both Estrogen and the blockers. So I figured it’d be best to start on the Estrogen first and see how things go. But now that I’ve been Three months on Estrogen and it’s beginning to work, I’ll be glad to get onto the testosterone blockers.
Since starting on the patches, I’ve really started to notice when testosterone rears up in my system. I don’t know if its because its working against the Estrogen, but I don’t like the feeling at all. So I shall be glad to get on the blockers so that my body can feel the full effects of the Estrogen without being interrupted by testosterone.
What do you think?
Well, that’s my story of my first Three months on Estrogen. I’d be very interested in knowing if anyone else has felt similar effects to myself. Or likewise if they have felt different effects. Are you currently on Estrogen at the moment or been on it before? If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Please do feel free to let me know if you can relate. Tell us how your First Three months on Estrogen were. I’d really appreciate that.
Of course, I will be keeping you all updated with the future progress of my HRT as well as writing about many other matters concerning my transition. So, I’d like to invite you to join my VIP Club where you can keep updated with all my latest content as soon as I publish it. Simply follow the link below. It’s completely Free to join and only takes a few Seconds. See you there!
