To continue where I left off on the previous post…
I have mentioned in another post that some transwomen get a cycle
similar to that of cisgender women.
Because I have already talked about this before, I won’t go into the
different ways they experience them but, seeing as I am one of the lucky ones
that does get a period (shadow period if it makes you feel better… and the
person I am addressing knows who they are. ;P ) I will talk a little about my
experience with them. My periods tend to
be on a 25-day cycle, tend to last 4 to 5 days, and I have been having them
since about the 3-week mark after starting HRT.
A couple of days before, I tend to get very moody, either crying or
getting extremely irritated at the drop of a hat, sometimes for no real reason
and I also tend to get acne breakouts as if my body is heralding in the fun to
come with an undesired display. During
my period I tend to get cramps, most of the times they are painful but manageable
though I have had them get so bad that I have had trouble walking. On top of the cramps, my breasts tend to get
sorer, I get super hungry, I get really bloated feeling and tend to get bad
headaches as well. When I told my
Psychiatrist about them (mainly because of the mood I was in due to one fast
approaching) she asked me if I was having second thoughts about HRT because of
it. I told her that if ciswomen can live
with them than so could I, at least I didn’t have to deal with the blood so I know
I have it a bit easier. I also talked
with my therapist about it, her response though was a little different. Instead of asking if I was having second
thoughts, she smiled at me and said “Welcome to Womanhood.”
Some of the lesser mentioned changes that I have heard other transwomen
say they have experienced tend to be rather numerous and I’m not going to go
into all of them but, these seem to be the most common. One of those things is that some transwomen
have reported that their eye color has changed because of HRT. I know that sounds a bit on the ridiculous
side but, after looking into it, having the color of the eyes change is
actually plausible. HRT can change the
shape of the lens slightly and because of that shift, in people that have
multiple colors in their irises, it can make a different color or shade stand
out more than it did before causing the appearance that the eyes have changed
to a different color than before.
I have also heard some transwomen claim that they having gotten
shorter or had their hand or feet shrink in size. While, once again, this sounds absurd, there
is a little bit of truth to the possibility of this occurring as well. As we age, we experience compression of the cartilage
in our joints which, technically can make you shorter. With transwomen there is a little more that
comes into play that makes this possible, though very rare. Estrogen causes muscle loss which in turn
causes transwomen to get physically weaker on HRT. Also, the tendons tend to tighten from the
effects of HRT. Because of these two
things, it is possible that the tightening of the tendons causes extra joint
compression which would in turn, make them lose height (especially when you
take natural compression into consideration) and potentially have their
hands/feet shrink a little in size.
There have also been some trans women that report that their hair
has changed in color, usually to a lighter color. This one I have experienced myself. For me, my hair has started to look like I
have some minor blond highlights in it when the sun hits it just right, and no,
I’m not just seeing my grays, though they have become more prominent as
well. The reason for this actually has
to amounts of melanin that HRT reduces.
The is why a transwoman’s skin lightens while on HRT. It also can affect the coloring of their hair.
Because of this, a brunette may end up as a blond or even a red head.
Now to talk about some of the things that HRT won’t change, no
matter what. HRT will not get rid of a
transwoman’s beard, as I have mentioned before, but, just like with their hair
and body hair, it can cause it to lighten and even slow slightly in growth. HRT will not change the size of the bones in
their bodies, once those are set, then they are set for life. HRT will not magically cure any mental
illnesses, a transwoman will still have to deal with gender dysphoria, though
HRT and transition are the only known ways to treat and alleviate gender
dysphoria. If they suffer from
depression, it will not cure that as well even though it is true that dysphoria
feeds depression. They will still have
to be take the medications they take for their depression though the HRT may
help some due to the relief from dysphoria.
The same goes for schizophrenia, bipolar, and any other mental illnesses
you can think of. It is not a miracle
cure. On top of that, it still takes a
lot of therapy to deal with their personal issues, whatever those may be.
I have been accused of jumping into HRT and transition feet first
without knowing what I was getting into and granted, I don’t know everything
there is to know about HRT. I learn more
every day, some through experience and some through current research that is
being released. I have spent years
reading about it and the risks involved, not just the medical risks but the
intrapersonal risks as well. Those risks
are one of the reasons I fought so hard to resist the way I felt and deny what
I am. I am extremely aware of the issues
that come from transition and I hoped, in vain, that I would never have to be
where I am now. But, here I am. At this point, I am trying to do what I have
to do and make the best of it while doing it so that I can hopefully live a
happy and productive life, no matter what the future has in store for me.
- Arylin Michelle
*Since I have been talking about the risks and rewards of HRT, I figured I would show what a difference 6 months can make*
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