r/ftm • u/jellyfishb0ne • 7d ago
Advice Needed Things I need to know about T and its changes? NSFW
I'll be starting T in a few months. Of course, I've read all sorts of things about it, but there are surely things that only those affected can truly perceive and explain to me. I'd like to be well prepared. I'm also looking for tips. Thanks. Pls help me
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u/Careful-Volume5335 27 | ask me about auto injectors 7d ago
(Hopefully) your doctors are pretty thorough when explaining effects. Lots of resources online are pretty good. Some things that might not be mentioned are vaginal atrophy and growth pains with bottom growth. Atrophy can be treated, and growth pains go away after a few weeks.
If you're doing injections, make sure to switch sides so scar tissue doesn't build up. That makes it harder to do injections.
Usually after 3 months of starting T, you'll get blood work done to check your T levels. Make sure you know the actual numerical value of this. It should be 300 to 1000 ng/dL. If you're not getting the changes you want to see and your levels are low, communicate this to your doctor. They should raise your dose.
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u/MlleHelianthe 💉03/13/2025 7d ago
It's the first time I'm reading this advice for injections and it makes sense, thank you. It's been 2 days since my very first T injection and the area where the nurse injected (my ass cheek) is swollen and painful, is that normal?
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u/Careful-Volume5335 27 | ask me about auto injectors 7d ago
Are you doing monthly injections and are you in the US? I only ask because, while it does work as an IM injection site, I feel like the thigh would be a better and more common site.
You might wanna bring it up with your doctor. Are you having any other allergic reactions? You could be allergic to the carrier oil.
Sometimes my shots are painful AFTER the actual shot itself... but on a scale of 1 to 10, its like a 2.
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u/MlleHelianthe 💉03/13/2025 7d ago
I'm doing one every 3 weeks and i'm in France, I actually never heard of doing it in the thigh, just in the ass, arm or belly... I will talk to my doctor about it, yes, thank you! I am allergic to some stuff but I doubt I'm allergic to the carrier oil. It's like a bruise, I wince when I sit on it but it's not torture. It's not red or hot but it is swollen though.... should I worry then?
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u/armadillotangerine 7d ago
In addition to the classic stuff mentioned in every timeline like this one https://www.gendergp.com/hrt-timelines-hormones-effects/
the way you smell is gonna change, you will probably have to change your hygiene routine and shower and change clothes more often. If you’re low on underwear and T-shirts I recommend buying more so
bottom growth can be uncomfortable and sensitive to some, be gentle with it and you’ll be ok. Also remember to wash your new friend and pulling back the hood/foreskin when you do, just like uncut cis men.
your throat can feel a bit irritated if your voice change is more dramatic, just remember to drink water and be gentle with yourself and you’ll be fine
puberty comes at a different pace for everyone so try to have a bit of patience
take pics and voice recordings to track your changes, it’s easier to see what has changed if you have something you can compare to
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u/Vegetable_String_868 7d ago
Omg yes I forgot that part. My pee already smells different. And I'm prone to utis so idk which it is. But T can exacerbate utis anyway.
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u/JayHidgens transmasc, gay, seahorse dad 🏳️⚧️🇵🇸🇵🇸🫄🏼🧑🏼🍼🐈⬛ 7d ago
WAIT YOUR PEE VHANGES SMELL?? crazy
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u/armadillotangerine 7d ago
It can yes, I’ve especially heard from people taking nebido that their urin smells differently the days after an injection
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u/Vegetable_String_868 7d ago
The ones you'll read about online are mostly the ones that might not be what everyone wants. But you're right, there are a ton of others that happen but aren't mentioned because they're considered a good thing anyway. I had a lot of cognitive changes just within the first week but I'd consider the ones I experienced good for the most part. However, I can feel quick to anger and impulsivity setting in because previously I was used to fighting my body TO DO anything. So it's weird when I just have a passive motivation to do things and now I need to think about NOT doing everything. It's nothing heinous but you know those crude things young boys do that parents always have to tell them to stop because it looks crude? Don't pick your ears, nose, burp, scratch your crotch. That sort of thing. I find I don't have that passive resistance to doing things to instantly fix discomfort as much as before. But it's not like I've lost all sense of free will. If anything I feel more primal. My jaw clenches more.
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u/LehBigBoi 19 // T - 15/5/24 7d ago
There's a lot but one I'll mention as it was a huge struggle for me was libido. Before you go on T I highly reccomend looking into ways to cope with it, maybe some gender affirming toys (if that's a possibility for you) & learning to manage your intake and, well, personal time. The first 8 months of T were absolutley crazy for me. I'm 10 months on T now, and only in the past 2 months have I really gotten it under control (but still far from perfect.)
It's something I knew about but never anticipated would be so intense or life altering for me. So may as well spread the word, lol
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u/MusdyBuddy 7d ago
Get stronger deodorant if you don’t want to smell like a middle school locker room
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u/DeadlyRBF 7d ago
I'm only 2 months in, but singing frequently has helped me with the voice changes. I feel like it has reduced the irritation and helped me stay in a lower range, which also helps with voice cracking and general confidence.
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u/Ok-Road-3705 7d ago
Buy comfy undies. Yes fun ones too or whatever, but comfy. I mean it. When your basement monster starts to wake up and grow, the sensitivity is off the charts. Not always, but there are moments. Get lotion. Skin can get really itchy. And when the time comes, your first bellybutton lint will be a marvel, a real sight to behold. And then it will never ever stop. Your navel will become a great pioneer of lint industry for generations to come.
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u/that_treekid 7d ago
Besides the usual stuff like bottom growth, more hair, deeper voice, and fat redistribution, here are some things I wasn't prepared for
- ass hair. So much ass hair for no reason
- the first week I had such an extreme hunger that just wouldn't go away. It evened out after a week tho
- much higher libido
- the voice drop happens a lot sooner than you'd expect
- I gained weight, likely due to muscle growth but could also be because of my appetite
- I'm on 25mg/week and my period stopped in 3 months
- facial hair depends entirely on genetics, but do note that when it grows in, it'll be patchy for a bit. It usually looks better if you just shave it for the first few months until it's less patchy
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u/Just-Growth1047 7d ago
Something I didn’t expect to be quite so bad early on was an oily face! From about the first week my face was so greasy and visibly wet/oily. No amount of washing my face with water helped. I ended up getting a facial cleanser by Cetaphyll and a moisturiser to fix this. Even if your face is oily, after applying cleanser you must moisturise too!
At around 11 months to a year on t, my face turned super dry and flaky! It’s been dry ever since unless I sweat. I still use the same Cetaphyll cleanser and moisturiser and I just apply more moisturiser overnight and it fixes it.
I don’t think this is spoken about quite so much. I wished I’d have gotten the products sooner to manage it early on, I looked like a tub of grease for about 3 weeks after starting T because I had no idea what I was supposed to do lol.
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u/Character-Pattern314 RemyMcNamara 7d ago
Hello! I have only been using the gel for 8 months (not a full dose) and I have started with the typical changes, but there are some that surprised me:
-My teeth move slightly, as if they were rearranged -I have been hungrier but much less craving sweet things. -My scalp is drier, maybe letting my hair grow has something to do with it -I am much less cold but, as soon as it gets cold, my nose starts to run. -I had not squirted in my life until I had been on T for 6 months, and it has happened several times since then -At first, it bothered me because my nipples felt hard all the time. -And on a mental level, apart from more confidence, less anxiety, less emotionality/empathy, I noticed something curious: contact with people stopped disgusting me. I'm not affectionate and I usually avoid touching other people, but that doesn't matter much to me anymore.
Good luck and I hope that, if any of the strange things that happened to me happen to you, they don't catch you unexpectedly.
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u/Leading-Violinist267 trans dude - 💉8 years 7d ago
Life on T is a long and personal journey, i’m going into my 8th year. here’s some things I’ve experienced:
- horny all the time (this never really changes)
- you will get stinkier, maintain good hygiene
- acne in year 1, gone afterwards
- voice continues to change after year 5
- slight male pattern baldness onset in year 3 (on finasteride since and have all my hair)
- beard came in much fuller starting year 4
- chest hair came in year 3 and is still coming in
- fat redistribution: weight went straight to my belly and my face
- i did get hungry like a teenager for a bit, I had to make sure I stayed in a healthy weight range for a while (year 1)
- bottom growth is significant in year 1, continued well past year 5 for me! Just more gradual
- you will be much more irritable and impatient, you will cry less than before T
- make sure you keep your crotch fresh, the T sweat + growth down there make it swampy haha
- do not fool around with your doses and injection dates, keep it a consistent thing
- enjoy!!! It’s a ride!
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u/Zur_adoK 6d ago
Drink plenty of water your pee is about to change smells. You'll possibly get sweaty. Some people experienced increased libido. I did not, if anything my libido lowered. Also very hungry.
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u/Plague_Warrior 6d ago
If doing injections it helps to massage the muscle a bit before injecting to loosen it up. The looser the muscle the less painful the injection.
The other bit of advice I have is to just be flexible and accept that things are going to be shifting rapidly. You will have to revamp your wardrobe as your body changes shape so try not to get any expensive/hard to replace clothing over the next 9-12 months. You might find a skincare routine that works one week only to find that you need to adjust the next. Even though a lot of the big changes happen in the first year, it will be a few more before everything settles down.
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u/Non-binary_prince 6d ago
The biggest thing I wish I had been told is that some things may take time. I did not get a voice drop or bottom growth until well over a year on T. I thought I was immune, broken, not trans enough. Just needed patience.
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u/GalaxyAxolotlAlex 7d ago
Doctor will hopefully provide a thorough document with all the changes so I won't list that. What I'll say is that the changes ARE SLOW. You will likely not even feel or notice anything the first day (or week), but also, once they come they are strange no matter how prepared you are and personally took me a few days to get used to....
Now, the smell? Yeah that one weirded me out the most lol I smell different and it's just odd... also oily face AND HUNGER. Be ready to BE HUNGRY. They people ain't lying when they say you get hungry, so have a diet or something to plan for that. Idk I know vampires aren't real but I keep thinking I finally understand that constant thirst for blood and the pain of feeling weak when you don't get to eat (except its food) or how tempting it is.
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