Being transgender is hard

[Dessi]

Consider the following as simply annoying, if you like.

Actually the physical responses to HRT a pretty interesting.

Spironolactone (anti-androgen) actually causes a noticeable amount of breast development too, it's a potassium sparing diuretic, so it causes the body to retain potassium (potentially problematic if hyperkalemic). Kinda makes for interesting conversation if you're a vegan, "I have strict diet, that means no meat, no eggs, no dairy, no gelatin, no bananas--wait, wut?" That's in addition to being a miracle acne cure and facility for oneironautical exploration.

(yes, I had to look that word up before I used it too Seriously, I started keeping a dream journal about 2 years ago, and holy hell what's wrong with my head? )

Estradiol makes the skin baby soft, it doesn't make shoulders less broad but it definitely reduces the muscular tissue in the shoulders and arms. Apparently, electrologists can tell immediately when their clients begin HRT, they bleed differently before and after, but I'm not exactly sure how its different.

There are three forms of taking estradiol: pills, patches, and injections. Pills occasionally cause problems for people, because they're metabolized through the digestive system and the liver, a spike a estrogen can trigger a response in the body where it begins to clot. I think this is an ancient mammalian response where a spike in estrogen makes the body think its given birth, so it quickly clots to heal the body -- human bodies are notoriously stupid machines, they can't tell the difference between birth and taking a pill. Women with high risk for blood clotting, like Factor V Leiden (fairly common I think), usually take patches and injections instead. Since these are absorbed directly to the blood stream, they don't go through the liver, so it substantially reduces the risk of clotting.

Neither drug appears to inhibit or even slow the growth of body hair, they have no perceivable effect on voice. HRT for women is very slow and subtle.

Great comment.

Thankiepyons.

I find the subject interesting on an academic level. Being tg doesn't seem to discriminate against anyone, there's no real common personality type, socioeconomic level, medical history, political ideology, religious upbringing, cultural background, language, or anything.

Its weird, not sure why it happens to people. I asked a friend about her experience, if it was weird for her too, she responded, "Meh."

 

[truethat]

I think you're missing the point, though, that there's a difference between wanting the privileges of another group, and feeling as if you're actually already one of that other group, whether it confers extra privileges or not.

Speaking only about transgendered people who feel as if they're the opposite sex (and not necessarily those who feel as if they're neither, both, or other combinations):

If you offered them a choice between 1) retroactively being born as the opposite sex in the same society, or 2) retroactively growing up in a different society where being transgendered was socially accepted and treatment was available to all, I expect the vast majority would pick the first option.

If you offered a black person in 1960 America a choice of 1) retroactively being born white so they could have all the advantages of white people, or 2) retroactively growing up in a society where both black and white people were respected and accepted for who they were, I expect the vast majority would pick the second option.

That's the major difference.

I dunno. Not being a member of either group, I don't want to speak for them, but I am trying to understand where they're coming from.

I was going to reply to the same post, but you seem to have done it much better than I would have.