Idk just scared of spiro side effects (blood clots, high potassium). Anyone know how common the negative side effects are? Just started taking it today but I got a bit spooked hearing that.

I haven't had anyone to celebrate this with, so I'm celebrating with you all instead!

hi everyone! i (20mtf) have a quick question. my doctor prescribed me cyproterone acetate 12.5 mg once a day. the doctor told me to take it for one month prior to starting estrogen. i’m a little worried about some of the side effects. the doctor said i’ll be on the t-blockers for a month first and then they will start me on estrogen. if estrogen also suppresses testosterone is taking testosterone blockers not beneficial? once i take estrogen after taking the t-blockers for a month can i then stop taking the t-blockers? I already bought the medicine but should I go back to my doctor tomorrow and discuss monotherapy? also i live in Ontario if that helps.

So, I recently came out to pretty much everyone I’m close to and it all went really well which is awesome!

Now, about my question, since Christmas is coming, as a gift my mom who’s been incredibly helpful in getting appointments to psychologists and gender clinic, etc, she proposed to go shopping for new clothes (more feminine) which is really great, the thing is, I look like a guy, although I am slender, has long hair and wear nail polish, still my face is very masculine (I hate it) anyway my point is I wanna wear that are more feminine and still fit while I am masculine sadly.

Like skirt, even though I love wearing them, they don’t fit and are dysphoria inducing when I’m in public. So yeah, thanks for reading all that y’all!

I had a 6 week lapse in HRT because the doctors were being pissy about handing me a blood sample form. I get back on HRT and my scalp constantly itches. I don't have lice, I don't have dandruff or psoriasis or anything where itching is expected. So idk why my scalp itches constantly. It started a week being back on hormones.

super nervous for tomorrow, got a date with a super cute guy and im soso nervous, ive been with like 7 girls but ive never actually been on a date before nevermind with a guy haha. he knows im trans but im boymoding while im out with him as i dont feel comfortable presenting in public. any advice? i dont really know how to act "feminine" that well cos im still new to this but i want to :c

Back in 2021, I went and got my vaginoplasty. Ever since, I regret getting it. I can't even have sex down there because the recovery went horrible and so, I couldn't dialate due to severe pain thus the cavity closed. There was just problems after problems after problems.

Only way to fix it, is to go under a second vaginoplasty. I don't think I have the mental condition to go through another surgery and recovery since the first one went horribly wrong.

For context, I had to take care of myself after I was sent home, no support from my family or friends. And I guess my body just hates me, hypergranulation kept appearing to the point I had to go through a small surgery to burn it off.

I really wish I could go back in time and stop myself from getting it.

And please, really think about getting bottom surgery.

Hey! My egg broke recently, and I have two kids (2 and 4 yo). I wanted to ask if there are any moms here that had this experience of realizing your gender after having kids, and what transitioning was like for both your kids as well as your coparent.

While I know my kids will love and embrace me, I’m worried about how my partner would react and if she’d accept me as a woman. I don’t know if I could risk not seeing my kids every day. Thoughts?

Am I missing something?? It's like everyone in my neighborhood is uninformed. Also the laser hair employees... just Everyone. I go out riding my electric skateboard dressed in women's baggy jeans and unisex hoodie. And im getting dirty looks.... I like dressing fem. Sometimes I'll even do wings and eyeshadow with a wool cap with faux cat ears because I'm feeling extra. But this isn't everyday. Why am I expected to be the most hyper feminine girl every day just to prove that I'm transgender and deserve my hormones?

My sister has never worn a dress, has never worn makeup, has never painted her nails. I've already asked her if she's a transman. "Nope, just not into really girly things". Okay so why must I present feminnly everyday if other girls dont?? I didn't transition to fulfill gender stereotypes.

I wasnt expect this from people when I started taking hormones. Even the employees at planned parenthood. Even my own therapist. I called the facility a week ago crying my eyes out because it took me 12 hours to realize he had been using speech and body language that invalidated my experience as a transwomen. Things like "what would you do if they took away your hormones"

What a fucked up question to ask, are you guaging my 'transness'? I'm sorry if this post is frantic, I'm just realizing that people feel this way and it's messed me up alot. If there's anything that I'm missing I hope someone can let me know so I can be a little more prepared..

Hiii girlies,

So I came out to a childhood friend that I havent seen irl in a few years (pre covid), nor talked to on a regular basis. Just couple times "hey hows it going" and "happy birthday" type of thing. Hes not the most LGBT friendly person growing up, but he was very nice and respectful, and still wants to hangout as we planned (a day or two before coming out to him).

I present as femme now overall, only work and my unaccepting household see me as "male". That being said, I have no issues boy moding if needed..

My question isssss... how do you guys suggest approaching this? Part of me wants to all glam like a weekend night out, but I don't want to "scare" him off as i know he has not been around many (if at all) trans people. Im sort of conflicted because im not rly looking for approval or anything- but more or less want to clear things up as he prolly has 9999 questions (as most childhood mates do) and show him my "new" self. My thought process was just go hangout with no makeup, dress neither overly femme nor overly masc, and break the ice that way? And then maybe next time if we hangout soon I can go as i typically would? Idk - i could use some feedback from people who have been through this

Do you guys have suggestions? Any tips on how to do it? Do's? Donts'? Willing to provide more context/info about the friend/friendship if requires more info :)

for anyone who doesn't know what that book is: book about a trans woman superhero, written by a trans woman. insanely good.

i just finished reading it, and the way it actually accurately talked about the trauma and self-doubt and not knowing anything about how to actually be a girl was all just so perfect.

does anyone know of other similar books?

I’ve been knowing i’m trans for a long time, i’ve been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and been on diy hrt since I was 16, turning 18 in april

I don’t think I can withstand having unsupportive parents

I hate to know the negative image they have from me

I hate that they won’t let me move somewhere else to study for being trans

I hate having to settle with the idea that they might never be able to see that I’m the perfect daughter

I hate that I will never get those big hugs with your parents or jumping into my dads arms

I hate feeling like I’m about to cry all the time, and some days just seeing them into the eyes could make me cry

I hate being doomed to boymode forever and not being myself although I die to get some cute outfits

I hate my dad not talking to me for a week for a fucking jean that isn’t even so fem

I hate the huge gap there is between having supportive parents and not, a girl at my school got an ipl machine when she came out, I get called I’ll be a hooker and that they won’t pay my school anymore

I know most people say ditch your parents but idk if I’m built for that, I feel like all my dreams get crushed

I started hrt through Tele Health two months ago, my doctor started me on 2mg estradiol tablets once per day and 50mg spironolactone tables twice per day. I would probably be able to get this dosage changed later on. I just want to know if this is normal to be starting out

I thought I'd have enough time to schedule an HRT refill appointment but it looks like I'm going to be out of it for at *least* 10 days (probably more because my appointment is on Christmas Eve of all days). Is this going to be a health issue? I currently take 2 100mg of Spiro and 3 2mg of Estradiol per day, is it a good idea to "ration" it to stretch me until my refill?

you can guess why: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1Ahcsex4yk/

Hello :)

I'm creating this post for all my trans girlies in Illinois who have Aetna PPO. For context, I live just outside of Chicago, my surgeon is going to be Dr. Courtney Cripps at UChicago Medicine. I turned 32 in August and started transitioning medically just before my 29th birthday.

Let's get right into it - I got a new job in March 2024 and started seeing a new gender therapist with my new insurance and income (hehe). After a few sessions I mentioned to her my strong desire to have FFS and wanting to do it in Chicago. I really REALLY wanted to go to doctors like Deschamps-Braly, Justine Lee, Harrison Lee, Mardirossan but it didn't seem realistic given my income and bills so I focused on finding a local doctor - my therapist recommended I look at Dr. Cripps at UChicago Med. I made an appointment at the end of June for her first available FFS consult which was in mid August. I was open and honest with her about my issues with my face and what I wanted and she was really understanding and great to talk to. She took some photos and I left and I decided I really wanted her to be my surgeon.

1. Formally submitted prior authorization through Dr. Cripps office on 9/3/2024

Because of Aetna's Policy Bulletin 0615 which considers ALL FFS procedures to be cosmetic, I prepared myself mentally for a lot of let down and a lengthy appeal's process which really set me up for success (this stuff can feel so defeating at times). Below is a list of a few resources that helped me mightly in feeling prepared for these appeals.

- https://www.reddit.com/r/HealthInsurance/comments/1cqphey/my_employers_selffunded_plan_denies/ - girl sharing her experience dealing w a self funded insurance plan through her company (my plan is self funded)

-https://www.hrc.org/resources/corporate-equality-index - Reddit post suggesting to introduce HR to these policies to make their company more inclusive when trying to get them to get their insurance provider to cover FFS

-https://www.reddit.com/r/Transgender_Surgeries/comments/18xkjwu/aetna_considers_ffs_to_be_purely_cosmetic_and/

-VICTORY: Court Rules that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois Cannot Administer Health Plans with Gender-Affirming Care Exclusions | Lambda Legal Legacy

-https://stainedglasswoman.substack.com/p/how-to-force-your-insurer-to-cover - how to get insurance to provide the care

-Trans Health Project - Health insurance Medical Policies - Trans Health Project - understanding appeal process with insurance companies if denied coverage for FFS **** this helped me a lot

-https://www.reddit.com/r/asktransgender/comments/16iwnjz/does_anyone_have_any_tips_on_fighting_insurance/

-CB 2024-01 (illinois.gov - IL Gov Pritzker providing guidance that all insurance companies operating in IL are not allowed to deny coverage of FFS and other gender affirming care (also check out CB 2020-16 ) ***denial of this type of care is considered discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights Act***

-https://www.reddit.com/r/Transgender_Surgeries/comments/1147ew5/comment/j8wjoyl/?share_id=34xcdeMDfUxD55j1RB2Lt&utm_content=2&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_source=share&utm_term=1 (help with letter drafting however I relied really heavily on AI for helping draft my letters)

2. My personal navigator at Aetna told me on 9/13 that my claim was denied

3. Submitted Level 1 Appeal on 9/16 (denied 9/25)

4. Submitted Level 2 Appeal on 10/2 (denied 10/15)

5. External Appeal submitted on 10/23, submitted to external/3rd Party review on 10/28 (the company that reviewed and later approved my appeal was All Med Healthcare Management out of Washington) - FINALLY got approval 11/28 at 1030 in the morning, thxgiving miracle!!!

6. called my surgeon the next day when they were open and scheduled for late February 2025!

Y'all this stuff is not easy but I was so so so determined to fight for myself. I became super educated with this stuff throughout the whole process and ill try to share a few tips that helped me along the way.

1. Educate yourself & do research - I constantly found myself reading IL laws around this type of stuff to help my case. I used a ton of the info I found and cited them in my appeals letters - remember, what Aetna is doing in IL and other states (they're currently getting sued in Federal Court for this policy) is ILLEGAL.

2. DO NOT GIVE UP! Aetna continues to deny these types of claims because there is "plausible deniability" or whatever and are hoping you give up. That's why they deny, deny, deny, until it goes to external appeal which is where it normally gets approved.

3. Include as much information as possible in your appeals - there's no limit to what info can be considered for your appeals. I kept stacking all my info with more and more stuff to help my case as I got deeper into the appeals. By the time I submitted my external appeal I was about ready to submit the entire DSM-5 but decided citing it in my appeal letter was ok lol :) **also make sure you write a new letter for each level of appeal - if this post gets some attention and ppl ask for some of my appeal letters I will post them***

4. get super clear on the deadlines and how your plans appeal process works

5. connect with a personal navigator. most insurance companies have a team of people who will work with you 1 on 1 to help you through the process.

If you guys have any other questions or would like any guidance please ask! this and the other trans subreddits have been so instrumental in my transition so I'm hoping I can return the favor some on this.

the title is pretty self explanatory but like can anyone explain to me how like hrt works and stuff? i just wanna know what i gotta do for when i eventually transition.

I just started HRT a month ago, so I know i don't pass. But continuing to pretend to be a man feels way less comfortable than presenting how I feel as myself. I don't quite look as "pretty" as I would like to yet, but looking like an obvious trans woman still feels better than the world seeing me as the "man" that I know I'm not. Does this make sense?

My right is only half the size of the left. I've been on and off for about 2 years, maybe 5 months total on E.

So I have known my first name for a while, it is Jessica. But I’ve been kind of on edge about my middle name. So I wanted to run Nova by all of y’all.

So i started hrt last november, i cant remember the doses but it was injection once a week and spiro twice a day. I stopped a few months in and in march of this year i started back on hrt. This time oral E under my tongue with the same dose of spiro. Then at the 3 month check up since starting back id started on oral progesterone. Im now 9 months in, and im worrying that i started prog too early. Ive heard different ppl say different things about when and if you can start prog. Idk it just feels like my progress is stalling, but idk if im overreacting. My body has definitely been changing, albeit slowly. But my breasts have kinda stalled where theyre at. The last change i had was these sort of mounds at both of my areolas, sort of sitting on top of my boobs, but theyve evened out now. And now im wondering if i should just stop prog for awhile or not. Im sorry this is rambley, im just freaking out that i might have permanently stunted my breast growth. Does anybody relate to this? Im just overreacting right?

I am 6 months into my HRT, was taking 6MG E and 100 Spiro daily and I have officially started injections at .3mL weekly. Called a girlfriend to help talk me through it, don't take those pals for granted!

This weekend my dysphoria started to spike up after it being relatively ok for a few months. I feel that I’m in exactly the same position as I was last year. Barely anything has changed. Literally I think the only thing I’ve gained is that I’m better able to tell people I’m trans. I still struggle to wear some fem outfits in public, specifically skirts, I still struggle to correct people when they misgender me (which still happens quite a lot). Those are just a couple example and I worry that things aren’t getting better for me and will ever get there.

Hey ladies! Is there a good strategy for grooming androgynous eyebrows when you’re not fully out of the closet yet? I’m mostly nervous that I’ll try something and it’ll turn out awful and be both non-conforming to my AGAB and non-affirming for my true self.

I didnt come out yet but i am pretty sure that my mom would be supportive and my dad would follow my mom i tried to research how to get it but i cant find anything honestly

Hello everybody! I live in Michigan and, six months into HRT, I am planning to take the plunge and change the gender marker on my license. My question is, do I go female or stop a bit shy and go non-binary? I still look very masculine (51 years of running on testosterone), but I sort of want to commit to being female now, without an intermediate step. I would appreciate any suggestions that you can give me. Thanks in advance :)

Hey lovelies, I’m a 27 t girl who has been on estrogen for two years. Right now I’m doing injections weekly, and then taking 100mg Spiro daily. I also take 100 mg lamotrigine to treat my bipolar disorder which is honestly equally as important to my mental health as the hormones sometimes haha.

I recently got prescribed progesterone after asking my doctor, I started last week 100 mg each night anally. At first, I was feeling amazing. I was sleeping better noticeably, my anxiety seemed non existent. I felt quite calm and peaceful in general, albeit extremely horny. After about 5 days the weekend came around and I ended up partying with some coworkers (I live in Berlin). Anyways I proceeded to go to some clubs and make out with a bunch of boys partying until the morning. I felt kind of weird about it the next day, since I try to keep my hedonism to a minimum since it’s caused me some problems in the past. Anyways Saturday night rolls around and I was meant to just get a drink with a friend but it also spun out of control and I got near black out drunk and slept with some random guy. This is all stuff I used to do before I was medicated for bipolar but I’m really past that point in my life now. The whole drugs, sex, party world is best left in my past.

I told my girlfriend (we’re open) about everything and I told her it feels like I was off my meds, like a manic episode. She googled it and found that progesterone lowers the effects of lamotrigine. I stopped now for 2 nights and my anxiety is pretty bad (probably due to my behavior over the weekend) but all in all I’m feeling stable and in control again.

I made an appointment with my doctor to see about options we have, maybe my lamotrigine dose would need to be upped to compensate idk.. I guess I’m just posting bc I didn’t find anything about this from a transfemme perspective online and thought I should share. I really wanna go back on progesterone, my tits were already swelling up like balloons :( I actually felt amazing physically just mentally deranged.

Why must my chemical cocktail bring such joy and pain.

So to begin, a bunch of us are getting together to talk to HR about this manager's behavior. We'll call him John. So we got John abt 5 months ago now and ever since he’s been here all the women of the store and trans people have been very uncomfortable with how he treats us. John is a 6’5 “Alpha Male” who tries to be hyper masculine by being misogynistic and sexist towards all women. He is also very dismissive and misgenders our trans coworkers (more specifically our Trans fem coworkers from what i know). When John got transferred to our store he talked to me a lot like he does with our other female workers, these aren’t always comfortable convos to have. He’ll make certain “jokes” like him wanting a “blonde coffee because blondes are more fun.”. Anyway one day John and I had a moment where I gave him an attitude back for once and ever since then he’s been very dismissive and has misgendered me like he does our other trans workers. John still “stalks around me. I've seen him out in the hallways while I'm leaving?entering the bathroom more than i’ve seen any manager or worker for that matter. I wore a crop top one day and he normally strikes down on uniforms, but he didn’t say anything to me and was caught looking down my back and such. John also wears very very tight pants. He works out a lot and one day in a meeting he was manspreading of course and i look over at him and see the whole outline of his other member. He had to notice because I had a reaction and he stopped sitting like that during the meeting. Then the other day i turned the corner to walk up the stairs and he was standing there on his phone with his leg propped up on the railing when he saw me he said “oh sorry i was just stretching my hamstring” then tried talking to me abt one of our workers violations. Like could you not stretch in your office or the bathroom? John also gets inches away from us when talking, he’ll be very forward with a lot of our female workers but seems to be holding back when talking to me since i gave him attitude plus i do pass most of the time he knows my deadname bc its in the systems still and my voice can clock me sometimes but if i didn’t work for him and i met him in public i know he would treat me exactly how he treats the other women he just doesn't acknowledge me as one.