by Gina Bennett

Created on: November 27, 2009

Being transgendered is not a path I would recommend to just anyone. It is by far one of the hardest ways to live, even if you're just trying to be yourself and do not fit in with the norms of society gender binaries. There is the years and years of intensive counselling, the years of hormones replacement therapy (HRT) and then, if you decide it's for you, gender re-assignment surgery (GRS). There is also the issue of having to recondition yourself socially. I most cases, this means dropping and unlearning decades of social mental conditioning as the gender you were born as, and learning to re-condition yourself as the preferred gender. This can be a lengthy and gruelling task, and can cause some to turn back and stop transition before they've really begun.

The therapy is extremely intensive. They go over every aspect of your life, ask extremely invasive questions and basically examine you piece by piece. They get inside your head and go over it inch by inch to make sure this is really what you want, or in most cases, need.

The hormones also make some extreme changes. For females to males (FtM's), they usually take testosterone, which encourages facial hair growth, enlargement of the voice box for a lower voice, and it can also bulk up the muscles rather quickly. Body hair is also a common thing. The skin will also become a little more thick and leathery.

For males to females (MtF's), which I identify as, they usually take an anti-androgen, basically, a testosterone blocker/suppressant, and a form of estrogen. Taken together, these will slow the growth of body and facial hair, but not completely stop it. Facial hair needs to be dealt with through electrolysis or laser hair removal. The skin softens considerably and becomes much more sensitive. The voice will soften, but will not raise in pitch or modulation. This has to be done through years of practice. I, myself, have spent the last 4 years working on my voice to the point where it is almost passable 100% of the time on the phone. The nipples and areolas will enlargen considerably, and breast tissue will begin to push forward, but this is a lengthy process. Do not expect this to happen over night, as I have been on HRT for they last one year and seven months and I only have a small B. Breast size will depend on the closest genetic women in your family. You can expect at least on cup size smaller than your mother. Fat deposits will begin to move on your body. Mostly to the breast, bum and hip region to give you a more rounded and feminine look. If MtF's start HRT early enough, they will be virtually indistinguishable from genetic girls as far as looks go. The HRT will also affect the way you look at things. It essentially re-wires your brain.

GRS is a more complicated and serious procedure. Up until now, almost everything can be reversed. Once you take this step, going back is extremely hard if not impossible. I don't know much about the FtM aspect, so I'll just outline the MtF aspect of surgery. Basically, what they do is they take the penis and they invert it, fashioning a clitoris, vulva, labia and vaginal cavity. This can take hours to do and is a relatively involved process. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year to fully heal from this, but most people can be back to work in three months.

Overall, like I said, I would not recommend this path to just anyone, but for alot of TG folk, it is the only way to be truly happy with yourself and your body. Do not undertake this process lightly

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