Anonymous:
I am thinking about maybe going on a low dose of T, also for FTN. My biggest body issue is my hips/thighs. Do low levels of T do anything to give you a more boyish figure? And you don't have to answer this if you don't want to but what changes have you experienced on T so far?
they can redistribute your fat, so you will always have wider hip bones but you can get rid of the fat buildup to the point where it’s not very noticeable. since being on I’ve been on T I’ve lost a lot of weight in my thighs that has given me kind of a thigh gap so my legs look skinnier and less curvy, which I like.
changes I’ve experienced on T… haha the content of this Q&A thing is getting more intimate than I thought it would, but no worries
my voice has dropped significantly to the point where people dont recognize me over the phone, and I’ve lost my higher vocal range but gained a lower range (which is fine - I prefer singing low). my throat has expanded so my neck looks much more masculine and I have a noticeable adams apple (although I hear most people dont get that so it could just be an anomaly?) the peach fuzz on my face is thicker and grows longer although I dont have dark hairs yet I do have to shave every couple of weeks. my stomach hair has started to thicken in the same way. genital growth is a thing. also I feel like I have more energy but am simultaneously more tired? and I feel more… active? aggressive? idk. more outwardly expressive rather than inwardly expressive, if that makes sense. I lost a lot of weight after surgery and since starting T again have kept it off completely, so I dont think T is really letting me gain fat, I went from an average body weight of 119lb to 110lb but I feel healthy. my muscles have gotten bigger (though not as much as they could because im still in recovery and not ready to get into serious muscle-building yet) and actually feel hard when I flex. I think that’s about it so far?
-newt
Anonymous:
Is your dose very high? Like, how are you deciding how much is enough for nonbinary transition? Taking T is something I want to do in the future, but I don't want to transition ftm, I want to transition ftn, being more neutral. Is there a standard you're going by, or are you just taking half the dose or??? This would be really helpful to know for when I do go through with it, so please and thank you. ;3;
Absolutely. The standard dose for ftm transition is a .5cc injection of testosterone weekly, I am doing the same amount bi-weekly so the transition is more gradual and I can stop whenever I want.
-Kai
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I started off at 50mg (0.5cc) a week injections, which was WAY too high for me. I got a new doctor who didnt really know what she was doing. it’s a common FTM dose but they didnt take into account my (very small) body size.
after being on 50mg/week for a month or so I started to feel out of control of the changes that were happening and went down to 50mg every two weeks. i was considering stopping altogether when I wound up having to stop anyway because I was getting surgery and would have to be testosterone-free for 3 months.
when I was feeling like going off hormones I felt like kind of a failure, especially since I knew other people who were on my prescribed dose and doing fine. I encourage you not to base your dosing standards on other people - it is completely individual and depends on your body type, your goals, and how your body feels about the testosterone.
during that time i did more research into FTN transition (there isnt much out there but neutrois.me is a good one) and decided that a much lower dose would be better for me and that I did want to go back on testosterone.
i’ve been on 50mg/month (¼ of original dose) for 2 months now and feeling MUCH better about my transition. I still experience active changes but I dont feel like they are happening too quickly or that I’m out of control.
I do plan on stopping eventually, but I dont know when, and I’d probably step down my dose one more time before I went off completely.
Unfortunately, although some NB people are lucky enough to get more progressive doctors, a lot of doctors arent trained/dont have experience in treating NB people and are thus hesitant to prescribe hormones to them. I told my doctor I was a nonbinary trans guy and she still hesitated on the “nonbinary”. I talked to my gender therapist about being fully nonbinary (after I’d been on hormones for a while) and we had a good conversation about it, but to my physician I’m just a trans guy.
unfortunately that may be something you have to do too, but I would encourage you not to feel bad about it. Everyone should be entitled to HRT if they want it, and it’s not our fault if doctors are gate-keeping our access to hormones. we do what we have to to get the treatment we need.
like I said, there is no standard dose. what I (and a few others I know) have done is basically start at the dose they prescribed you (usually FTM dose) and then self-adjust to what feels comfortable. that sounds dangerous, but considering the fact that you are going to a lower dose than prescribed, not a higher one, it’s pretty risk-free. Still, I wouldnt mess around with your dose too much. I would start at the dose you were prescribed and then step it down slowly every 2 injections or so until you find a dose where your body feels comfortable and stay there. you’ll know when you’ve reached a comfortable dose.
also, if you’re transitioning FTN you’re probably going to want to stop T at some point. luckily, most of the changes of testosterone are permanent. dont be afraid to stop at any time or just take a break for a few months if you start to feel uncomfortable. a lot of nonbinary people and even binary trans guys have to do that. remember that you arent just going through the motions in some pre-set transition narrative - this is YOUR transition and YOU are in control. do what feels right.
-newt
lifeoutsidethebinary:
due to high volume of incoming messages recently, we are looking to take on 1-3 more mods to help field questions and contribute to our blog content.
We are especially looking for nonbinary people who experience dysphoria, and nonbinary people who are transitioning or plan on transitioning in…
reblogging again to specify that any AFABs with experience on testosterone or other forms of physical transition would be grestly appreciated, as so many of our incoming questions are to do with AFAB physical transition
