Hey sister. These are scary times and I wish you the very best. I’m about to go to bed and I just wanted to share this link with you: https://genderdysphoria.fyi/en

It was very helpful to me when I started out.

I also wanna say that transitioning is whatever you need and want it to be, and that there are no requirements to being trans or a woman. You are exactly who you feel you are and no one gets to tell you what that means to you. Clothes, make-up, voice training, hormones, surgery, etc. While I recommend experimenting in a way that is safe and comfortable to you, I also wish to stress that there’s nothing wrong if you don’t feel you need some of these things.

Realizing that transitioning meant doing the things that relieved my dysphorias and also just the things I want to do was very freeing to me, and so just in case you’ve ever gotten the impression that some things must be done, or that you have to have some dysphoria of some kind to qualify please be aware that this is not the case. This is all both about relieving dysphoria but also about freedom of expression. (Your identity is descriptive not prescriptive is what I’m trying to say. Do whatever you feel like, and then whatever label you use is just how you describe it to others)

I’m sorry about your situation and I wish things were easier. There are many here who have lived through similar things or are in the midst of that sorta thing right now. Hopefully they can offer advice on that. I recommend checking out the blåhaj matrix channel as there are several americans there who you might wanna talk to.

biological male who identifies as a woman

I hate them so very much

Edit: as in I hate the bbc for using this language

So she has had surgeries from what others are saying but I should add hormones do change where the body stores fat, so while you can’t get changes to your skeleton (unless you start early enough), you will be a bit surprised at what curves you can get. Makes it easier to get a slim waist and big thighs. You also get a thin layer of fat under all your skin making you a bit softer in general. There’s ofc breast growth which usually yields smaller breasts than cis women, but you never know. Some people get honkers. Exercise to build up muscles that help you look more feminine is a way to change your body as well.

Basically what I’m saying is that yes, you won’t get these results from HRT alone, but HRT does do a bit more I think than many expect. Many things put together makes you look very different, even if many of us hope for more.

Why would you write this

Yeah… :/ Name a more iconic combo than centrism and nazi apologia

I’m sorry but there are plenty of tankies on lemmy. I don’t frequent .world much, and I assume there aren’t a lot there, but more leftist parts of lemmy unfortunately have a very real problem with tankies.

Yeah that’s fine, I meant whitewashing as in denying that lemmy has a tankie problem. I don’t claim you are a tankie or anything like that.

This community does not allow tankies, platforming tankies, or whitewashing tankies. Lemmy has an actual tankie problem given that the actual devs are tankies and their servers are filled with tankies.

The comments in that post were filled with a lot of defense of authoritarianism and as such it was removed because I am very very tired of tankies who absolutely love worming their way into leftist spaces and talk about how all states are auth and about leftist unity while denying genocides, imperialism, defending oppressing workers rights, and other human rights abuses. Can they please stop posting here. The banner literally says fuck tankies.

Edit: Which is to say I removed it because it was clearly not correct as evidenced by the comments in that post. I could have replied or something but there were a lot of comments to deal with.

How gatekeepy :/

Informed consent is far better than the subjective interpretations of doctors. No trans person should have to justify surgery and hrt by proving we have dysphoria or anything else, at most we should have to show we aren’t currently psychotic.

Also, the risks of HRT are overblown. Doctors frequently cite old studies on non bioidentical estrogens and studies where progestogens were also used. They also still prefer blockers rather than monotherapy when mono is far safer, and often choose cheap blockers over safer ones.

You should rotate where you inject. I switch thigh each time and try to not hit the exact same spot. Injecting into the same area too often can lead to scar tissue buildup which makes that part of the skin hard and therefore hard to penetrate with a needle.

You shouldn’t really ever take estradiol pills orally imo. Higher risk of blood clots and cancer for no real benefit other than it being a bit easier than sublingual doesn’t seem like a good trade.

I would edit squeamish to say something about phobias instead.

I would also add that many of these paths need blockers which are generally not great for your health in the long run (not so bad that no HRT is better). Injections are the most available path that makes it easy to bypass using blockers all together.

1. The first things to consider are injections and implants as these can be done without blockers. I don’t know much about implants tbh as they are not super available. Injections are very consistent and safe.

2. The second thing to consider is patches. Patches release hormones continually so there are no lows or highs and it’s simply more convenient. Some people have problems getting them to stick, but sometimes medical tape or applying them somewhere else etc help. There can be supply line issues with patches so they might just suddenly be out for a little while. You’ll need blockers which can be uncomfortable and have long term side effects.

3. The third thing to consider is spray/gel. Patches/spray/gel deliver hormones poorly to some people as they simply absorb poorly through their skin, but for others it’s a great route. Spray/gel has to be applied two or three times per day and it needs to dry. The area you apply to can also accidentally deliver hormones to animals and people that touch you for a little while, so best to not apply with your hands. Don’t apply to the arm you take blood tests from (to check hormone levels). Don’t spray while near someone. You’ll need blockers which can be uncomfortable and have long term side effects.

4. The fourth thing to consider is pills sublingually. It’s safer than swallowing pills, but you will accidentally swallow some and therefore have slightly elevated risks. Sublingual like the skin can be a bit hit and miss. Some absorb this way better than others. Not all pills can be taken sublingually. You’ll need blockers which can be uncomfortable and have long term side effects.

5. The last thing to consider is swallowing pills. Take this option when you have no others available.

Be aware that often the bad side effects are really only a concern when it’s over a long stretch of time. Taking pills orally for a few months or a year isn’t a big concern. Taking blockers for a year isn’t either. It’s an issue when you have to do this for the rest of your life and when there are better options available. Some people also have nasty short term side effects from blockers so avoiding them in the first place is best imo.

It depends. Doctors typically prescribe estradiol valerate which should be injected every five days. I use estradiol enanthate which is injected every 7 days.

You can read more here: https://piefed.blahaj.zone/post/24298

You go for whichever is the most comfortable/convenient as the differences are so small. Subcutaneous uses a smaller needle so I went with that as it was less scary to me, but some can get allergic reactions on their skin from the injections which intramuscular avoids because it’s a deeper injection.

I use injections and I love the freedom! It’s nice to not have to think about my hormones several times per day

Put the vial in your armpit until your body heat warms it up. That helped me when I used a thicker oil and drawing was slow. The first time I didn’t warm it for long enough and I thought it didn’t work, but I later learned I just had to keep it there for a little while.

I have a syringe with a needle you can’t remove, so no separate drawing and injection needle. It’s 29G insulin needle. Works very well for me actually.

Higher gauge is less hard on the rubber stopper, so that’s part of why I use this syringe, it also is a minimal dead space syringe so not much is wasted per injection. I also find it more convenient to not change needle, but it has some minor drawbacks. If something happens to the needle the entire dose you drew is wasted f.ex, and of course when you inject it won’t be as sharp because you used it on the rubber stopper.

I do subcutaneous injections into my thigh, alternating which one I inject into, but sometimes I kinda forget which side I’m at and just pick one at random :P

I use alcohol wipes on the vial first and then injection site. After injecting I wipe the vial again because I often see a drop at the top of the rubber stopper.

I have moomin bandaids in case I need them :3

That’s not true

?? I am saying that the people who believe in equality also mean equity and justice. Other people who have been conditioned to hate equality misinterpreting it as only being the first image is the thing that annoys me.

I hate the original so much :P

No one who wants equality means that they blindly want to treat people as if they are cardboard copies of each other

Please. Yes ofc the dems are to blame. They suck. And ofc they will lead to fascism down the line. Let’s just not make things worse than they have to in the moment.

One post implied voting blue was voting for fascism, implying you shouldn’t for the dems in the US. My point is that this is shortsighted and harmful. People should vote for the dems unless a third party is a viable alternative, they should also build up third parties to make them viable options, and they should also join political orgs and unionize, and do direct action.

Ofc more than voting is needed, but the republicans are causing more harm than the dems would have by miles and contributing to more voter apathy is not the answer.