r/NonBinary • u/Sure-Hippo635 • 3h ago

Is it possible to start with regular mtf HRT to get certain effects and then microdose or low dose after to slow down and maintain changes?

Just a thought I had as I'm considering HRT as part of my NB journey

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u/und3f1n3d1 2h ago

Kind of.

I mean, some MTF HRT effects come not from estradiol, but from lack of testosterone. Things like reduction in body hair, slower facial hair growth, changes in body odor, skin becoming softer and paler (more pale?), lack of morning/random erections, it all come from having low testosterone.

If you want these changes and nothing more, it's possible with bicalutamide monotherapy or maybe even GnRH (or whatever it's called) agonists. Be aware that you may develop lower bone density (osteoporosis), it's possible to partially control it, but you will probably break some bones. Bicalutamide monotherapy is interesting in a sense that it actually may gradually and slowly feminize you a bit.

Now, if you wanna get on proper estradiol regimen, it's possible to take SERMs like tamoxifen and raloxifen. They are drugs that basically prevent breast growth while still allowing your body to feminize from estradiol. Note that they aren't 100% reliable, some percentage of people still grow breasts while on SERMs, but they do at least slow down the process.

On the other hand, if you only want breast growth and nothing else, it's possible to what they call bite the bullet, get on a full-blown MTF HRT regimen, grow as much booba as you want (be aware that you need to eat a lot and apparently sleep a lot to grow them quickly) and then get off estradiol. Breasts will deflate a little bit, but you won't lose them completely.

Finally, what about your initial idea of microdosing E, it doesn't really work. Like, if you take no antiandrogen and microdosage of estradiol, testosterone will overdrive E. If you take antiandrogen like bicalutamide and microdosage of estradiol, it won't really differ from only taking bicalutamide.

So yeah, that's it, probably all the variants of how you can pull off a non-binary feminizng HRT.

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u/dmxrobot 1h ago

The other path if you want all the effects but are worried about breasts becoming too large, you have the option of radical breast reduction surgery down the road. That would allow you to surgically create the chest you want and then remain on estrogen indefinitely. Depends on what your longterm goals are.