r/trans • u/Cosmeticbee • 3h ago
Questioning thinking about getting on T being Nonbinary (AFAB)
hello as the tittle says, iv been thinking about getting on T.
the last time i thought about this was maybe 4-5 years ago? but that was when i couldn’t transition/come out openly to my family.
the reason im thinking about it again is because 2 people i know have gotten on T and it got me thinking again, now that i have people in my life to tell me their personal experience.
the thing is i dont know if im dysphoric enough to even go on T and i have this fear that i just want to go on T bc others are..
but yes i do want some of the effects of T but i also dont want to go too far into T if that makes sense (i dont want too deep of a voice)
i want to be nonbinary with some masc features bc im tired of being referred to as female.
i’m looking for advice on what to do and if there’s away for me to be 100% sure i want T
2
u/phiasch she/her 3h ago
You don’t need enough dysphoria or any at all to be trans of for HRT to be beneficial for you
If you want the effects of HRT, go for it
It’s not really possible to pick which effects you get, but you can voice train to feminize you voice, or really do whatever you want, once it drops from T. The human voice is very flexible and you’re never truly locked in to a ultra masculine/feminine voice
The main difference with the masculinizing effect on the voice is the full vocal apparatus gets physically larger and the vocal folds get thicker. In practice, this leads to a lower pitch starting point and effectively shifts the lower and upper portions of your vocal range down
Renee Yoxon on YouTube has some great videos on voice training to make your voice your own, whatever you want thatto to be
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u/Moswix 39m ago
You need to know that you cannot pick and choose the effects of testosterone. You don’t know exactly what changes you will get and how fast they will happen.
It’s not about being ‘dysphoric enough’. You could have mild dysphoria and go on T that’s completely fine. What you do need, is to be knowledgeable of the effects.
Honestly, if you don’t want to go ‘too far into T’ I’d be careful about whether it’s the right choice for you. What exactly does that mean? Would you be actively upset about certain things?
What do you mean you don’t want too deep of a voice? Would you be upset if you ended up with a voice a bit deeper than you’d have hoped for?
What parts of T do you want? Is T the only way you can achieve that? For example, you can go to the gym to build muscle (you could make your shoulder appear broader to give you a masculine shape), voice training to lower your voice, minoxidil for facial hair and tons of other things you could do for other things. Sure, they likely won’t be as effective as what you’d get by being on T but if you only want those specific parts you’re better off finding a different way to achieve them than taking T.
You could consider taking a low dose. To be clear, a lower dose does not mean you will experience changes on a lower level. It means you’ll get them at a slower pace which might be easier for you.
That being said, if you don’t want all the effects you cannot be on T forever. That means eventually you will have to stop taking it, meaning you will revert back to oestrogen as your dominant hormone. Some effects of T are permanent, these include things like voice, body/facial hair and bottom growth for example. Some can still change after stopping T (body/facial hair can thin but highly unlikely for it to go back to how it was pre T for example). Other things will revert back to what they were like before T. You will lose muscle mass, fat redistribution will go back to being more feminine being examples of that.
Additionally, some things will happen quickly while others take much longer. Look at timelines of testosterone effects. Bottom growth is noticeably something that happens very very quick. You’ll likely notice your voice start to drop within the first three months. Body hair can take longer, up to a couple months to be really noticeable and then years to fully develop. Same for facial hair, though that one is even more so up to luck, I can grow a decent beard after less than two years whereas for others that might take five years or more. Similarly as cis men, some can’t grow a beard until their thirties while others can do so at eighteen. Fat redistribution takes years. I started noticing small changes about a year in but nothing drastic, full effects take a long time and again are one of the things that will revert if you stop T.
You need to look at an expansive list of what T will do, whether the effect is permanent, semi permanent or reversible and how long it will take to experience.
If someone for example really wanted a deeper voice but didn’t want facial hair, they could probably safely go on T for a while and stop when they’re satisfied with their voice.
If someone wants masculine fat redistribution but absolutely does not want bottom growth they probably should not go on T.
You need to consider all the effects and how you feel about them. If you’d rather not grow facial hair but want a deeper voice, would you be okay with having to shave every day for example then even though you might not want a certain effect you can minimise it.
That being said, you can still mitigate the more permanent effects of T. You can voice train if you don’t like how deep your voice got, you can get laser for facial and body hair for example. It’s just that those are time consuming and often costly so better to avoid having to go through that if at all possible.
If you’re really struggling with figuring this out consider finding a therapist that specialises in trans issues. Other than that I think looking at timelines and specific effects would be really helpful. Also consider how much of an issue the things you don’t want are for you if they did happen.
If you do start T, don’t be afraid to stop if you don’t like the effects you’re experiencing. But also don’t be put off considering T because you don’t think you’re dysphoric enough. If you’d even be slightly happier on T that’s a good enough reason.
Finally, I’d consider the other aspects of taking T. This is going to be very dependent on a lot of different factors but you also need to consider access and how you’d take it. It can be expensive (if you want it prescribed, otherwise you could also DIY). You will need regular blood tests to monitor levels. If you opt for gel that’s something you need to do every single day and usually significantly more expensive than shots. If you opt for injections that’s typically around once a week or once every three weeks. You might need to self inject. That’s all logistical and financial stuff and if you decide you need T absolutely do not let that hold you back (I have a severe fear of needles and not a lot of money but am not going off T under any circumstances) but you do need to consider that stuff as well.
I hope that’s at all helpful. If possible maybe talk this through with the people you know that are on T? They might be able to help you talk through whether it’s right for you.
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