Here's some fun facts for the two of you (and everybody else): In a study of the effectiveness of HRT, more than 9 out of 10 trans people said that they were at least just as happy with their life, if not happier, after they started HRT compared to before. By comparison, antidepressants have roughly a 45% success rate. And of the respondents who had stopped HRT, the majority of them cited reasons outside of HRT as the reason that they stopped (social, financial, and safety reasons largely), and that most of them intended on starting again as soon as they could.
This gives HRT one of the highest rates of success and long-term patient satisfaction, and one of the lowest rates of regret, out of any medical procedure ever.
I remember being a teenager crying regularly over how my body was changing to be further from how I wanted it to be. It wasn’t just the masculinization, but also my body felt like it should be getting more feminine. I didn’t know I wasn’t alone. I didn’t know someone like me could be trans. Much less be trans and have the future I wanted with family, friends, and a professional career.
I’m angry that when people like me started trying to help the next generation of folks like us not have to keep their body horror quiet and feel alone that that became some big issue.
Transitioning was the best thing I ever did for myself. It’s why I’m going to make it into my 30s. It’s why I’m happily married and have a bachelors degree instead of failed out with nothing but debt and whatever would take the pain away.
Thanks so much for sharing your story! I'm so happy to hear you're in such a good place in life.
Your story also reminds me of back when I was growing up and being gay was so much more stigmatized, I feel like I remember stories of people saying that growing up they didn't realise other people around them felt same sex attraction too.
I do feel as though we are heading towards a much more positive and accepting world, even if it doesn't feel like that some days