T+5

Reflections on five years of testosterone therapy

Self-portraits of the author comparing one month vs five years on testosterone therapy.

Content note: Sexual and weight issues.

This week marked a significant milestone in my gender transition. Five years ago, January 3, 2014, I received my first injection of testosterone. While this date was not as important as my nameday, August 23, it was an important step toward reducing the gender dysphoria that stemmed from having a body dominated by estrogen.

Five years in transition

After five years of hormone therapy, my appearance has more or less “masculinized”, and my testosterone levels are currently in the normal range for a cisgender man in my age group. This is a relief considering the many challenges my doctors and I have faced along the way. But until I hit menopause — which could be any day now, as I’m about to turn 49 — I know I won’t be out of the woods entirely.

Boy juice

In my transition-related posts linked above, I talked primarily about my feelings about gender and the medical interventions I’ve undergone. In this post I’ll focus on the specific physical and psychological changes that I’ve noticed since beginning hormone therapy.

Day 1 vs Day 365. I took a selfie every day the first year, but didn’t notice much of a difference by the end of it.

One of the first changes I noticed was in the genital region; my clitoris grew noticeably larger. I was expecting this, and wasn’t alarmed or bothered by it; I enjoyed the growth. I began to think of my clit as a small penis, as it became erect when I was sexually aroused.

The frequency of my sexual arousal has greatly increased, almost to the point of distraction. Orgasms are much more focused and intense. My sexual attractions and desires have also changed somewhat, though I won’t go into specific…