HRT confusion

As far as the body hair, look to the male members of your family. Do you have older brothers? They would be a good clue as to that, or your father or uncles. Same for male pattern baldness. If it's not in your family (look towards the males on your mother's side) then don't worry about it. Weight gain, watch your diet and exercise, just like anyone else, I would think. The voice, I believe, is probably not a quick thing, although you might get to experience the infamous breaking that happens to cismales in puberty...

I am not to the point of HRT myself (more family issues than anything) but from what I hear, the first few doses of the hormone really do a lot to ease the anxiety and dysphoric feelings. Someone who's been there would be better to answer that.

IMHO, go for it.

 

A lot of things like body hair and hair loss will depend on your genetics, as KJA said.

As far as weight gain goes, it doesn't happen for everyone. Some people pack on weight (be it in fat and/or muscle) and some people lose weight. It just depends really. I know since starting T, I've gained at least six pounds--but if that's fat or muscle I don't know. I know one guy who claims to have gained 30 pounds in just muscle, and some people lost 20 pounds. If you workout and eat right, you can offset the weight gain if it's a concern for you.

Voice wise it will depend. It could come on quick or take place over a year or two. I've been on T for almost six months, and I don't hear much of a change for me. However, I've seen guys who have had incredible changes in their voice within 3-6 months as well. Your mileage is gonna vary, so keep that in mind.

 

Keep in mind that you also can't really control what changes will happen for you on HRT. If you're looking to just appear a little more androgynous, HRT may not work out in your favor. Testosterone is an extremely powerful hormone. While you can stop going on T, I wouldn't necessarily recommend starting it unless you know what you'll expect. Body hair is probably going to happen. Your face will also look a little more masculine. Hair loss depends on genetics but it is something you should be prepared for. Granted, it doesn't happen for everyone. But it's all stuff you do need to keep in mind.

That being said, I'm actually hoping to start T myself pretty soon. In my case, my biological father went bald in his late 20s and his brothers weren't exactly given a lot to work with when it came to hair, so here's hoping I take after the other side of my family instead. Otherwise, I'm building up a nice hat collection.

 

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that you will not be able to control what T does to you. You also will not be able to control when those changes occur. So, your voice could be the last change that you experience, and you could get the changes that you do not want first. It's important that you are able to accept the changes that you do not want to happen before you start on T for this reason.