I'm reaching the stage in my life where I finally feel confident enough to tackle the issue of wanting to become a woman. I am pretty certain I want to go ahead with the transition, as the only real obstacles are to do with my confidence and belief that I can do this. In other words, I am 100% certain I want to become a woman, but I am still building up my strength to actually go through with it.

Anyway, what I was wondering is whether or not I am likely to be prescribed hormones in the near future. The reason I am worried, is because I have two years left of a 4 year degree (which turned into 5 years as I have just resat my 2nd year). So for the last 3 years I have got to know many people, and they have got to know me as a man, it's therefore logical for me to remain with my male identity until after I have graduated. Nevertheless, I want to start femminising my body as soon as I can because during the evenings when I dress as a woman in my own room, I feel incredibly happy with myself (I have suffered from severe depression and suicidal thoughts for over 4 years), and I believe once I start feeling and looking more like a woman I will be much happier. But will this mean I am unlikely to be prescribed hormones until I live full time as a woman? I will certainly live part time as a woman (such wording sounds horrible I know!), and I will have no problems appearing more and more femminine in front of my friends, but I just feel it might be quite a while before I can start attending lectures dressed as a woman.

I suspect some might doubt my 100% certainty about wanting to be a woman if I want to remain male for the time being, but I have logic and sense, and I know that logistically it would be far easier to finish my degree as a "man". Having said that, I may well gain the confidence to change fully as time goes by.

Thanks!
xXx

Hi PinkRose starting hormons is a big thing at the start of the jerny you are about to under take, I know how you must be feeeling at the moment i wos ther once . I found that I wos skerd of whot peopel might think but at the end of the day it is whot you wont and feal that maters. I think the harry benjamin gide lines are that you can start on hormones arfter 3-4 mounths of starting your real life experience but this dose depend on where you go for tretment. I went to see a consoltent in London and came out that same day and got hormones 3 mounth later but this wos privert care. If you are that certo thatyou wont to be a woman why dont you toolk to the student servecies at your university thay will be very supportive and then you can get your digree in your know name. I have just fieshed college wher it was great when i first started i was scerd as I had not had the big op yet but things were a bit strest at sthe start but sone seteld down and the othe thing is you will lern a lot about your self and you will find hellp wher you lest exspektit. Sorry about my spelling I only lernt to read and write at then of 2005 then found I am dyslexi.

Hi, pinke has made some very good points.

It is unlikely, though not impossible, that anyone will want to prescribe you hormones if you are not living as a woman full time. While it's not unheard of to be on hormones before committing to the Real life test, most NHS doctors will be unwilling to prescribe outside of the Harry Benjamin Guidlines that Pinke mentioned. The thing they like you to do is prove that you are engaged in some meaningful activity (such as working or studying) while presenting as a woman. It also helps if you have started changing your name and details wherever you can.

It seems you aren't quite ready to do these things yet, but as you may have to wait a long time to see anyone it's not a bad idea to get yourself in the queue now. Transitioning at Uni might not be so bad. It's certainly a more relaxed and tolerant atmosphere than most workplaces.

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Hey there PinkRose

The best thing you can do is to read the official international standards of care for transpeople. Understanding it will really help you to work out how you can get what you need

Here's the link:
http://wpath.org/Documents2/socv6.pdf

xxx
Sparkz

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Learning how to generate inner and outer peace in the universe and myself.

over the last year, i have been very keen to start hormone therapy, allthough only recently i have come to realise as im sure alot of people do, is that hormones are only a possible answer to a small part of transition, i hadnt realised that through changing my posture, working on my voice, doing my hair, looking after my skin more etc... would actually play a bigger part in the whole game in passing, but IT DID. The hype almost destroyed me upto this point, but now i am actually alot happier inside knowing that most of the passing was done myself and didnt come from a pot of drugs.

This is not to discourage you as i am still chasing hormones! lol, just please dont throw all your eggs in this particular basket, because at the end of the day, it dosent hold all the answers

Big Hugz
Aimee

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