I don't think that much about it, it's more something I revisit, or am reminded of when parts of my body become more noticeable.

As someone who has been transitioning for 6 years I can fully relate to dysphoria getting worse, and for me it got a lot worse and it was really hard for me for at least two years, as far as I'm concerned it was a combination of the HRT and grief over going through the wrong puberty and dealing with its irreversible effects, euphoria was and still is only fleeting and quite rare, but I have no doubts or regrets. The idea of being forced to live as a man again made and still very much makes me sick to the stomach, however, whilst dealing with the increased dysphoria and anxiety was hell at times, there were definitely benefits, too. The huge increase in my emotional IQ, as well as being challenging in terms of self awareness, also made me more empathetic in a really positive way and killed off my horribly high sex drive and addiction to web porn. That was how I knew I was on the right track. I still have episodes of dysphoria now, but vocal cord and genital surgery as really helped and I'm hoping my upcoming facial surgery will help reduce dysphoria to a really manageable level based on the mundane insecurities everyone has from time to time about how they look. Everyone's journey is different, for some reason mine has entailed going to hell and back countless dozens of times. This I believe, is simply how it is for some adults grappling with those irreversible puberty related issues, and it is simply a long and hard road that cannot be shortcutted.

The question at 16:20 is my life right now.

I had full metoidioplasty and next is phalloplasty is it easier to have meta first since I've had all of that part done

You're a PNW person? That's awesome!

I feel that this is an important discussion. Hormones in our bodies naturally occur in small quantities, small concentrations. As we age from childhood to young adults, our hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and, gonads (testes or ovaries) interact in complex ways that cause body hair development breast development, penile development as well as other subtle gender specific characteristics. In the last two years I have read much about hormone therapy in regards to gender transition. I desire to be more feminine. I want to wear feminine form openly on my body. My cisgender wife does not accept my desire to transition my gender from male to female. I have realized that there are NO MEDICAL PROVIDERS in my locality that support gender transition. I went to an endocrinologist and requested a blood test to check my hormone levels of testosterone and estrogen. I also realized that my testosterone level is at the bottom of the scale for adult men. My doctor told me he that with the powerful effects of estrogen, I WOULD HAVE BREASTS, and I WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE MY NAME. He also told me to go find a psychiatrist and work with them for 6 months before he would ever consider prescribing gender affirming hormone therapy. Currently I have decided that gender identity is an idea. I can be as feminine as I like with my hair, my clothing, my behavior. I may have mosaic klinefelter's syndrome that has affected me all my life. I already have A cup breast shapes, I feel comfortable in a bra. I don't need hormone prescriptions to achieve a feminine form. I have a coworker that is openly non-binary and he supports any gender expression I exhibit on the job. This a great asset. I FEEL GREAT ABOUT MY GENDER IDENTITY.

I really needed this video, and have been waiting for you to drop something like this. Thanks Dr Z :)

Thank you for the information Hun you are amazing and please continue to make content your awesome and I have been on hrt for 1 1/2 years I definitely have growing pains from the patches not many choices here but I am turning 36 on the 12th and been through several doctors and therapist and kinda feel like I want my estrogen bumped up but I understand about my liver and my doctors concern and respect that anyway I needed to hear that

Thanks for beinf such beutiful sould but i can't take it anymore

Distrust , fear , self hate purge , try male mode harder , depresión, madness ....i don't know what to do

Verna Mill

Thank you for wonderful encouraging videos! I know for certain if I had access to such helpful videos when I was younger I would have transitioned much sooner!

Autogynophelia is NOT trans.

For me I realized being on hrt I’m finally very loving and caring towards me body, that being said a part of me feels like what does it say about the saying “love yourself as you are” if I need medication to get me to love my body and nurture it? My rationalization is that I’m loving my consciousness over my natural bodily development and that’s how the saying still makes sense but I don’t know

This video has literally prepared me for how I can combat my gender dysphoria when I wake up each morning. Name is Christeen mtf. Thank you I appreciate your education and expertise. Your knowledge has weaponized me against gender dysphoria and you also just reversed a lot of mental damage, a transphobic doctor had inflicted on me around Oct 2023 to 1Feb 2024.

i am very happy with where i ended up after a year and a half on hrt. i wouldn’t mind bigger boobs, but what trans girl wouldn’t? i was constantly told to temper my expectations by doctors but i have gotten more than i had hoped for! 🎉

Thank you for your videos Dr Z. Best wishes & take care. ❤

Strong 4 out of 4 for me.

Edna

I have never experienced strong gender dysphoria or body dysmorphia beyond a few little things like body/facial hair and the fear of male pattern baldness. But I recall seeing a video on genderfluidity once, when I was about 25, and it fascinated me. Inevitably I also learnt about transgenderism. I started introducing myself as trans online by the time I was 27, trying out the names Luna and Selene, pronouns, and I was content. Some years later, around 30, having (undiagnosed) ADD led me to think that I was only pretending to be trans because I wanted attention and love and friends and to stand out in any way. Like I overstayed my welcome playing a character or a bit that got way out of hand and was just faking it. I wanted to transition while I was still "somewhat" young... but thought it would be a terrible mistake. Three of the things that made me reevaluate that thought process was looking back on my life, and being genuinely disappointed that I couldn't experience growing up as a girl, being brought up as a girl, and maturing as a girl. I felt like I was robbed out of something very important. The second was occasionally looking at a gorgeous, happy woman and feeling envious and filled with a sense of longing. The third is merely a phrase I commonly saw being thrown around: "A sign you might be trans is that "normal" cis people don't experience anxiety over NOT being trans." Why should I be denied the desire to become something I, myself, find beautiful? I'm 32 now. This year I finally decided to swallow my fear and I made an appointment on January, got put on a waitlist for informed consent till May, and in August 29th I finally got it. I've been on HRT for a week now. EVEN NOW, I still don't know if I'm 100% trans. But I thought to myself "Let's just find out! I've made it this far, and whatever changes from hormones are entirely reversible within the first handful of months. So let's just find out. It is feels right, it feels right. If it doesn't, I can walk it back." It's not a smart way to go about it, necessarily, but it brought me the determination and reassurance I needed.

🖤

Sorry, never. I can present facts and testimony and people cling to their presuppositions regardless of lack of proof. They want to believe some things. As long as they ignore why they want to believe they will comtinue to believe. It is sad and pathetic at the same time.

This video gave me a lot of understanding, and clarity. You explain the concepts with precisión. Thank you!!

Hmm... 19:58 I feel a little called out here. It was only a couple Dr.Z videos, I swear!

Will these new families support you when you detransition?

Does anybody have any tips on how to identify that "inner knowing". What are other instances we rely on said inner knowing that I can relate to and then apply to my gender questioning. I'd love to know, guys. Thanks!

It's great someone's talking about this

I'm older than footprints on the moon, and I've known ever since I heard about Renée Richards when she was in the news. My parents told me she was sick in the head, so I hid myself till I couldn't take it any more. I attempted to transition in my 30s, detransitioned, and now I've been on GAHT for 7 months. I can't not do this anymore. Yes it's challenging, tbe doubts keep cropping up, "you've gone 50+ years one way, why change that now?" It's maddening sometimes.

Easy to say in this day and age not back in the 80s

I get misgendered all the time, because I identify as non-binary I just get told “you do it to fit in” Why I identify as nonbinary because I just feel insecure calling myself a girl. I feel dirty and worthless as a girl. When I identify as nonbinary meaning with no gender I feel a lot better.

My dysphoria seemingly came out of nowhere about six months ago and was mixed up with a few other things, mismanaged steroid use causing a massive hormone imbalance, accepting and opening up about being bisexual, three month long manic episode and an ADHD diagnosis. The whole mix made it very difficult to parse through everything and figure out if the dysphoria is an independent phenomena, or a remnant of something else. I keep getting these sort of memories where I feel like I can recognize what was really going on in certain situations that keep re-enforcing the identity confusion. I am getting a referral to a psychologist today to help get things sorted and figure out how to move forward.

Another great video. One and two basically dont work for me. My family, besides being my abusers and giving me CPTSD, are staunch anti trans. Ive already built up my boundaries for them. I have severe CPTSD from severe childhood trauma, abuse and neglect. So its nearly impossible to make new friends. Most of my self help comes from the third category. Its not optimal. But then I never wanted any of this. My thoughts as an infant were desperate for people to care for each other, always, to make a wonderful world where everyone is happy. But its not this world. Im just doing my best under very difficult circumstances. Trying to be me and trying to be happy. Im still finding repressed traumas after several years of therapy. My family was really good at being really bad.

Your family is unsupportive because transgender is insanity.

I do crossdress and i think im trans if i told my parents they will kick me out.Having no friend make difficult.

Religion is a mental illness, the only reason why it’s not a medical diagnosis is because of politics

So anyway I'm going to be 69 years old this September I'm a trans female I'm on the third floor of a house here in apartment building it seems like everyone around me has something to say about me being a trans female they're all hateful they're all like say things behind your back that kind of stuff it just goes on Staring at you and stuff like that and saying things to the people that they hang around with you know some of them have come around to my side but it's a minority I'll tell you that I go to Zumba I get more hatred from people in Zumba class my Zumba classes in a Crunch Gym I don't know about the rest of the trans Community out here but living with this kind of discrimination and Hate I am not surprised that are suicide rate is up so high I am not surprised and it's society's fault especially in the USA it's society's fault what they're allowing to go over the airwaves and over a social media all its hatred that's being thrown at us from every direction calling us pedophiles and we're going to attack their kids in the in the bathroom and all this crap I'm blaming this on the government because they're not doing a whole lot to do anything about it so you tell me I want to know what I'm supposed to do

The advice about never allowing other peoples expectations influence you is not only spot on for trans people but it’s also spot on for all people.

I've been transitioning for 6 years now I am divorced from my wife we were married for 38 years my son-in-law disowned me or shunned me whatever you want to call it and my ex-wife did too these people are so hateful that when a couple of days ago the son-in-law that hates me they are he married my daughter I was not invited to the reception I was not invited to the wedding that's what they did and the daughter has to follow along with them because if she tries are going against him she's going to get her she's going to be a big problem so she sets up a dinner date with me after she got home and she got some rest and then we went out and had dinner alone me and her now I don't want to cause trouble so I don't say nothing too much about because she already knows how I feel about those two and it wouldn't do no good anyway at this point I'm just trying to keep any kind of relationship I can have with my daughter so she doesn't turn against me because I don't want to be like them so if you can tell me how to deal with this I'd like to know because I know there's no way to do this I want to know this here's my question to you people Georgia's son-in-law have the right to go against our father of the girl he's marrying and just not invite just treat me like shit does he even have the right to do that because I know he doesn't I want to see what you people say since when did son-in-laws have the right to do this to to to to to the father

Thanks Dr Z, for your continuous support - as you said, there are exceptions of inclusive churches, in Genova (Italy) Don Gallo has been such an incredible support and guiding father for so many trans women during challenging time ......

I've had this discrimination and abuse for so long I don't think the family will ever accept me like I accept me so you know the ones that do like the ones that are on the fence I I still like have contact with them and talk to them those are my kids it's like I don't want to disown my kids that would be worse than them disowning me like the daughter is 36 years old she's the only one that will go out to dinner with me overall we're in my immediate family here but everybody else is rejected me every time there's a family get-together I am not invited I mean I know how to deal with it but it's not fun I can tell you that much I also know that I'm not the only one and I also know it doesn't do no good to cry about it put the look above that it's kind of tough

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FIRST COMMENT!! Just a side message. I held the door for a guy in a MAGA hat this morning. He glanced at my polished nails and feminine clothes, smiled and said, "thank you ". The negativity isn't as bad as the media would have you think. Be you be positive and let that bleed into the world.

Since i was 14 i hid my emotions because im gonna die for being feminine. Im 17.

I guess I am lucky. I do face some denial but it's my male identity of the past 56 years not giving up. Well not wholly. It has given up some. And I will never give it all up. But I accepted I am trans pretty well. What exactly I will do I'm not sure yet. Much of me demands to go all the way. Not ultra femme. But HRT and bottom surgery. Still working on that. But I have to thank the silver lining of CPTSD. It has made figuring out my past and who I am harder in the respect of confusing the issues and amnesia but all the work I've done throughout my life and in trauma therapy has made working out and accepting I am trans,...easier I think. Right now I slowly transitioning and I'm in therapy for my trauma and gender issues. I will see. I have dreams and I want to make sure I am happy for the final decades of my life. I've been miserable, scared, scarred, feeling insane, lonely, broken, ...all my life. If I have a chance at being happy with myself. I'm going for it.

I was hoping you mention physical changes which happen faster. I am speaking from personal experience. This has even diminish the bone density in my body, something most people say it is unlikely to happen. It happened to me

If gender is a social construct, then how can people have gender dysphoria? That would mean that gender exists in the brain. Seems like it is contradiction.

I feel like most of my experience with HRT has been an exercise in perseverance. Nothing I was being recommended seemed to have much of an effect; I gave up hope a few times. It wasnt until last year that I finally found something that starting giving me the changes I wanted. 15 years after I started.

Tried patches for months with little effect. Switched to depo-estradiol shots and have definitely noticed improvement.

Then through it a 11:51 number of times

I really appreciate you Dr. Z. You are very helpful ❤