Does HRT Change Your Sex Drive?

Did your sexuality change due to feminizing hormones, or is there something else at play? Watch as I discuss this along with how soon into HRT an individual sexuality changes.
👉FREE! The Ultimate 4-Page Trans Femme Transition Checklist: drzphd.com/fre...
👉FREE! PDF Copy of My Book: drzphd.com/fre...
👉FREE "AM I TRANS?" Quiz: www.transformu...
----
👇TransWoman Living: A membership, healing group support with Dr Z, classes, and monthly Q&A with Dr Z👇
www.transformu...
⏤
----
🫶Follow Me for Daily Tips & Advice on How to Deal with Gender Dysphoria on Social Channels!
Instagram - / drz.phd
Facebook - / drzphdpractice
⏤
---
✔️Work with me: drzphd.com/gen...
✔️Learn More About Dr Z: drzphd.com
⏤
Subscribe to My Channel for a Weekly Dose of Informative & Supportive Information!
/ drzphd
Hello Friends! I'm Dr Z, and this is a channel where I help you break free from dysphoria!
I am a clinical psychologist specializing in the transgender field, working with adults only. For the past 18 years, my work has focused on Gender Dysphoria and the formation of gender identity. I provide online therapy for residents of California, New York, Texas, and Florida. My pronouns are she/her, and you can visit my website for more info at drzphd.com/abo...
👉NOTE: I work solely with adults, and all video content is marked for adults only. As such, the information shared is based on my experience working with adults only.
DISCLAIMER: Note that as a clinical psychologist, I created this channel to share information. Therefore, I won't be providing or offering therapeutic advice. I am also not a medical doctor. When I speak on medical issues such as hormones or surgical procedures, the goal is to share information and not to provide medical advice, and you should always consult with your medical doctor. Additionally, this channel is for those seeking information and understanding and to gain awareness.
#gender #genderdysphoria #transgender #nonbinary #genderidentity #gendertransition #gendertherapist #transhealth #transgenderwomen #transmann #enby #hormones #dysphoria #selfhelp #transformation

[@MiddleAgedMartianDog]

The first part of what Dr Z describes (about seeing yourself for the first time as a woman and feeling desirable and the desire to be desirable) definitely doesn’t have to involve hormones because that happened to me pre-HRT (admittedly had to be a soft focus mirror). It also doesn’t have to be towards the opposite gender, I had had inklings I was a lesbian or sapphic before but that experience really confirmed it. Before then I had never felt worthy of being desirable, even though I knew some men and women were attracted to me, but it meant nothing - even from my wife - because I didn’t care for my masculine appearance.

[@bernikr]

I completly agree with you. I thought a was a gay man for a long time, but with accepting my gender came the realization that i was bi. I just could never imagine myself in the "male" role in hetero relationships or sex.

[@MiddleAgedMartianDog]

@@bernikr I tried being gay while a teenager because I thought that was 'easier' than straight dating which was so terrifying to me I couldn't do it (I was around a lot of gay guys at an all-boys school) but literally nothing (because I wasn't attracted to masculine men at all). When I did eventually date some women my approach to it was VERY atypical (being AuDHD didn't help I guess), I only made progress with straight women who had never dated before into their 20s and so a) had no reference and b) may also have been a-spec.

[@mekilljoydammit]

That last part is pretty familiar... though I'm still on the other side of that threshold.

[@cullydelacruz4246]

I completely agree with you, Doctor Z. I was told I was gay, before , transitioning to MTF. A few months into my transition, I've been noticing guys & and guys are noticing me.. I'm still building up the courage to date, ❤..Thanks

[@MargieAlbright-i6h]

This makes so much sense to me I am two years into HTR yet have not had this thought or change happen yet. I am scheduled for my bottom surgery in February 2025. It will be interesting to see if my sexual preferences change. Thank you for being here for me to learn so much going forward.

[@SPTunnelMotor]

So, I have to wait for and build my confidence, then 😂 currently, I have zero sex drive. Almost non existing. Which is a blessing in some ways. Not feeling the pressure from testosterone and the silence down below makes me feel much more relaxed and straight minded. I don't know what would happen if the right person came into my life... But right now I'm very much busy getting my own self to adjust to my true self/ life restart. ❤

[@SPTunnelMotor]

Bonus: When I'm feeling any kind of 'heat' it's not for a stimulating visual reason but much more in the sense of dreaming / mind games. 😊 Everything has to line up for that. It's amazing.

[@TChad-s3t]

You will never be who you want, it is about accepting who you are, so others can except you. Being trans is denying reality, and will lead to regret.

[@Krysfranqui3638]

I have to say it is almost frightening how accurate you are with what you’re saying. Before I accepted myself in transitioned, I was absolutely dead set against any sort of sexual contact with males at all it was repugnant. But at 3 1/2 years into my medical transition, I’m finding that I am more open to that than I’ve ever been before and things are absolutely changing. I think a large part of it really is as you say when you come to accept who you really are and allow your authentic self to shine through, do you allow yourself to open up to the possibilities of things that you had shut off. I built walls around me to keep me within mail nor because it was a way to keep myself safe and avoid harassment. But once I realized who I really was, those walls came down. It sounds scary when you think about it at the very beginning but honestly, I think it’s the most amazing part of the entire process of transitioning. Thank you so much for this video. It was so accurate and it’s so nice to hear someone else articulate it in such a way as you have here.

[@LeahT6317]

This is why you're the expert! For me I was more an admirer of women then the sexual aspect a relationship. I been on hormones for years and never thought of having a relationship with a man. Now after being out living full time for three years and bottom surgery I'm finding out I enjoy the male gaze and enjoy guys flirting and going out their way to say hello or have small conversations. As you said it's an awaking because you're no longer playing a role to fit in you are being your true self. Plus just like you said as you gain confidence your mind opens up I went from I'm not hooking up with a guy because it's gay to wow he looks nice I wouldn't mind going on a date. While I been ask to go on dates I would turn them down because my voice and still having male parts. I've taken care of one of those and the voice part will happen first part of 2025 I'm just waiting for the surgeon to lock in the date. I believe after that point I'll have another shift because all of the things I feel where road blocks are being eliminated. It's been a while since I made a comment on your videos and while I at what I call my final steps of transition I still watch all your videos because they helped me navigate this journey! ❤💯

[@DRZPHD]

Thank you for sharing. And yes, be prepared for more shifts. They are just you unfolding and blossoming!

[@RebeccaGarland-e4t]

Thank you Dr. Z. I am a Trans woman and as I began my transition memories of my childhood came flooding back. One set of those was how enraptured I was over teenage boy singers. I am becoming more comfortable knowing I am attracted to men.

[@TChad-s3t]

Whatever you say dude 😂

[@Gadget_Witch]

Wow this whole video explains what I’ve already been theorizing has been happening. Well baby steps I guess, social transition online has been a tremendous safety net for me.

[@CloverDaBunni]

I'm convinced you're a psychic because every time I'm asking myself questions about what my HRT is doing to me and trying to figure out further details you always seem to drop a video on that exact topic

[@bradleyvanderwesthuizen4271]

Living the gender assigned at birth ( male ) I did everything in my power to be the ' best ' male possible. It was over exaggerated and I was over compensating which I sure others saw and found weird. I was obsessed with cisgender women and confused in my sexual attraction and all my relationships failed. I'm 49 years old still presenting as male but on HRT. I present as female every chance I get and visibly trans. Nevertheless I know that if I had a relationship with a cisgender male or trans masculine it would be completely different and I know this intuitively. While I understand that sexual identity is different to gender identity it has played a very integral part of discovery myself and my gender identity. Thanks Dr. Z, ... brilliant content as always!

[@FrozEnbyWolf150-b9t]

I'm aroace and have always been ambivalent about this sort of thing. Similar to my assigned gender, it was just kind of there. Sometimes it was a nuisance, although other times it was a source of dysphoria that I didn't yet recognize. I knew for certain that I never wanted children of my own, and it had occasionally crossed my mind to get some kind of surgery to prevent that from ever happening, which I probably should have seen as a sign early on. Therefore my drive was one less thing to bother me when I started HRT. It's not something I'm going to miss. At the same time, though, I know I can't rely on the HRT to take care of everything for me.

[@debisaunders2298]

I have grown in confidence since I transitioned, and started HRT, in 2023. The change I have noticed is that I no longer need sex but also that i am demisexual - I need to have a good relationship with somone before i will have sex with them. I have a male friend who lives 250 miles away with whom I have had a couple of sex filled weekends, but otherwise nothing. I have made lots if new friends, male and female. I get, and enjoy, compliments from men and women, and have begun to find men flirting with me. When it happens I like it. I think transition has brought out my true personality and shown me that the fascination with sex I had was linked to the T in my blood. I love my new self!:🎉

[@AM-ze4hr]

Love your channel and it has helped me better define certain aspects of living as a woman now later in life. I just turned 60 and have been on HRT for 17 months, I am fully out to family, friends, everyone. I fight everyday with feelings of "its too late" but I feel so much happier and genuine. I am scheduled for FFS with Kaiser and have my letter for "bottom surgery." I am so happy I have this opportunity to transition and do something I have only imagined and dare not hope.. So many aspects of myself that were suppressed have surfaced. I like to think that other things just evolved like my sexuality. Facing your fears does make you stronger and sometimes happier. I have accepted my new sexuality and embrace it regardless if I act on it or not (I want to act on it). What an adventure it has been so far! Thank you.

[@FeliciaFierce-z2c]

I actively began my transition (mtf) at the age of 62. I had 4 facial surgeries, bottom surgery, and breast implants. I am very happy and passable now. It's never too late! 🤗💋❤Enjoy your life.

[@AM-ze4hr]

@@FeliciaFierce-z2c Thank you! I needed to hear that.

[@rickkojetin5139]

Thank you Dr. Z..

[@jentzi23]

To me.. When I started to accept myself for who I am I started to notice that I do have the ability to feel attraction. I had an idea that it was bc attraction is both "attraction AS" and "attraction TO". And when I tried being cis my "AS" was completely broken. I've been struggling to sum it up so I'm so glad you posted this!

[@TChad-s3t]

Accept who you are by pretending to be what you are not? That is pure delusion.

[@rebeccarogers15]

I have always been gay. When I was playing the role of a man, I was into men. I've been on hrt for over 5 years, and at least for the last four years, l have been exclusively attracted to women.

[@DrayseSchneider]

I'm sure what you're saying is true. My experience was not quite that, but I think there are parallels and intersecting points with your explanation. I've long since struggled with the knowledge that I was bi (pan? I dunno, I think the differences and similarities between the two is argued about too much) but had always tried to appear straight, not unlike being aware of being trans much my life and trying to appear cis. I only started experimenting with being a feminine male once I decided that I was now safe to embrace my sexuality I had been repressing all this time, only to have to confront my sense of gender. Four years and a bit since going on feminizing HRT I've been openly bi, though I still have internal debates whether I'm more attracted to femininity or masculinity in my partners. 😅

[@boomdelted]

Have not watched the full vid, but i will reply with my experience of non hrt transition, my drive has been gone in a strange way, it's there but the need to be reaching the finish line has gone. I heard hrt would reduce your normal drive, this in combination with changes in sexual perception, it could enhance eachother in a bf way. So i think it's key to have a desire for your partner, but maybe that's the pansexual in me saying that 😂

[@FranklinPark-k5q]

HiDr.Z at64y.oIconsidermyselfa latebloomerMTF myeggfinallycrackedthispastOctober.

[@Mallory-Malkovich]

The further I get in my transition, the harder it is to answer the question "are you gay?" I mean, Maybe? It's situational.

[@deathguitarist12]

How timely. I went from ace lesbian to more ace. Idk wtf has been happening lately but ive definitely started noticing men for some reason. Its been bothering me a lot. Given how long ive been transitioning it is throwing me way off. Still listening to the video, yeah those confidence things have really come the last year. Here is rhe thing though, is much rather be ace. I dont care what men think of me.

[@Ashs-kitchen]

I just had this conversation with my friend. I agree with you on this but she argued the opposite,

[@elsiemaep20]

I found that I had to go back and heal the part of me that was terrified of being gay and embrace all the ways my attraction to men popped out back then. Once I did that, I was able to love that part of me in the present. That may be straight now, but the wounds happened when it looked gay, so I had to approach it in those terms. Now that I'm post transition though, I've had a new layer of discovery. After a lot of experimentation I've learned I'm not romantically attracted to men. They're sexy and all, but that's it. I think as a result I'm ending up pretty firmly on the lesbian side since I'm monogamous and want something long term. So it's kinda been this huge rollercoaster just to get back where I started 😅

[@peterwynn2169]

I think that some of the change can be that a person is allowing their true self to emerge. They may have been attracted to men but suppressed it. I have never been attracted to men, and my hormone therapy has not changed that.

[@peterwynn2169]

I identify as a transgender lesbian, but I do have some gay male friends.

[@randomnetsurfer]

For context, I'm AMAB, 2 years on HRT and it was another year before that that I came out as enby. Even a year or two before that though, I was accepting of myself as pansexual , or at least bisexual. Now... this may have something to do with [unresolved trauma from teenage years], not sure. But in my case, the sexuality change started before I even realized how not-male I was, and though I'm very firmly "out" at work and socially, my sexuality hasn't changed since. Obviously it might still... who knows what the future holds! :)

[@Hannalvvold818]

Do you think that a change in the sense of smell could be a contributing factor? I couldn't find any papers referencing this except for "Probing the Impact of Gender-Affirming Hormone Treatment on Odor Perception" which showed no changes but concludes that they did not test for body odors or odors associated with sex. There seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence in trans reddit spaces though.

[@Monica-gj2yx]

Dear Hanna, As a cisgender mid-butch Lesbian, I heard Lesbians/women smell "sweet," and Gay males/men smell "sour." Gay men thought Lesbians/women smell like "fish." I hope that helps.

[@Hannalvvold818]

@@Monica-gj2yx Thanks Monica, I'm thinking more about how my sense of smell changed a year or so after I started transitioning. I never used to notice the smell of flowers or perfume on women or that a lot of men don't shower nearly as much as they should but now I notice and some men smell REALLY good now. This makes me wonder if this change of smell affects the sex centers of the brain therefore making men suddenly more sexually attractive to some women after transition and so they remain hetero-normative or become bi-sexual etc.

[@obsidianjane4413]

I don't think it makes a difference. After 12 years, my sense of smell IS more sensitive and I notice smells more. But boys are still stinky and icky. lol

[@alvaronavarro4890]

I thought I was aromatic and completely gay before HRT. I could get aroused by the thought of a man’s 🍆 but the moment I put a face to it it turned me off. I never experienced the feeling of being attracted to someone. After femenizing HRT I can experience romantic feelings for the first time in my life. Now I suddenly find everyone attractive, especially women! This baffles me so much :/

[@sukirti_gupta]

Well, u know what your intersection is, between women and what you've been attracted to, without having to put a guy face on it hehe

[@sumsarsiranen]

I have definitely heard of cis-woman lesbians liking... rods, but not caring for the man the... rod is attached to.

[@ladyevefan]

can you discuss T4T topics next as my sexuality has evolved to that. my bf is trans man.

[@korrafey1044]

I wasn't sure what my Sexuality was until i started progesterone. I'm bi

[@VladaDudak]

For me progesterone done nothing regarding sexuality. I’m 4 months on.

[@korrafey1044]

@VladaDudak i had little to no libido before, progesterone kinda increased that

[@obsidianjane4413]

Progesterone can ramp up your libido. Kind of like T does but without the aggressiveness that comes with it.

[@SamanthaKerr-c6u]

This is an unexplored area for me. I'm starting HRT this month. Growing up in the 1980's it was unacceptable to be gay, let alone trans and I internalised that (I knew I wanted to be a woman as a teen and probably earlier as a child). This homo- and trans- phobia is taking s loot of work in counselling. Those attitudes are reflected still: just this week my mother, when I presented to her as a woman for the first time said "in some ways I wish you were gay". When "enjoying myself" I do now imagine sex with a man and I find this uncomfortable but I enjoy it. It's odd as I've not had surgery. The misandry I feel means that I can't imagine any specific man, they are disembodied. I can't imagine being with a real man. Maybe that will change. It's also possible that my attraction to women is at least partly gender envy, living vicariously through my wife for example. I'm sure this will evolve as my transition and counselling progresses. Maybe HRT will play a part but I, like Dr Z, think it's more psychological - allowing myself to be who I am, to see myself and not run away.

[@SusanWillan]

Does methadone suppress testosterone levels I stopped HRT estrogen because of fluid retention or do I take Spiro I started estrogen in 2018 until April this year

[@HansLemurson]

Spironolactone will suppress testosterone _and_ counteract fluid retention, since it's primarily a diuretic.

[@Hanks-pd1ge]

asking the commenters, is this channel only for MtF or transfeminine people? I am transmasculine and just wondering, as I can see on the channel banner.

[@DRZPHD]

Hi, my channel has been for all genders up till this month. From Dec forward I am making trans femme content becuase I am called to work with trans women. Having said that, there is a LOT of videos in playlists organized by gender as well as concern. Additionally, many future videos, such as one that is out today on December 9th, speaks to all genders.

[@Hanks-pd1ge]

@@DRZPHD Thank you :)

[@ThomasAfterpass456]

❤

[@VladaDudak]

Well unfortunately nothing has happened to me even after several years of HRT, I still cannot see myself correctly because of strong dysphoria I still see man in the mirror (as well as zero passing on public) which causes my complete asexuality, so I see other people as regular people without any additional sexual desire at all. 😕

[@huntsteven5025]

❤❤

[@frishter]

Funny how fluid people's true selves can be...

[@HairHoFla]

Most gay guys want masculine men anyway....my oldest.. adopted brother was gay and as a hairstylist for decades.. I've been around gay colleagues my entire career and I'm definately not attracted...

[@kamikamidemonchan2282]

.. i find it a bit sad that you turned to only adress trans fems ... and even using clickbait titles i subscribed when you had a more open, for everyone trans content.. guess trans men and nonbinary fols are being forgotten and erased once more.. i was thinking about it for a good while now but i think thats it and i will unsubscribe :/ sowwy

[@DRZPHD]

Hi, I am sorry to hear how you feel. I did a video on channel update a few weeks ago sharing that the content will shift to focus on trans femme because my heart been calling to work with women.