The Trans Masc Testosterone Journey

The trans masc testosterone journey can look different for everyone, but here’s a clear overview of what to expect — physically, emotionally, and practically.

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🔹 What Testosterone Does (A General Timeline)

Everyone’s body responds differently, but here’s a typical pattern:

🗓 1–3 Months

• Voice starts to deepen (may crack like puberty)

• Increased oiliness/acne

• Libido often increases

• Mood shifts (can feel more intense or irritable at first)

• Period may become lighter or stop

🗓 3–6 Months

• Voice deepens more noticeably

• Facial/body hair starts coming in (slow process)

• Muscle mass increases more easily

• Fat begins redistributing (less hips/thighs, more abdomen)

• Clitoral growth (bottom growth)

🗓 6–12+ Months

• Facial hair thickens

• Continued body hair growth

• More angular facial appearance

• Period usually stops completely

• Emotional baseline often stabilizes

Full changes can take 2–5 years.

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💉 Ways to Take Testosterone

• Weekly or biweekly injections (most common)

• Gel (daily application)

• Patches (less common )

• I take it every five days

Injections often give faster or more noticeable changes, but gel is steady and needle-free. It’s about what fits your comfort and medical access.

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🧠 Emotional & Mental Changes

• Some people feel calmer and more grounded.

• Others feel more assertive or quicker to anger at first.

• Emotional processing can feel “different” (not less emotional, just different).

• Many report reduced gender dysphoria and increased confidence.

If you’ve struggled with anxiety or depression before, it’s good to keep a support system in place while your hormones adjust.

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🩺 Health Monitoring

You’ll typically need:

• Bloodwork every 3–6 months at first

• Monitoring of red blood cell count

• Liver levels

• Testosterone levels

This helps keep everything in a safe range.

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❤️ Fertility & Birth Control

Testosterone is not birth control.
You can still get pregnant unless you’ve had surgery. If that’s relevant to you, talk to your provider about options.

Fertility may return if T is stopped, but it’s not guaranteed.

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🌱 Things People Don’t Always Talk About

• Sweating increases.

• Body odor changes.

• Appetite can increase.

• Hairline may masculinize (genetics matter).

• Voice training can help control depth and tone.

• You might grieve aspects of your old self — that’s normal and doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice.

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If you want, tell me:

• Are you just starting? Pre-T? A few months in?

• Are you worried about anything specific (voice, hair loss, family reaction, mood)?

• Are you looking for physical info, emotional support, or practical tips?

I’m here for whatever part of this journey you’re on. I am on it too! 🖤

Celebrating the man I was always meant to be. My Journey Begins & Continues

 

Gemini said

Finding the right words to describe a journey as personal as gender identity can be a bit of a  challenge, but my personal story is one worth telling with pride. Here is a blog post written to begin celebrateing that transition.

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 My Journey

There are moments in life where the pieces finally click into place—where the reflection in the mirror finally matches the person inside. For me, that journey has been one of courage, discovery, and coming home to himself.

I am is trans masculine, this term captures a transition toward a more masculine identity. While every transition is unique. For me it's has been about shedding the expectations of others and stepping into my own truth.

What This Journey Means

Transitioning isn’t just about changing a name or a wardrobe; it’s about authenticity. For me, being trans masc means:

• Self-Definition: Choosing a path that feels honest and grounded.

• Growth: Navigating the world with a newfound confidence that only comes from being yourself.

• Community: Joining a vibrant history of masculine-of-center individuals who have paved the way for self-expression.

• Uniting my inward reality with my outward expression.

Why Support Matters

Stepping into a trans masculine identity involves a lot of "firsts"—the first time hearing my name spoken aloud, the first time feeling comfortable in clothes, and the first time feeling truly seen.

Having a support system makes all the difference. Whether it’s using his correct pronouns or simply being there to listen, the community around one's self plays a huge role in my joy.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." 

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Moving Forward

I am not a different person than the one folks have always known; I am just a clearer, more vibrant version of myself. As I continue this chapter, I will do so with the strength of someone who knows exactly who he is.

Here’s to my past, present, and the incredible man I strive to become everyday.

Dealing With Stress

 Dealing with Stress. That thought has been on my mind a lot lately. What can help in a world that feels helpless and frustrating? One idea that comes to mind is journaling. 

A few thoughts on what journaling can do:

• Enhance mental clarity

• Boost self esteem and mindfulness

• Encourage reflection

• Organize thoughts and ideas

• An outlet to be silly- doodling fun

• Can aid in personal growth

• Spark creativity

• Can be goal oriented

• Improve mental clarity - remove clutter

• Setting and achieving goals

• Manage anxiety

• Reduce stress

• Joy through capturing fun situations, events

• Gratitude journaling -focus on what you are grateful for

• Help you prioritize problems, fears, and concerns

• Provide an opportunity for positive self-talk

• Provide a place to relax and meditate

• Sometimes we just need to scribble!

So grab a few pieces of paper or a journal and begin. 

If you need prompts to begin here is a link to one of my favorites. 

Just Be You journal

"A journal for capturing your reflections on life, love, and the wonders of the world. Each page is topped by an affirmation or encouragement. Use the notebook for doodling, de-stressing, or brainstorming. It's a handy place to capture your thoughts, emotions, and to-do lists, a space where you can color across the lines and enter into the wonderful reality of just being uniquely YOU."

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Today's Thoughts

 

I'm dreaming of an adult picture book where the fairy god human waves it's magic wand and transgender women and trans men switch the body parts we need to be whole. Being Transgender means we have to go through a lot to get our outside to line up with who we are. Pretending to be a girl in public was uncomfortable but was in some ways easier because I was born with that costume on and I had to act the part for many years. I was also afraid of the public. It may cost a lot and it will not be easy but I have to take that costume off. It never fit and it hurt me.

I know many people who knew me as Diane don't understand. That is ok. Ask questions.

Ambivalence & April Dawn

It's my middle child's birthday today. Her name is April Dawn. She's in the pictures below with the chosen men in her life: her boyfriend and the man she calls dad.

It's both a happy and sad day for me because we haven't talked since I came out as a transgender man three years ago. This is nothing new for trans folx. Painful family rejection is a bitter pill to swallow, but today I find myself choking on it, and longing for understanding and hope.

Let me start at labor, which was difficult. April was rushed to the intensive care nursery but proved from the beginning there was a Mighty Mouse fighter inside her being.

April is a beautiful month, and I recognized my baby's beauty right away, so it seemed to fit. The beauty and newness of dawn has always appealed to my sense of mystical possibilities and wonder.  I also liked the way it sounded.

The birth certificate was signed, and the nameless baby became April Dawn. Would she like her name? Did it fit? A parent never really knows, we just choose it and hope for the best. But sometimes there is more.

With strength and beauty she exemplified the name as the years passed. 

Recently I realized the connection between the word April and new beginnings, renewal, and the blossoming of nature. Dawn is the time that marks the brightening dimness before sunrise. Together they celebrate the idea of having a new beginning everyday.

Shouldn't we all sit in a state of wonder each morning? Each moment? What will the new day hold? What pain might it restore?

Today I choose to sit before dawn anticipating the sun rising into the sky. Waiting with love and as much patience as I can. Hoping for and dreaming of a new day, when my beloved child can enter without fear into a new beginning. Forgiving me for whatever needs forgiving. Accepting in me whatever needs to be accepted. Entering into a new day.

A better day.

A day when our relationship can blossom into fullness.

An April Dawn.

I Found My Name In The Bathtub

 Yes, it is true I found my name in the bathtub. 

"God is Transgender And So Am I"

 

Yes, I said it and fully believe it. "God is Transgender And So Am I" 

Created in Their image.

I believe in God or what I like to call Divine Love. My God is gender fluid and beyond any constraints we try to put on them. Beyond imagination in all ways including gender. They are the love I feel in the depths of my being. A being that is transgender.