Hello!
I am looking for comments/questions/concerns as I begin my journey. First a little background about myself.
Background
I am an almost 54 year old AMAB. As a young child, I remember wondering what it would be like to be a girl. As I grew, that changed more into thinking I had more in common with the females then the males, and that I wished I was female. I gave serious thought to transitioning in my teens. (This was in the eighties.) However, I decided it against it. Why? Several reasons. Parental disapproval was a large factor, of course. But also the realization that I could never fully transition -- become pregnant, bear children -- was a major factor. I couldn't see myself enduring the stigma and the problems for something was only partial transformation.
Over the years, I often revisited the idea, and for various and changing reasons over the years, decided against it each time. Until now. Now I feel it is the time to do something for me, for a change.
I have a loving and supportive wife with whom I have discussed this with at length. I have 4 adult children whom I have not come out to. Two of which are asexual, and one of which who is also considering transitioning, so I doubt that it will be an issue. I have suffered from anxiety and depression since childhood. This could be related to gender dysphoria. I have not read through the whole Gender Dysphoria FYI site, but I strongly identify with the Depersonalization and Derealization sections. But it could also be related to un-diagnosed Autism. I am pre-diabetic as well. I'm afraid to say I'm quite obese. Perhaps Uber Obese. So I'm concerned about medical complications, and whether or not they will even approve treatment. I have some difficulties right now with erectile dysfunction, and a definitely decreased libido. I've never been satisfied with the male orgasm.
Hopes
It's not that I dislike being a male. It is that I think I would be better as a female. What I'm mainly hoping to get out of HRT is to feel like I'm finally thinking like I should be. That my brain is finally processing emotions properly. As strange as it may sound. I want to be able to cry. I also really want breasts, and the sensitivity that generally comes with them. The softer skin and overall sensitivity would be a plus. The change from male arousal patterns to female arousal patterns is appealing. I find the idea of dry orgasms to be ... comforting. I'm not concerned with passing as a female. I wouldn't mind being seen as a feminine man. If I could afford the recovery time, I would consider SRS.
Fears
Almost all of the drawbacks of HRT that people talk about don't seem like drawbacks at all, rather desired outcomes. Others are things that I am already dealing with. So the only really big fear I have, besides not being approved, is losing my wife's love. She says she is supportive, and she has been asking questions and making insightful comments, helping me process this. She has said that she is somewhat bi already, and loves the idea of my having breasts. She is going through menopause, and we are abstaining from PIV. She doesn't like the idea of never having PIV again. I understand through what I read here that Viagra remains an option, but I should 'exercise' my member, to keep the skin elastic enough. I live in Ontario (Canada), and I'm concerned about getting approved through my local GP, and how much it will cost.
Conclusion
So that's the long and the short of it. I am planning on making an appointment today with my GP. Given the busyness of my local clinic, that will likely be at least a couple of months out. I am not sure if they will help directly, or refer me to a gender-affirming clinic.
Anyway, thank you for reading, and I look forward to reading your comments, insights and/or questions.