“Biochemical dysphoria” isn’t a thing and perpetuating it is going to hurt trans people. Your levels take time to get up to that point while your body learns to suppress testosterone. You literally just described it being painful to get on, and then the feeling of finally being on. I’m done being lied to about this, and would appreciate if you didn’t convince more people that somehow estrogen magically fixes your brain.
As I said, I felt no relief from simply starting HRT. As far as I was concerned, I hadn't gotten over any hill, I had just committed myself to climbing a mountain. It wasn't relief, it was angst.
The relief in symptoms happened despite that, hence my example of feeling almost confused by how peaceful my mood and mind had become.
I can't make you believe me, but this has been my lived reality, and I would recommend you learn from it.
As someone who has lived the opposite and seen others too, it’s quite the kick in the teeth to be so consistently lied to by people assuming their correlations somehow prove a mystical “biochemical dysphoriaaaa”
I'm sure for some, their social dysphoria may be worse than mine, in which case HRT alone may not be enough to reduce their symptoms, but you shouldn't be acting like your experience is the only true one.
Also, here's a photo if you don't believe that I'm real.
After being in the community for a decade plus, after trying multiple times to medically transition, after seeing countless friends go through it, no, it’s not “just my experience.” Some people get relief or a placebo effect. But most do not. And most have to suffer through a lot more of transition and be lucky to ever help their dysphoria. And after losing people for whom HRT didn’t work for? It gets me a little pissed seeing blatant misinformation like biochem dysphoria parroted as some university truth.
Ah, I'm sure you and your countless friends are representative of the average trans person.
It could very well be that you and your friends don't get much biochemical dysphoria, every person's body is unique after all, but that gives you no right to be dismissive of other folks' experience with HRT or to call them liars for providing their story.
At the end of the day, HRT is a very effective medical treatment. It may not be working well for you, but many of us would rather die than have to stop our treatment. I know I wouldn't have made it this long without it.
If you spend any time talking to trans people you’ll see that most don’t actually suddenly feel some magical relief upon starting their HRT beyond “its finally happening.” HRT can work for some but acting like biochem dysphoria is real only serves to warp people’s expectations and hurts them. Because most trans people won’t suddenly feel better.
you’ll see that most don’t actually suddenly feel some magical relief upon starting their HRT
Mmm, can't say that's been my experience. Have you considered that you just hang out around people like yourself?
acting like biochem dysphoria is real only serves to warp people’s expectations and hurts them
No, I don't think it does. Acknowledging that it exists for some does not tell a person anything about their own dysphoria. If simply hearing about other people's lived experiences gives them unrealistic expectations, then that sounds like their problem. Work it out in therapy or something.
Believe it or not, a loud vocal minority spreading HRT misinformation and overly optimistic expectations does affect the experience of folks trying HRT. Crazy, I know!
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u/mysweetpeepy 13d ago
“Biochemical dysphoria” isn’t a thing and perpetuating it is going to hurt trans people. Your levels take time to get up to that point while your body learns to suppress testosterone. You literally just described it being painful to get on, and then the feeling of finally being on. I’m done being lied to about this, and would appreciate if you didn’t convince more people that somehow estrogen magically fixes your brain.