Hello all.
I'm starting HRT very soon (hopefully in four days), and I'm curious about how hormone therapy might alter my behavior. Right now, as an estrogen-based lifeform, I've noticed that at the times when my estrogen levels should be highest, i'm the least "autisticy"- i see wholes instead of parts, i read people without thinking about it, i can easily handle change and surprises, and i'm much less likely to have sensory overload or executive function crashes (which for me, are sometimes the same thing). The corollary is that when E levels drop, all those symptoms get worse. BUT, that might not be due to the E level by itself but rather the rate of decrease. So while it's possible that running on not-estrogen will cause a permanent decrease in flexibility/set shifting/sensory integration, it's also possible that on Testosterone I'll do *better*, because my blood hormone levels won't fluctuate as much.
I've heard some people say that when on a different hormone, their symptoms *changed* but didn't necessarily get better or worse. I'd be interested in gaining a more detailed account of this.
If anyone else here is trans and on hormones: what, if any, effects did HRT have on your symptoms/behaviors? This doesn't have to be confined to Autism, although that's the core question. I'm also interested in hearing how it impacts ADHD/learning disabilities/etc. I'm not as curious about mood disorders, but for the sake of thoroughness I'd like to hear about that too.
18 Dec 2016, 9:21 pm
