Does taking T or E affect your traits in any way?

Page 1 of 1 [ 14 posts ] 

alobaby
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 23 May 2016
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Posts: 69
Location: USA

19 Mar 2020, 9:23 pm

I found out that autism is different among both sexes. I've heard that trans men have the same traits as cis women and vice versa, so I was curious if anyone on T or E noticed their traits change over time?



kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

20 Mar 2020, 9:13 am

What does “T” and “E” mean?



BTDT
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2010
Age: 60
Gender: Female
Posts: 7,120

20 Mar 2020, 9:58 am

Testosterone and Estrogen.



kraftiekortie
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 4 Feb 2014
Gender: Male
Posts: 87,510
Location: Queens, NYC

20 Mar 2020, 10:15 am

Thanks.



IsabellaLinton
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 1 Nov 2017
Gender: Female
Posts: 68,477
Location: Chez Quis

20 Mar 2020, 10:27 am

I took E, and it didn't change me one bit. If that counts?


_________________
And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.


alobaby
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

User avatar

Joined: 23 May 2016
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Posts: 69
Location: USA

20 Mar 2020, 5:20 pm

Thank you for letting me know! <3



bluexmoon
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 6 May 2020
Age: 31
Gender: Male
Posts: 1

06 May 2020, 5:23 pm

I was on T for ~3 years and i still identify with the female presentation of autism more.



Dreamtastic
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 8 Jun 2020
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 53
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

13 Jun 2020, 8:16 pm

Well, ever since I learned that there was a difference, I've always thought that the female version of autism fits me pretty well as a whole. So in that sense, there was nothing to be changed even before I started taking E.

But in terms of just general personality, you wouldn't believe how much different I am when I am taking E compared to T or even neither (I had an orchiectomy when I was 20 and don't get much of either hormone naturally). When I have a lot of T in my system, I am basically this flat, emotionless, very reserved sort of person. But when I am taking E, I become much more outgoing, bubbly, and just plain happier I guess! Come to think of it, that latter personality is what was more common in me before puberty, and then T came along and brought out that first kind of personality. I guess that personality is perceived as that "silent, rugged male" type, which is why most folks who knew me after puberty thought of me as being masculine.



Dreamtastic
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 8 Jun 2020
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 53
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

15 Jun 2020, 8:22 pm

Sorry, I completely forgot one change I have noticed that would probably be considered an "autistic trait." Since I started taking E, I seem to have more ability to read emotions/tone of voice/facial expressions from people. :)



vermontsavant
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 7 Dec 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,110
Location: Left WP forever

16 Jun 2020, 8:00 am

Dreamtastic wrote:
Sorry, I completely forgot one change I have noticed that would probably be considered an "autistic trait." Since I started taking E, I seem to have more ability to read emotions/tone of voice/facial expressions from people. :)
Are you saying your on estrogen just to treat autism?Or are you on E to treat gender dysphoria and improvements in autism is an accidental side effect?


_________________
Forever gone
Sorry I ever joined


Dreamtastic
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 8 Jun 2020
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Posts: 53
Location: Tucson, Arizona, United States

16 Jun 2020, 11:58 am

vermontsavant wrote:
Are you saying your on estrogen just to treat autism?Or are you on E to treat gender dysphoria and improvements in autism is an accidental side effect?


The second one, although I'm not exactly sure how you would describe the nature of my gender dysphoria. With me, E sort of seems to bring out my feminine feelings and desires rather than those feelings and desires being pre-existing and me taking E because of that. But the thing is, I like those feelings and desires, and that is why I keep taking E. :) I sort of feel like it is who I was always meant to be.

I once read a study about how the brains of autistic folks might be more flexible/plastic under the administration of cross-sex hormones than brains of neuroypical folks, and I wonder if that might have something to do with it. And because of that, I have actually wondered whether estrogen could treat autistic men. Not that giving folks who identify as men E would be ethical or something I could condone, but I have wondered whether they might notice an improvement in their autistic traits. Similarly, I wonder if giving autistic women testosterone would cause them to notice a worsening of their traits. Of course, it's unlikely that this is a one-size-fits-all sort of situation, and so individual experiences would probably vary. :)



Magneto
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jun 2009
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,086
Location: Blighty

30 Jul 2020, 10:42 am

I've only been blocking my testosterone for seven weeks.

In that time, the main difference I've noticed is that most of my anxiety has gone, which means I'm far less irritable than I used to be. I feel there are a lot more changes to come, but I don't know whether they're related to the reduction in anxiety or directly from the reduction in testosterone; and if the latter, how much is due to the normal effects of testosterone and how much due to the specific way it interacts with my brain (i.e. the gender dysphoria).



MushroomTacos
Butterfly
Butterfly

Joined: 13 Aug 2020
Age: 28
Gender: Female
Posts: 14
Location: Oregon

14 Aug 2020, 7:41 pm

Estrogen never really changed my traits very much, but from a young age, my autism manifested as it would have in a cis female. I think that's because all my friends in school were girls, so I didnt really pick up much make socialization or traits.
I kinda dislike the distinction between AMAB and AFAB autism, because I know trans women with primarily female autistic traits and vice versa.



Magneto
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Jun 2009
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,086
Location: Blighty

15 Aug 2020, 4:00 pm

I never picked up any female traits from my friends.

Probably because I wasn't able to have any really until the age of sixteen, being sent to a school that had three girls in the entire school.

I do wonder how masking works in autistic trans girls. Are they likely to copy their male peers, or their female peers? That's going to affect the traits they display.

Other than that... I honestly don't know. Certain things I've read suggest it was more female pattern (special interests oriented around animals, tendency to intense fantasising). But that was a long time ago.