Ohio student who uses an Imgur username Selgal has shared intimate photos of her transition from a man into a woman, and the eye-opening images provide additional information about what happens to a body during hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Selgal has documented 17 months (almost 1,5 years) on this process and provided personal comments about the way she felt throughout her gender transformation.
HRT involves taking hormones attributed to gender together with other medications. It brings out secondary sexual characteristics that develop at puberty but aren't involved in reproduction. Those medications include estrogens and antiandrogens (male-to-female or MTF transformations) and androgens like testosterone (female-to-male). In trans women, this therapy may distribute fat to the hips, reduce the size of their reproductive organs, lessen muscle mass and power, increase breast size and limit the growth of facial hair. To maintain the effects, transgender people have to continue HRT therapy throughout their whole lives. And though it's quite a lot of work, this way they don't have to take the risk with the male to female surgery complications.
"It's never too late to change who you are," Selgal said describing her MTF transformation journey. "Happiness is real; you just have to be willing to risk anything to find it."
"Transitioned from this to this in 17 months"
"2 years pre HRT: Age 16, total pot head (get it?)"
"1st-month HRT, just started college. I always kept checking the mirror to see if I noticed any changes. But it turns out it takes a pretty long time for anything major"
"3 months HRT, starting to feel better. Still depressed but finally starting to feel like me"
"Trying to be cute when I really wasn't lol, this is around 9 months HRT"
"I look like one of the dudes on Dateline in this pic lol, this was 11 months HRT"
"11 months, first picture I took of myself that I actually liked"
"Still one ugly f*cker though :P"
"Starting sophomore year of college, 12 months HRT"
"Looking good in class (I started wearing baggy clothes for some reason), 12 months HRT"
"Starting to see something, 12 months HRT"
"Still looking like a grumpy dude 13 months HRT"
"Sitting in class - 13 months HRT"
"My mirror is dirty, 14 months HRT"
"Sorry for the anime shirt :P 14 months"
"Starting to get cute - 14 months"
"Waking up from a nap looking cranky - 14 months"
"Laying in bed, 15 months"
"Walking home from class, dressing more feminine - 15 months"
"After a much-needed haircut, 15 months"
"Just waking up, kinda grumpy lol, 15 months HRT"
"Another classroom selfie, really liking the way I look, 15 months"
"Hanging out in the hallway before class, 16 months"
"Started using makeup and wearing dresses in public, 16 months"
"Bathroom selfie, 16 months HRT"
"And this is me today (17 months HRT), living my life happily with a boyfriend whom I love more than life"
