Low testosterone or gender dysphoria?
Hello all. I've been talking to my mom about the fact that I've felt like a girl for a while now and that I would be looking into my options for potentially transitioning. She isn't necessarily supportive but she is being very respectful of my feelings during this personally difficult time, so I appreciate that, at least.
The only thing that's giving me pause is that my mom suggested I might have low testosterone levels (which is probably true because I've always been a very feminine person, in appearance and attitude, even as a child). Low T levels in men and gender dysphoria have a lot of overlapping symptoms, but they are definitely different issues as well. I feel that I have symptoms of both, to an extent. The only thing is, to correct low T levels, I would have to take testosterone, and that idea induces a deep level of dread and slight panic in me. I feel like taking testosterone would make me, well, not me. I would rather do anything else than take testosterone, honestly.
Another thing, I don't necessarily feel disgusted with my body. I just feel like my body isn't me. It's a foreign entity, entirely separate from what I am mentally. I feel like my brain is me, but my body is someone or something else. I also don't feel a desperate urge to change my gender immediately like I know many trans people feel. It doesn't cause me intense distress, but who I am now makes me feel numb and disconnected from the world. I feel fake, flat, and colorless, essentially. Imagining myself as a girl makes me happy, wearing feminine clothing makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The idea of being perceived as a girl and living as a girl, or even just presenting as a girl, feels correct. I'm just doubting myself now and am not sure what to think.
Posted Mar 5, 2026, 2:30 AM UTC