Transition, like puberty, is a time in your life where there are many changes in your body happening, and some of the more inivsible changes that occur in both these events are the changes to sensation and your libido. There are 3 main stages where there can be changes in sensation and libido: when you first begin transition, when you change your hormone dosage, and when you have some form of SRS. One note of caution: these changes are quite personal. Generalizing these changes is relatively ineffective, as each person will experience these changes differently. As the saying goes in our community: Your Mileage May Vary.

Sometimes the most profound changes to one’s sensation and libido occur right at the start of transition. These changes are primarily psychological at this stage. This is a stage of liberation, where we become more free to be ourselves, and to express ourselves accordingly. Consequently, your sexuality will change accordingly. At this stage, one of two things often happens: either you will feel more comfortable with your sexuality as you learn ways to express your gender in a more comfortable manner, or you will feel less comfortable with your sexuality as you become hyper-aware of the dysphoria surrounding your body. In both these cases, the libido is affected profoundly, and accordingly.

The second stage comes with the introduction of hormones. Again, there are two directions this can go in: either the libido can go up, or it can go down. Luckily, sensation is typically more regular here. For both men an women, sensation tends to increase, though in different ways. Men become more sensitive, especially at the clitoris. At this stage, the clitoris can also grow, up to half an inch in length, and, perhaps not suprisingly, begins to behave much like a penis. It’s been reported that activities such as riding bikes or vehicles can create a buzzing sensation in the clitoris for men who are starting testosterone.

For women, estrogen helps soften the skin, and as a result, the skin becomes much more sensitive as well. This is often accompanied by decreased sensation in the penis, and a decrease in the strength and frequency of erections. With the changes in skin sensation, often the libido will shift, placing a higher emphasis on receiving sensation throughout the body, and less focus on penile stimulation. With breast growth, the nipples can get very sensitive as well. One of the authors noticed that after about 6 months on estrogen,, she almost required breast stimulation in order to orgasm!

Finally, SRS can have a massive impact on both libido and sensation. This is a time where both the genitals have been changed significantly, and the body also has an abrupt change in the hormones it naturally produces. No longer are estrogen, testosterone and progesterone all competing with each other for similar receptors. Due to these big changes to your body, the effects are wildly unpredictable. Some people experience a heightened sensation as nerves recover, and for some, the nerves don’t recover as well, so sensation can be reduced. Likewise, the change in hormones can raise or lower libido, or even simply change the nature of it, without doing either. However, one thing that does generally happen is an immediate lowering of libido as the body repairs itself after surgery. This can last up to a year or longer, though libido does generally return to a stable level over time. Women who have SRS can generally expect to wait up to a year before their first orgasm, while men who have had phalloplasties can often expect lowered sensation and difficulty with getting erections.

Question: What changes in your libido and/or sensation have you experienced during your transition?