Because you would like the effects of replacing your hormones?
Read the Effects section of the Feminizing hormone therapy or Masculinizing hormone therapy Wikipedia article. I've copied part of the former here for quick reference:
Feminizing HRT quick reference
Effects of feminizing hormone therapy in transfeminine people
| Breast development and nipple/areolar enlargement | 2–6 months | 1–5 years | Surgically reversible |
| Thinning/slowed growth of facial/body hair | 4–12 months | >3 years[c] | Reversible |
| Cessation/reversal of male-pattern scalp hair loss | 1–3 months | 1–2 years[d] | Reversible |
| Softening of skin/decreased oiliness and acne | 3–6 months | Unknown | Reversible |
| Redistribution of body fat in a feminine pattern | 3–6 months | 2–5 years | Reversible |
| Decreased muscle mass/strength | 3–6 months | 1–2 years[e] | Reversible |
| Widening and rounding of the pelvis[f] | Unspecified | Unspecified | Permanent |
| Changes in mood, emotionality, and behavior | Unspecified | Unspecified | Reversible |
| Decreased sex drive | 1–3 months | Temporary | Reversible |
| Decreased spontaneous/morning erections | 1–3 months | 3–6 months | Reversible |
| Erectile dysfunction and decreased ejaculate volume | 1–3 months | Variable | Reversible |
| Decreased sperm production/fertility | Unknown | >3 years | Reversible or permanent[g] |
| Decreased testicle size | 3–6 months | 2–3 years | Unknown |
| Decreased penis size | Conflicting reports, with none reported observed in transgender women but significant albeit minor reduction of penis size reported in men with prostate cancer on androgen deprivation therapy. | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Decreased prostate gland size | Unspecified | Unspecified | Unspecified |
| Voice changes | None[h] | Not applicable | Not applicable |
Footnotes and sources
Footnotes:
- Jump up to: 1 2 Estimates represent published and unpublished clinical observations.
- ↑ Time at which further changes are unlikely at maximum maintained dose. Maximum effects vary widely depending on genetics, body habitus, age, and status of gonad removal. Generally, older individuals with intact gonads may have less feminization overall.
- ↑ Complete removal of male facial and body hair requires electrolysis, laser hair removal, or both. Temporary hair removal can be achieved with shaving, epilating, waxing, and other methods.
- ↑ Familial scalp hair loss may occur if estrogens are stopped.
- ↑ Varies significantly depending on the amount of physical exercise.
- ↑ Occurs only in individuals of pubertal age who have not yet completed epiphyseal closure.
- ↑ Additional research is needed to determine permanency, but a permanent impact of estrogen therapy on sperm quality is likely and sperm preservation options should be counseled on and considered before initiation of therapy.
- ↑ Treatment by speech pathologists for voice training is effective.
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Sort the effects into pros and cons. If the pros outweigh the cons, start HRT.
If you want the effects of swapping your hormones, swap your hormones. If you don't, don't. In general, if you would like the effects of an action, do that action.
The rest of this page addresses two misconceptions that stop people from acting on their preferences: the misconception that gender is real, and the misconception that HRT is a big deal.
Gender is fake
Please do not think I should only take estrogen if I know I'm really a woman inside
or similar nonsense. Disregard the terms “man” and “woman”. They don't mean anything. You may as well make decisions based on astrology or MBTI or Homestuck classpect.
Some value the man's-brain-in-a-woman's-body narrative. I disregard it. If I want to take estrogen, I'll take estrogen. It's not like the phantasm of Gender pharmaceutically interacts with hormones. I don't need to be Really A Woman On The Inside to prefer soft skin over hairline recession. Do what you want.
Customizing hormones is not a big deal
Some women who suffer acne are prescribed spironolactone, a testosterone blocker common in the US, since testosterone can be a cause of (oilier skin, and therefore) acne. In other words, they are bothered by an effect of testosterone, so they take a pill to block testosterone, so the effect goes away.
This is considered normal and not a big deal. Yet when someone with an M on their birth certificate does it, it's suddenly weird, because they aren't “supposed to” have low testosterone? There is no such thing as supposing to. You won't defy some grand, divine, Correct plan by replacing hormones. Do what you want.
I think sex ed should teach teens about HRT, so the horrified ones can opt out of default puberty. I'm sure more people would, if they knew how. Instead, most never learn it's an option.