Sex can be one of the most vulnerable things a person does, especially after your body experiences a change like bottom growth, or when your clitoris and clitoral hood grow after starting testosterone-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
It can feel daunting to trust someone to be normal about your body, especially when transphobia is everywhere and steeped into everything (including sex and relationships). Even if you know your partner will cherish you and be regular, navigating your new anatomy, figuring out what feels pleasurable, and learning how to communicate that can still be intimidating. Take it from a guy who was in a T4T relationship when they started testosterone: Even under the best circumstances, figuring out how to use your T-dick and what feels good takes practice!
But once you get the hang of it, sex after bottom growth can be affirming, hot, and fun — even if you weren’t expecting it. It can make new, euphoric forms of touch, play, and desire logistically possible— like penetration, new forms of oral sex, and entirely different sexual fantasies. Bottom growth isn’t part of everyone’s transition goals, but that doesn’t mean it can’t end up being one of the best parts of transitioning for some.
Of course, everyone’s body and experience with bottom growth can be different. For some, it means intense sensitivity. Others find themselves thinking about their anatomy differently. Many feel their sex drive skyrocket. To showcase that wide spectrum, we spoke to five transmasc people about how they navigated sex after bottom growth and what to expect.
Your clit will likely grow
Lúghan, 28, tells Them that they didn’t have many transition goals when they started testosterone gel, so bottom growth wasn’t something they felt strongly about either way. They weren’t having partnered sex prior to starting testosterone and it didn’t seem relevant to self-pleasure.
Once they started T and having partnered sex, they grew to appreciate and like their bottom growth. It wasn’t an immediate change for Lúghan, but after switching from testosterone gel to injections, they started observing the shift in their body. After all, clitoral hypertrophy (the scientific phrase for your clit getting bigger) is one of the most common symptoms of testosterone-based HRT.
“One of my partners commented a while ago that she thought my clit was getting bigger, and I believe it was after I'd been on T shots for about a year,” Lúghan says. “That was nice to hear. I do enjoy that my clit is now more prominent, and is easier for my partners and I to manipulate.”
“It feels good, it's been enjoyable during sex, and it’s nice to see that T is making noticeable changes to my body, and I’d never want to reverse it,” they continue.
You might become more sensitive to touch
When Río Edén, 29, started taking testosterone three years ago, bottom growth and increased sensation were the first changes they noticed. It wasn’t a goal he necessarily wanted out of transition, but Edén said he felt pretty neutral about possibly experiencing bottom growth after starting T.
In the beginning, Edén tells Them they found their bottom growth to be incredibly sensitive to different types of fabric and touch, making sex difficult at times. The increased sensitivity means Edén has had to communicate explicitly to partners about what touch felt good and what felt like too much, even if certain movements had felt enjoyable prior to taking T.
“It’s very sensitive and can become painfully sensitive from things that previously felt fine prior to bottom growth,” Edén says. “An example is having to replace all the vibrators I had because I was just too sensitive at first. I think over time it’s gotten easier but definitely not the same as before. It’s something that I make a conscious effort to mention to my partners as well.”
Your fantasies may change
Micco Caporale, a Chicago-based journalist, had only found a few Reddit threads and articles about bottom growth before starting T. Because it wasn’t a goal of theirs for transition, they wanted to get an idea of what to expect. With the limited information on bottom growth that was out there at the time, Coporale tells Them they never could have anticipated how fun of a process it would be, particularly for their sex life.
They started having sexual fantasies they had never had before. While they had worn a strap-on before, as their anatomy changed, they started fantasizing about having a penis and ejaculating, being stroked, and getting blow jobs.
“As I was using my body in this way and touching it or having it be touched in this way, it was opening a lockbox and a part of me,” Caporale tells Them. “Is this a part of myself that I had been repressing, or was it just a fun thing to discover? I don’t know. But now that the cat’s out of the bag, or Pandora’s box has been opened, I don’t want to put it back in.”
You might have to change the way you touch yourself
Before starting testosterone, Brooklyn-based photographer Marion Aguas says he primarily focused on his clit when masturbating. Now that they’ve been on T for over five months, Aguas tells Them they’ve been experimenting with the ways they self-pleasure.
In some ways, their masturbation didn’t initially change. “I could really feel my clit was just bigger,” they explain. But as their bottom growth became more obvious, they found themself “incorporating more stroking” into their flow. That’s when they turned to queer porn for sexual inspiration.
“I found myself seeking out more transmasc porn and T-dick porn, just to see the different ways that people touch themselves,” Aguas says. “I was like, ‘OK, I’m still touching myself the same way, and it’s working.’ It was still fine, but then I thought: ‘Are there other things I can do?’”
Your world may open to a new spectrum of sensation and pleasure
Masturbation and fantasy aside, a common experience for folks experiencing bottom growth is exploring new ways to have sex. Aguas says that he had been sleeping with a partner prior to starting testosterone and was excited to talk them through what had changed a month in. Because the change happened quickly, Aguas says it felt really noticeable the first time they had sex.
“It was cool to talk them through it, ‘Let’s explore. My body has just changed,’” Aguas tells Them. “We weren’t gradually going through the changes. It was like, ‘Hey, I haven’t slept with you in a month. This is going to be so hot. Check it out.’”
Another aspect of sex post-growth that really excited Aguas is how different it felt to experience the new array of sensations that were now possible. Bottom growth opened up new doors of sexual possibility, which made sex feel more exciting overall.
“It’s so crazy to have sex, feeling like, ‘I do have a pussy and a dick,’ so I don’t mind using the word ‘pussy’ personally,” Aguas says. “It's wild to have both parts. The first couple of times I was having sex was just like, wow.”
For Axél Gíron, 33, starting testosterone over three years ago has made him feel so much “more in charge” during sex and ultimately has given him “sexual freedom.”
“I feel like I cannot complain about my past sex life — but has it gotten better? Yes,” he tells Them. “My growth physically stimulates me during sex at a much higher percentage than before.”
