Hello Ishiru: I can't answer your questions from personal experience since I have never had hormones or trans surgery. However, I have developed relationships, via YouTube, with quite a few trans YouTubers & I can tell you what I have learned from them.

First of all, though, I want to say that, with regard to soy, I've been doing some reading on-line about this. The consensus of opinion is that in order for soy supplements to have any effect at all, it is necessary to take SO much, that it IS dangerous. The normal amounts people eat on a day-to-day basis have no effect on a person's hormone levels.

As far as the physical changes brought on by taking female hormones goes, every person I have known who was transitioning was thrilled to see her new body taking shape. After all, they were finally beginning to look like the person they always knew themselves to be! Another change that also occurs, on hormones, is that the skin becomes noticeably softer. This often seems to be the 1st thing transitioning individuals notice.

But in addition to the physical changes that hormones bring on, I think that most individuals who transition would say that the psychological or emotional changes are the most striking. Most trans persons I have known have said that they became calmer, more emotional (able to cry, for example) and more tolerant of other people. So there's a big mental shift that takes place as well.

As far as pregnancy goes... sadly... no... as things stand now, you will not be able to bear children. Sometimes male-to-female transitioners will "bank" sperm for later use if they want to have children of their own. Of course, medical technology is advancing all the time. So it's possible that, at some later date, childbirth may be possible for trans women.

Does bottom surgery hurt? Well, yes. Almost all surgeries hurt. And there's allot happening when you're talking about bottom surgery. Of course, you won't feel anything while it's being done. You'll be anesthetized. But once you wake up, it will hurt. However, modern medicine has gotten very good at pain management And, most trans people I've known have said that there wasn't as much post-operative pain as they expected.

One additional thing about bottom surgery though, once the surgery is complete, the new vagina will have a tendency to close up if it is not stretched regularly. As a result, you'll be given several "molds" of different sizes, to insert into the vagina on a daily basis to keep it from closing up. This can be time-consuming & a bit uncomfortable. Also unless you're sexually active, once you've healed, my understanding is that you have to keep inserting these molds for as long as you want to keep your vagina open. The good news here, though, is that the surgery has gotten SO good, that even a gynecologist can't tell. That's pretty impressive!

Thanks for your questions, Ishiru. Please feel free to ask any other questions you may have.