Well so a few things to consider. Firstly you need to find a therapist that can diagnose you and get you on hormones if you wish to be on them. Testosterone is administered by a shot so it's likely not something you can acquire through the internet and even if you can, it is highly unadvisable to do so. So that would be consideration one. Number 2 is, you don't _have_ to do anything. If all you want to do is get a diagnosis, fine, you don't have to do anything else, if you want to stop at hormones, fine. There is no set and required path that you have to take and you can go as far as you feel comfortable. Lastly is that surgery. I have not had to deal with that one (I am going the other way) and of the FtM I know, none of them had it. I have read that what is created by the surgery is questionable in pass ability and has no ability to become erect. So you concerns about sex are warranted. Most of the ones I know had a breast removal and a hysterectomy and that was all. They stopped there because of the things I listed with that.

All that said, you should at least find a therapist there to get a diagnosis from. That would be the start. I have a few friends from Ireland and from what I understand its not hard to find one. As I don't live there personally though, that is just what I have been told.

To me it sounds that you are unsure.You say you wanna be a guy but you aren't sure if you wan't surguries or even hormones.Not every trans person wants to change their body,yes,but you sound more like a tomboy.Just cause you have male friends doesn't mean you are male inside.
First get a gender therapist and diagnosis and than if you do that and still want to be a guy go for it.You can't just start transition on your own.I have been seeing gender therapists since i was 16 and now i am 19 and still haven't started hormone therapy even though i did all my bloodwork and tests but i still need to get approval from my psychologist and endocrinologist.My point is-it doesn't happen over night.And especially if you aren't sure.There is a reason why this things take very long time,you and your therapist must be sure you are doing the right thing or you might screw up your life.

I'm not unsure about feeling that I am a guy, (I'm not a "tomboy") I'm just unsure about whether or not to start the process of becoming one physically (I have difficulties expressing what I mean to people, so I apologize if it seemed like I wasn't taking it seriously).

I know I can't do it on my own, but it's going to be hard for my family to accept, and even though a lot of my friends have become accustomed to identifying me as a male, there's still the possibility of rejection if I do go ahead with it.

My point is, I want to talk to other people that have gone through all this cos I haven't gotten the chance to before, so that I don't feel like I'm alone and can be a bit less anxious about doing something about it.

I think over all there are a few factors that go into the whole acceptance part of the equasion. First how religious the poeple you will have to come out to are. Obviously the largest majority of really religious people tend to be some of the most harsh when it comes to this. Another consideration is age. The older the person is, the more difficult it may be for them to integrate the information. Of course there are always exceptions, hell the new pope said the church needed to back off, and lets face it, he is kinda old and very religious. In my case, it turned out that my fears were far worse than the reality. I told my friends that were online first and tested the water so to speak, they were all for the most part wonderful. I did lose a couple and i had one that has through the whole thing voiced the oposition at every milestone, but they also accept me still and I have a great deal of respect for them as they are doing the hardest thing a friend can do. Tell their friend they should think long and hard about something as lifechanging as what I am doing. When it came to friends and family and work. I chose to transition in place so i had to deal with how my work would react. I chose to start with a few friends and told them, again i had a few I lost but not many and I don't need those few if they can't accept me. Family and work scared me the most and i took them on at the same time. I went on a 2 week vacation and as i left i sent an e-mail to the department letting them know (I had talked with human resources and the manager well before and let them know what was going on so i had their backing at the start). After i got home i cried for a while about having sent it and one coworker called and gave me their support which helped some. I already had protection from human resources so i knew i wasn't going to like lose my job or anything. I told my niece who is very accepting, and she told her dad, who told my other brother, and well lets just say a grass wildfire spreads fast :P My mom knew long before and i had already been on hormones for well over a year and she had seen how much happier i was. She handled most of the people who were freaking out by telling them that she didnt have to worry about finding me dead, and i was far happier and that was all that should matter. So with the exception of a couple seriously religious family members i rarely see, everyone has been cool with it. So i guess in my case it went pretty well. I have been going through this now 4 years from the date of my first therapist meeting and i am now to the point of my name has been changed, most of my documents show female ( I live in a state that allows changing it before surgery) and outside of work i live as a woman full time. The only reason i don't at work is that I am not allowed to use the womens rest room until i have had surgery and i refuse to walk into the mens room in heels and a skirt. If i had gotten a new job or should i change at any point, that part will not be an issue and i will just switch over.

I took it very very slowly and i tested things as I went. I talked to people about LGBT matters that was in the news, got a feel for their level of acceptance and went. I let my heart tell me when to take a step and that pull has guided every move i made. I have known others who did not have such a smoothe transition. A few i know have no contact with their families. You might do some testing of your own to get a feel for how those you know will take it. Honestly they all sound pretty great and may be completely okay with it. That said your fear is completely normal :D *huggles*

Thank you for sharing your story, WyndWytch. One of my main concerns was transitioning in a work environment. I feel a lot better about that after reading your post though, although sex changes aren't yet legally recognized here, that's due to change as they're in breach of EU human rights laws.. & if it does change, I'll have less discrimination from work environment when applying for jobs.
I have been testing the waters with my family over the past few years, though more in sexual orientation than in gender identity. Though a lot of people who support one will support the other. & I was nicely surprised when I came out as being bisexual, a few people didn't agree with it, of course, but overall the result was positive.
Maybe joining the LGBT society in college should be my next step. Talking to similar people definitely seems to help. Hopefully it will ease my fears a bit.

that would give you a better perspective of what people face where you are that is for sure. What little i know about transitioning over there comes from a couple Irish friends i have that live there. so that would definitelly be helpful. Once you are ready to make a decision on more medical help even if its just talking, I do know there are a number of therapists in Ireland that deal with this sort of thing, so you should be able to find one relatively easily. You will need them if you want to do hormones or anything. Most countries follow the Standards of Care for transgendered people, and that requires a licensed mental health clinician to give you a recommendation for hormones. But the local group is definitelly a good place to start if you are comfortable with going to it. You can just tell them you are Bi if you are not. That is already out it sounds like so the rest can be a more quiet discussion.

I too am FtM, and interested in eventually getting the surgery done - my hold-up however is more financial than nerves. I have heard mixed results - a great deal seems to depend on which surgeon, and which techniques are performed; you can research the various techniques online; and many reputable surgeons have a list of past patients you can contact to inquire about their satisfaction with the work.

My suggestion is to research it - most fear stems from our own ignorance. There are several options - various techniques - for surgical procedures now; you may find it helpful just to go online and read up about them. Each technique has its own pros and cons - only you and your doctor will be able to determine which techniques may be best for you. Once you have a better idea of which technique you are most interested in, you can begin looking for surgeons who tend to specialize in performing that technique, and possibly contacting them to discuss your questions. Because you will have questions. This process can also help you to select the surgeon you want to turn to when the time comes. Meantime, you may want to save up for it - and/or look into whether or not your health insurance will cover it.

There have been advances and improvements in techniques, as I mentioned - though of course, nothing ever trumps the natural deal we weren't born with. Also, as with every surgery, there are risks involved; you have to educate yourself about these as well and decide if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks for you. No surgical procedure is perfect, and every individual's results will be different. Just keep all of this in mind.