Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Transgendered Hormone Basics

I've discovered a thousand places with ideas on hormone replacement.
One fairly decent one comes from the "Transsexual Road Map" site.
As the name suggests, the site provides much more than hormone ideas but here are some of theirs:

Hormonal therapy for transgender people
There are already fantastic resources on this topic available. Here's the basics, in my opinion:
  1. They are not a magic pill. You won't "become a woman" taking them.
  2. I think of hormonal-induced changes as generally quite subtle, taking several years.
  3. Do not depend on them alone to make you accepted by others as female, because they will not.
  4. They will not reduce facial hair much, if at all.
  5. They will not change your voice.
  6. They will have an effect on body hair eventually (especially androgen blockers).
  7. Androgen blockers can help reduce doses of hormones needed.
  8. Androgen blockers are useful for halting scalp hair loss.
  9. You will see changes in your complexion and fat redistribution.
  10. Injectable hormones seemed to be more effective in my case, compared to oral estrogens.
  11. They had a wonderful calming effect for me and took the edge off my sex drive.
  12. You can hide the effects of hormones from others for as long as you want in virtually every case. Those who say they can't seem to want people to notice.
  13. Hormones are potentially dangerous.
  14. I do not recommend herbals or care about them, since their potency and safety are not regulated. Those serious about a safe, successful transition should be taking prescription hormones under a physician's care.
  15. Getting a prescription and doing it supervised is often cheaper, safer, and more effective than black market options

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