The Topic of Hormone Replacement Therapy!

                 Hello everyone! It is me again and i decided to blog about the topic of Hormone Replacement Therapy or HRT.First I will explain what HRT is and then I will go into how it personally effected me/why it is important to a lot of transgender patients. HRT in regards to transgender patients is when we take a pill regimen that lowers the testosterone and increases estrogen in our system (For male to female, female to male it would be the oppisite.) to develop secondary sex characteristics to feminize our appearance. (or to become more masculine for FtM)
The effects of HRT varies between each patient depending on age and genetics. Some of the effects of HRT include(not limited to.):

Male to Female patients:

• Redistribution of body fat in a feminine pattern.
• Growth of the breasts, with accompanying enlargement of the nipples.
• changes to androgenic hair.
• widening of pelvis. (in those who have not yet experienced epiphyseal byclosure.)
• Thinning of the skin.
• Infertility.
• Ocular changes.
• Change in body odor and sweat production.
• Less prominence of the veins.
• Significantly reduced and lightened body hair.

For Female To Male patients:

• Increased musculature and decreased body fat.
• Development of facial and body hair.
• deepening of the voice.
• Male pattern baldness. (in some individuals.)
• Enlargement of the clitoris.
• growth spurt and closure of growth plates if given before the end of puberty.
• Breast atrophy.
• Increased libido.
• Redistribution of body fat.
• Cessation of ovulation and menstruation.
• Increased sweat  and changes in body odor.
• Prominence of veins and coarser skin.

A lot of Transgender patients talk about how once they get on HRT they also report an effect on the psychological level, such as reduction in feeling dysphoric, lessen in anxiety/depression and a much healthier outlook for their future.

                 HRT is important to a lot of transgender patients (can't say all for I do not speak for the entire transgender community) because it helps us present ourselves as our authentic selves. I remember the first day I was prescribed my HRT regimen, I was just so happy and uplifted/excited about what my future held. The other reasons that HRT is important is because before we are in transition and we are dealing with our gender dysphoria, A lot of us have much higher rates of anxiety, depression/low self esteem, suicidal tendencies and just no motivation. According to a study which is linked here. Transgender patients anxiety, depression and suicidal rates drop when we are on HRT and with family acceptance/support those rates drop towards the general population levels.

                   For me personally before I was on HRT I suffered from frequent panic attacks and thought about suicide so often that they were considered my norm. After starting HRT i went from daily panic attacks to maybe a panic attack once a month, I don't remember the last time I even though about suicide and I went from being this gloomy downer to being the very random and ecstatic person that I am today! I can't say that it is always a happy experience to be on HRT as mood swings are a little hard to explain before coming all the way out, however I would deal with all the mood swings this world has to offer so long as I can stay on HRT. It really has greatly improved my life in a huge way.

                 As for to what degree the hormones work, like I said earlier it varies person to person. The thing that makes a huge difference is how early you start. Like Kim Petras (who is the youngest person to undergo HRT/Gender confirmation surgery.) looks very female while people who start older typically already have their bodies set in stone. I am happy with the way I progressed, however I wish I was able to get on hormone blockers during my teenage years, because then I wouldn't be 5'11" with broad shoulders!! Anyway so this was kind of just a messy brief dscription on HRT. All in all hormones have changed my life for the better, they have given me the confidence I desperately needed to just be me. I finally feel like i am free! As always thank you for reading my post! I hope you all have a wonderful day!
                                                                                                            Sincerely, Annie B!






P.S. I am not a medical professional, the information on this post should not be used to decide on medical treatments. Hormone Replacement Therapy is not right for everyone so you should talk about it with medical professionals before coming to a decision!

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