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.

Primary net resources

I do not answer questions about hormones or their effects. For those wanting more practical information, please go to these hormone pages:

Henk Asscheman, M.D. and Louis J.G. Gooren, M.D. Hormone Treatment in Transsexuals

http://www.transgendercare.com/medical/hormonal/hormone-tx_assch_gooren.htm

Sexuality.org Hormone FAQ

http://www.sexuality.org/l/transgen/hormone.html

Endocrine Therapy for Transgender Adults in British Columbia: Suggested Guidelines (PDF)

http://www.vch.ca/transhealth/resources/library/tcpdocs/guidelines-endocrine.pdf

Obtaining hormones and antiandrogens as a minor: overview

http://www.tsroadmap.com/early/transsexual-hormones.html

The Information Exchange at GenderLife.com has a free subscriber-only forum with discussions about this:

http://www.genderlife.com/forum/

TS Do-It-Yourself Hormones is a popular Yahoo group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TsDoItYourselfHormones