What to Know About Transgender Hormone Therapy Side Effects (2023)

FAQs

What to Know About Transgender Hormone Therapy Side Effects? ›

Many trans women are interested in estrogen through injection. Estrogen injections tend to cause very high and fluctuating estrogen levels which can cause mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, anxiety or migraines. Additionally, little is known about the effects of these high levels over the long term.

Transgender women have a higher risk of venous thromboembolism, stroke and meningioma compared to cisgender men and cisgender women. Compared to cisgender men, transgender women have a higher risk of breast cancer and transgender women > 50 years old have a higher risk of fractures.

Hormone therapy side effects can include vaginal dryness, discharge, itching, or irritation. It can also cause changes to the menstrual cycle and cause vaginal bleeding that is not related to a period. Hot flashes and night sweats. Hot flashes are very common for people receiving hormone therapy.

Excess testosterone can result in mood symptoms or irritability, bloating, pelvic cramping, or even a return of menstruation. High levels of testosterone also result in increased estrogen levels, as a percentage of all testosterone in the body is converted to estrogen.

Estrogen injections tend to cause very high and fluctuating estrogen levels which can cause mood swings, weight gain, hot flashes, anxiety or migraines. Additionally, little is known about the effects of these high levels over the long term.

Research has found that feminizing hormone therapy can be safe and effective when delivered by a health care provider with expertise in transgender care. Talk to your health care provider about questions or concerns you have regarding the changes that will happen in your body as a result of feminizing hormone therapy.

Recovery time varies from person to person, so always follow the advice of your surgeon. Many people begin to feel more comfortable during the second week after their surgery. You'll need plenty of rest in the first two weeks. It's common to be back to your usual activities, including work, in six to eight weeks.

Why do I feel awful on HRT? ›

The progestogen part of HRT is often the one that can give side effects. It can cause premenstrual type symptoms (low mood, irritability, bloating, acne, fatigue, headaches).

MHT is not recommended if you have had hormone-dependent cancer (such as breast cancer and some uterine cancers). Your doctor may also advise you not to use MHT if it could increase your health risks, for example, if you have undiagnosed vaginal bleeding or heart disease.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is medicine used to treat the symptoms of the menopause. It is common to have side effects in the first few months of taking HRT. These usually settle on their own within 6 to 8 weeks. Side effects include weight gain, irregular bleeding, feeling sick (nausea) and skin irritation.

Risks Related to Testosterone Testosterone will change your overall health risk profile to that of a cisgender man. Your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol may go up, though these risks may be less than the risks for an individual who is assigned male at birth or cisgender man.

If you stop taking hormones you may lose your hair faster than if you hadn't taken hormones. You may lose muscle and strength in your upper body. Your skin may become softer. Your body will make less testosterone.

Estrogen treatment inhibited sexual activity, spontaneous erections, and nocturnal penile tumescence. No significant effects on psychophysiological response to film and fantasy or frequency of sexual feelings were found, but the psychophysiological data were very variable.

The benefits of HRT usually outweigh the risks for most women. The risks are usually very small, and depend on the type of HRT you take, how long you take it and your own health risks. Speak to a GP if you're thinking about starting HRT or you're already taking it, and you're worried about any risks.

It does carry some risks, however. These include hair loss, fertility changes, high blood pressure, and weight gain. Results will vary depending on several factors, including when the person begins treatment. Individuals who wish to learn more about T therapy can speak with a doctor.

Take your time, transitioning can take a long time. On average it takes 2-3 years.

Feminizing hormones don't modify the voice for transgender women. Anti-androgens and estrogens have no effect on the voice.

Does estrogen change your brain? ›

Estrogen induces spinogenesis and synaptogenesis in these two brain regions and also initiates a complex set of signal transduction pathways via estrogen receptors (ERs).

Hormone therapy can help ease symptoms of menopause. But it is associated with a lot of serious risks if used over the long term. Although the treatment lowers the risk of bone fractures, it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel problems) and breast cancer.

Estrogen. Estradiol is preferred, as it most closely resembles the hormone produced by the ovaries. It is prescribed in a similar way to hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women, but with slightly higher doses. The dose of estradiol valerate tablets starts at 2–4 mg daily, increasing up to 8 mg.

In twelve Member States, both the regulations for general surgery and express thresholds for transgender hormone therapy dictate the age of 18.

The stages are shock, anger, acceptance and commitment. People's initial reaction to the change will likely be shock or denial as they refuse to accept that change is happening.

There are three main types of transitions someone could go through: social, legal, and physical.

Some pain and discomfort is normal during recovery from gender reassignment surgery, but some patients have additional issues that impede the normal healing process and may cause pain to linger or even worsen over time.

MTF Bottom Surgery

These can include: Penile skin inversion vaginoplasty, with or without scrotal skin grafting. Revision vaginoplasty using small bowel or the rectosigmoid colon. Secondary genital reconstruction.

What is transfeminine bottom surgery? ›

What is transfeminine bottom surgery? The goal of transfeminine bottom surgery, or feminizing genital surgery, is to reconstruct the male genitalia into female genitalia. Transfeminine bottom surgery is typically performed as a single stage procedure.

You can usually begin HRT as soon as you start experiencing menopausal symptoms and will not usually need to have any tests first. However, a blood test to measure your hormone levels may be carried out if you're aged 40 to 45.

Several products are sold in health shops for treating menopausal symptoms, including herbal remedies such as evening primrose oil, black cohosh, angelica, ginseng and St John's wort.

Some women who use HRT say they feel bloated or have breast soreness. Nausea, dizziness, headaches, and blurry vision are also possible side effects, as is vaginal bleeding. If you haven't had a period for at least a year and have any bleeding or spotting, tell your doctor.

Avoid visible meat fat, butter, fried foods, cakes, pastries, packaged snack foods and biscuits.

There's no limit on how long you can take HRT, but talk to a GP about how long they recommend you take the treatment. Most women stop taking it once their menopausal symptoms pass, which is usually after a few years.

Summary. HRT does not cause weight gain. Side effects of HRT may feel like it but the reality is that bodies change in midlife. In fact, many women lose weight and feel considerably fitter on HRT.

When starting HRT, it's very common to experience some initial side effects or start-up symptoms such as breast tenderness or breast size increase. Some women describe slight nausea, headaches or abdominal bloating. Light erratic bleeding is also quite usual.

HRT contains hormones that stimulate breast tissue and so breast tenderness and growth can be a side effect of your hormone therapy. Speak to your doctor if you have any concerns about this.

Many women actually find that they lose weight by using HRT as it shifts the metabolism back into a pre-menopausal metabolic state. Progesterone can sometimes cause fluid retention which can mimic weight gain, but there are alterations that can be made to the regime to minimise this impact.

How can I deepen my voice in FTM? ›

Improve Your Posture. While it might seem like just a minor change, having strong, masculine posture can help deepen your voice. Be sure to push your chest out and have your chin up, this will make it easier to project the necessary power and force into your voice.

The ideal testosterone level for transmasculine people is between 300–1000 ng/dL. Your result will be under Testosterone, serum on your lab report.

If you take an anabolic steroid or undergo testosterone therapy, your body stops making its own testosterone and relies on the steroids you receive. Testosterone would only stay in your system for around three to four weeks if you stopped taking the steroids.

If you are unlucky, you may even find that HRT can make you feel worse before you feel better. Common side effects of oestrogen include bloating, nausea, indigestion, tender breasts, vaginal bleeding and headaches.

Common Side Effects in Men and Women

If you stop HRT cold turkey, you may experience increased anxiety, depression, and changes in mood. Women who discontinue Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) will likely experience a return of menopausal symptoms, as well.

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone all affect sexual desire and arousal. Having higher levels of estrogen in the body promotes vaginal lubrication and increases sexual desire.

An erection is often triggered when an individual becomes aroused by thinking about, seeing, or feeling something or someone who is sexually exciting. The brain sends signals that widen the arteries connected to the penis, allowing more blood to enter.

Estrogen promotes the storage of fat for healthy reproductive years. When estrogen is balanced, the right amount of fat helps carry out female reproductive functions. However, when there's too little or too much estrogen, weight gain often results.

Anxiety, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, substance misuse and other problems can occur. People who have gender dysphoria also often experience discrimination, resulting in stress.

Does hormone replacement therapy have side effects? ›

About 5 to 10 percent of women treated with HRT have side effects which may include breast tenderness, fluid retention and mood swings. In most cases, these side effects are mild and do not require the woman to stop HRT therapy. If you have bothersome side effects from HRT, talk to your doctor.

General effects include breast development (usually to Tanner stage 2 or 3), a redistribution of facial and body subcutaneous fat, reduction of muscle mass, reduction of body hair (and to a lesser extent, facial hair), change in sweat and odor patterns, and arrest and possible reversal of scalp hair loss.

Although gender dysphoria is not a mental illness, when not addressed, it may lead to worsening mood issues, depression and anxiety, and may further complicate the issues the individuals may be having. Insurance may cover some illnesses associated with gender dysphoria and gender dysphoria care.

A recent study investigated the volume of grey matter in individuals with GD and found that they had a smaller volume in the left posterior superior hemisphere of the cerebellum compared to male controls and a smaller volume of the right inferior orbitofrontal cortex compared to female controls.

The exact cause of gender dysphoria is unclear. Gender development is complex and there are still things that are not known or fully understood. Gender dysphoria is not related to sexual orientation. People with gender dysphoria may identify as straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual.

The prolonged use of estrogens has been reported to increase the risk of endometrial cancer (cancer of the lining of the uterus) in women after menopause. This risk seems to increase as the dose and the length of use increase. When estrogens are used in low doses for less than 1 year, there is less risk.

Hormone therapy can be extremely beneficial for bone health purposes for women up to the age of 60 years, and in some circumstances women may continue hormone therapy after this age, depending on their general health, family history and bone density / history of fracture.