What are hormones?

Hormones are responsible for the masculine or feminine characteristics of your voice, body shape, facial hair, and body hair. Common types of hormones are:

• Estrogen & Progesterone= the “female” sex hormones
• Spironolactone= testosterone blocker for M2F

What do they do?

Estrogens tend to…

• redistribute body fat to hips and thighs
• increase the softness of skin
• reduce the sex drive
• decrease muscle mass

Testosterone tends to…

• grow facial hair and increase body hair
• increase muscle mass
• increase the sex drive
• deepen the voice

Different ways to take hormones

There are different ways to get hormones into your body.

• Orally: by your mouth, in pill form (Oral testosterone can damage your liver)
• Transdermally: through the skin as a gel, as a cream, or in a patch
• Injection: into a muscle in your thigh or butt

Things to Remember...

1. Taking hormones is a big step. Some people start right after coming out, others wait years. There's no one path. TransCEND staff and peers are available to give you our perspectives and connect you to medical providers who can help you understand the short and long term effects.
2. Many girls we know started their transitions by getting un-prescribed hormones from friends, on the internet or they buy them on the street. The good news is access to hormones, and connected medical care, is easier today in Boston. Call us if you are having challenges getting transgender specific health care.
3. It can be frustrating to feel like the process is going faster or smoother for other transgender women than for yourself. Know that individual genetics, age and overall health play a role as they do for all women.
4. Taking more hormones will not speed the process up. It actually can have the opposite effect- your body can convert extra estrogen back into testosterone. Sorry Girls!
5. There are no known interactions with HIV medications and hormones. HIV positive transgender women should be able to work out a regimen with a provider familiar with transgender health.
6. Hepatitis C may present more of a complication for transgender women taking hormones. Similar recommendations of connecting with providers familiar with transgender health.
7. One of the benefits of having a needle exchange on site is being able to provide our community with all of the syringes, safer injection supplies, and disposal equipment you need. We're happy to work with you in any way to ensure you have access to clean syringes. It's also legal to purchase syringes over the counter. Call us for a schedule of our Safer Hormone and Injection groups. We're also available to provide 1 on 1 support for folks.