The use of estrogen as effective treatment for vasomotor symptoms and the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, testosterone to relieve symptoms of low sexual desire in women, and estrogen/testosterone use in transgender patients continues to be an evolving conversation.
Full Answer
What is the purpose of estrogen treatment for transgender women?
The purpose of estrogen treatment for transgender women is to cause physical changes that make the body more feminine. The combination of a testosterone blocker with estrogen can lead to the following types of desired changes in the body: breast growth.
Why do homosexuals have high testosterone?
) Because some of these traits are organized by prenatal steroids, including testosterone, homosexual subjects were, on average, exposed to atypical endocrine conditions during development (atypical for their genetic/gonadal/genital sex; female-type endocrine conditions in male homosexuals and male-type endocrine conditions in female homosexuals).
How was homosexuality treated in the 1950s?
Other forms of treatment were electroconvulsive therapy, discussion of the evils of homosexuality, desensitisation of an assumed phobia of the opposite sex, hypnosis, psychodrama, and abreaction. Dating skills were sometimes taught, and occasionally men were encouraged to find a prostitute or female friend with whom to try sexual intercourse.
Can hormone therapy help with gender dysphoria?
Not every transgender person deals with their gender dysphoria in the same way. However, for many people, hormone therapy can help them feel more like themselves. For transmasculine people, this involves testosterone treatment. For transfeminine people, this usually involves a combination of testosterone blockers and estrogen treatment.
What happens when you take estrogen and testosterone blocker?
The combination of a testosterone blocker with estrogen can lead to the following types of desired changes in the body: breast growth. decreased body and facial hair. redistribution of body fat. softening and smoothing of the skin. reduced acne. slowed or stopped scalp balding 1 .
How long does it take for estrogen to work?
The physical changes associated with estrogen treatment may start within a few months. However, changes can take two to three years to be fully realized. This is particularly true for breast growth.
Why do transfeminine people have testicles removed?
1 . The purpose of estrogen treatment for transfeminine people is to cause physical changes that make the body more feminine.
What is transgender woman?
Lauren Schlanger, MD. Updated on June 14, 2021. Transgender women and transfeminine people are people whose assigned sex at birth is male, yet they exist as women. Transgender people represent a group that includes not just transgender women but also non-binary people who have a more feminine gender identity than the one ...
Can transfeminine people take testosterone blockers?
Testosterone blockers are a necessary part of estrogen treatment for transfeminine people because testosterone acts more strongly in the body than estrogen does. Therefore, in order for transfeminine people to experience the effects of estrogen treatment, they must block their testosterone. The most common medication used to block testosterone is ...
Do transgender women need the same screening tests as cisgender women?
Transgender women and non-binary feminine people taking estrogen treatment should be aware that they will need many of the same screening tests as cisgender women. In particular, they should follow the same screening guidelines for mammograms.
Can transgender women take oral estradiol?
Oral ethinyl estradiol is not recommended for use in transgender women because it is associated with an increased risk of blood clots. Conjugated estrogens are not used frequently, as they may put women at a higher risk of blood clots and heart attacks than 17B-estradiol, and they also cannot be accurately monitored with blood tests.
Rapid Response
There may not be any medical treatments that can cure homosexuality1 but medical treatments to women may have increased the incidence of homosexuality among their children. Maternal hormonal exposures before or during early pregnancy can alter normal sexual development.
Homosexuality caused by maternal medication and environmental oestrogens?
There may not be any medical treatments that can cure homosexuality1 but medical treatments to women may have increased the incidence of homosexuality among their children. Maternal hormonal exposures before or during early pregnancy can alter normal sexual development.
Effects of Estrogen Treatment
Methods For Taking Estrogen
- Estrogen can be taken in a number of different ways. People receive estrogen through a pill, injection, patch, or even a topical cream. It's not just a matter of preference. The route by which people take estrogen affects some of the risks of estrogen treatment—estrogen is absorbed by the body differently depending on how you take it. Much of the research on the risks of estroge…
Types of Estrogens
- In addition to the different routes of administration of estrogen treatment, there are also different types of estrogens used for treatment. These include: 1. oral 17B-estradiol 2. oral conjugated estrogens 3. 17B-Estradiol patch (usually replaced every three to five days) 4. estradiol valerate injection (typically every two weeks) 5. estradiol cypionate injection (every one to two weeks) En…
Risks and Benefits
- By Route of Administration
In general, topical or injected estrogen treatment is thought to be safer than oral treatment. This is because there is no hepatic first pass effect. Topical and injectable estrogens also need to be taken less often, which may make dealing with them easier. However, there are downsides to th… - By Type of Estrogen
Oral ethinyl estradiol is not recommended for use in transgender women because it is associated with an increased risk of blood clots. Conjugated estrogens are not used frequently, as they may put women at a higher risk of blood clots and heart attacks than 17B-estradiol, and they also ca…
Treatment and Gender Surgery
- Currently, most surgeons recommend that transgender women and transfeminine people stop taking estrogen before they undergo gender affirmation surgery. This is because of the potentially increased risk for blood clots that is caused both by estrogen and by being inactive after surgery. However, it is unclear whether this recommendation is necessary for everyone. Transgender wo…