Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Is Hormone Replacement Therapy  safe?
are there any risks?
how do i find out more about Hormone Replacement Therapy in the uk?

Now's when we need our old thread "All About Hormones"

In any case, there are quite a few risks with HRT, the most important one being the workload on the liver.  The liver has to process all the extra hormones, often more than once depending on the application of hormones you are using.  To make a long story short, overloading the liver can result in some very unpleasant health problems, seeing as how the liver is the main organ for detoxifying the body.

So, is HRT safe?  Only under extremely meticulous supervision.

https://www.susans.org/Articles/Hormones/
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*edit*
The Wiki (https://www.susans.org/wiki/) also has relivent information: HRT (https://www.susans.org/wiki/Hormone_replacement_therapy_%28trans%29)
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Is it safe to use natrual HRT??? iv found a few links online and some of it claims to be safe.I would like to Try hrt but i wouldnt want to do myself any harm and i wouldnt really want to talk to a doc about it.not sure if they do it on the nhs here in england so the doc might not be able to recomend anything.

heres a few links
www.purplesage.org.uk/treatments/HRT.htm
www.marilynglenville.com/menopause.htm

hope someone can help shed some light here.

tammy

I also found something called Organic Maca on ebay.

@ tammygitluk

Those links are about phyto-estrogens (phyto = from plants) and is estrogen like, but will not be any help to feminize. They are some help for women with menopause.

Maca is another plant used for phytoestrogen, usually from ground roots.

The only help you will find for feminization is with real hrt products strong enough to do the job. That means under a doctors care with frequent monitoring due to risks.


Sandi (http://vista.powerblog.com)

Here's an abstract of a study that shows no appreciable mortality differences in individuals on HRT:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9373456&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=2

The risks, it appears, are that you take on the projected life span of the gender whose hormones you are taking - ie: I decrease my lifespan somewhat by taking T, because men have shorter lifespans than women. You will increase yours somewhat by taking E. Statistically, of course. There are also issues like wear on the liver, cardiac risk (for transmen), change in cancer risks, but it appears from that study that it doesn't affect statistical mortality rates or lifespan.

That said, it's like Susan said, it absolutely has to be carefully monitored by a professional. Messing about with unregulated doses and not having your bloodwork checked is a recipe for disaster.

Where in the UK are you? There are lots of professionals dealing with HRT and similar issues. Your GP may be able to point you in the right direction. If you're London or nearby, there may be more resources.

Dennis

Quote from: tammygirluk on May 30, 2005, 10:07:34 AM
Is it safe to use natrual HRT??? iv found a few links online and some of it claims to be safe.I would like to Try hrt but i wouldnt want to do myself any harm and i wouldnt really want to talk to a doc about it.not sure if they do it on the nhs here in england so the doc might not be able to recomend anything.

heres a few links
www.purplesage.org.uk/treatments/HRT.htm
www.marilynglenville.com/menopause.htm

hope someone can help shed some light here.

tammy

yes it is available on the nhs in england but you will have to follow the correct rout
first see your gp who will refer you to your local nhs trust psyciatrist he/she will see you but in the main they are not specialised in this field so they will then refer you to a specialist gender clinic ( probably charing cross) who after some wait will send you an appointment
they will then asses you and may prescribe hrt after your second visit
if you stop going for the appointments and monitoring you will be stopped the hrt treatment


please do not self med i know its a long process and i am still waiting for my firs appointment and i firs saw my gp in nov last year but i am sure it is worth the effort to do things right

and finaly dont worry about seeing your gp as they are all profesionals and you wont be telling them anything they havent heard of before

when i went it was like a great weight being liffted from me just knowing that at last something was going to happen

Internet sites I have been to.  They all have information on HRT some in depth .


Lynn Conway home page,    http://ai.eecs.umich.edu/people/conway/conway.html

http://www.transfamily.org/gender101.html

http://www.drbecky.com

http://www.transgendercare.com


Mishell

Quote from: Dennis on May 30, 2005, 11:33:35 AM
Here's an abstract of a study that shows no appreciable mortality differences in individuals on HRT:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9373456&itool=iconabstr&query_hl=2

The risks, it appears, are that you take on the projected life span of the gender whose hormones you are taking - ie: I decrease my lifespan somewhat by taking T, because men have shorter lifespans than women. You will increase yours somewhat by taking E. Statistically, of course. There are also issues like wear on the liver, cardiac risk (for transmen), change in cancer risks, but it appears from that study that it doesn't affect statistical mortality rates or lifespan.

That said, it's like Susan said, it absolutely has to be carefully monitored by a professional. Messing about with unregulated doses and not having your bloodwork checked is a recipe for disaster.

Where in the UK are you? There are lots of professionals dealing with HRT and similar issues. Your GP may be able to point you in the right direction. If you're London or nearby, there may be more resources.

Dennis

Im from kent which is near london.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

I have a few more questions what kind of changes happen with HRT?

so far iv found out that you will get softer skin and grow breasts.

How long does Hrt treatment last for?

Tammy

Hormones are not something to play with, by the by.

Apart from medical risks, long enough on hormones will render you infertile (chemical castration) and in general mess up those lower male bits pretty good.

As for duration, for the TS till we drop dead. Permanent changes I think I read 6months, BUT that depends on your age, health and a few other things.

I strongly suggest not bypassing the medical system in regards to hormones.
The risks are too great.
Believe you me, I'd do it myself if I thought otherwise.

i wouldnt do it without da medical thing.it wouldnt bother me if i couldnt have children as i dont like them.

I am going to have my testicles removed within the next 8 to 10 months and i was wondering will hormones have a better effect on me in transition than having to take anti andogens? and will it help me more in the the hair removel problem?