The process of transitioning is highly personalized to every individual. However, many transgender and nonbinary patients will choose to include gender affirming hormone therapy as part of their transition process. This type of hormone therapy can help you better align with your gender identity, so you can enjoy a higher quality of life with improved psychological and social functioning. El Con Health and Wellness Center emphasizes a personalized approach in every aspect of patient care, including hormone therapy for transgender individuals.
Hormone therapy is nothing new—it’s been prescribed for menopausal relief since the 1930s. However, bioidentical hormones have been improved through the years and are identical to those produced by the human body. Modern bioidentical hormones are known to cause fewer side effects than their synthetic counterparts and are FDA-approved for both men and women.
Hormone therapy is performed with subdermal hormone implants or direct intramuscular injections that you’ll learn to perform at home as needed. Feminizing hormone therapy includes medication to block testosterone along with estrogen to encourage feminine characteristics in the body. You may expect to see decreased facial and body hair, redistribution of body fat, breast development, softer skin, testicular atrophy, and decreased muscle mass along with other effects. Most changes will become noticeable within 3-6 months of beginning treatment, with maximum effects in 2-3 years.
Masculinizing hormone therapy introduces testosterone to the body to suppress menstrual cycles and reduce estrogen production in the ovaries. Effects include facial and body hair growth, voice deepening, clitoral enlargement, vaginal atrophy, increased muscle mass, and body fat redistribution. These effects occur on a similar timeline to feminizing hormone therapy with initial changes after 3-6 months and maximum effects in 2-3 years. In addition, your period will stop within 2-6 months of hormone therapy, although there may be breakthrough bleeding.
With either type of hormone therapy, you will need to continue taking hormones for life to maintain the effects. As you begin hormone therapy, you may experience a similar process to going through puberty, and you can expect side effects to diminish over time. However, it is important to continue checking in for follow-up visits in our office to monitor your health. Serious side effects such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and an elevated cancer risk are possible, so you will want to be active in your ongoing medical care.
El Con Health and Wellness will be an active partner in your gender affirming hormone therapy, as our team provides a continuum of healthcare services to help you manage your health at every phase of your journey. To schedule a consultation with our providers, call (520) 318-5515.
Wonderful service and experience overall. I recommend this place 100%. The service I’ve received at other locations does not compare. -Hannia Martinez
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