Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, helps you meet your identifying needs as a transgender individual. For instance, with feminizing hormone therapy, your treatments help suppress male characteristics while developing female characteristics. You’ll start experiencing growth in your breasts, more fat building up around your waist, a reduction in body hair, less muscle mass, and a difference in how much (or how often) you sweat.

With masculinizing hormone therapy, the opposite occurs. Your treatments start suppressing female characteristics while building up male characteristics. As your body begins to change, you’ll start to grow facial hair, have a lower voice, gain more muscle mass, notice more body hair, and experience a redistribution of your body fat.

Most likely, yes. Bioidentical hormones are designed to be identical to the hormones you have in your body. While they’re created in a laboratory setting, they often come from natural components. Bioidentical estrogen, for example, can be made from yams or soybeans.

Your doctor will help you decide which hormone replacement plan is right for you so that you can get started as soon as you’re ready.

It depends on which type of hormone therapy plan you’re on and where you’re at in the process. Estrogen and testosterone hormones come in many types of formulas so if you have a preference, let your practitioner know. Hormones come in:

• Pills
• Topical creams
• Injections
• Topical gels
• Vaginal rings and inserts
• Patches

Hormone treatments have been around for decades. It’s normal for your sex hormones to decrease as you age or if you have certain chronic health conditions. For women, this often happens around menopause, resulting in negative side effects. Hormone replacement therapy can:

• Decrease hot flashes
• Minimize vaginal dryness
• Boost your libido
• Reduce night sweats
• Improve urinary problems
• Prevent bone loss from osteoporosis

In men, hormone therapy can be beneficial if your testosterone level is low. Starting a hormone therapy plan can:

• Help you with erectile dysfunction
• Improve your libido
• Increase your energy
• Prevent hair loss
• Stabilize your moods