None of the information on this website is to be taken as medical advice. If you have concerns about your health or treatment options, always discuss them with a licensed medical professional.
Hormone Replacement Therapy or “HRT”, is a treatment which supplements or replaces a person’s hormone profile to better align with that associated with their gender. This triggers a slow process whereby a person will develop more defined traits of their gender as time passes. Ref. IWDBSJDJUA
Hormone Replacement Therapy is not to be confused with “Puberty Blockers”
You may also hear of Hormone Replacement Therapy used to describe a treatment offered to post-menopausal women. Please note that here, we are specifically referring to HRT as it is offered to transgender people. There may be some overlap, but the focus of each treatment is different.
Concerns About Fertility
Hormone replacement therapy can cause a gradual decline in fertility for the duration of it’s use. It is important to properly evaluate the situation and pursue any options to preserve fertility based on an individual’s wants and needs, however; although this may be alarming, the use of hormonal treatments does not completely remove a person’s chances of producing offspring.
Talk to your doctor for concerns regarding fertility.
Treatment Pathways
This section does not cover specific treatment plans, drug names, dosages, or methods of administration. Many excellent resources already exist for that level of detail. Instead, it offers a general overview of the typical effects associated with masculinising or feminising hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
While healthcare providers often explain HRT outcomes in clinical terms, they may overlook more subtle, lived-experience aspects. This section aims to bridge that gap. For a deeper understanding of what being trans feels like, see our section: The Transgender Experience.
The Options Available
A relatively new concept regarding hormone replacement therapy, is micro-dosing - where a person takes a minimal dose of a given hormone to provide real, but minimal changes to their appearance. This can be used as a way to provide a person with a more androgynous appearance. This is a complex topic which deserves it’s own section - we hope to be adding this soon.