Feminizing hormone therapy

Feminizing hormone therapy, also known as transfeminine hormone therapy, is hormone therapy and sex reassignment therapy to change the secondary sex characteristics of transgender people from masculine or androgynous to feminine.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] It is a common type of transgender hormone therapy (another being masculinizing hormone therapy) and is used to treat transgender women and non-binary transfeminine individuals. Some, in particular intersex people, but also some non-transgender people, take this form of therapy according to their personal needs and preferences.

The purpose of the therapy is to cause the development of the secondary sex characteristics of the desired sex, such as breasts and a feminine pattern of hair, fat, and muscle distribution. It cannot undo many of the changes produced by naturally occurring puberty, which may necessitate surgery and other treatments to reverse (see below). The medications used for feminizing hormone therapy include estrogens, antiandrogens, progestogens, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone modulators (GnRH modulators).

Feminizing hormone therapy has been empirically shown to reduce the distress and discomfort associated with gender dysphoria in transfeminine individuals.^[7]^[8]^[9]

^ Hembree WC, Cohen-Kettenis PT, Gooren L, Hannema SE, Meyer WJ, Murad MH, et al. (November 2017). "Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 102 (11): 3869–3903. doi:10.1210/jc.2017-01658. PMID 28945902. S2CID 3726467.
^ Coleman E, Bockting W, Botzer M, Cohen-Kettenis P, DeCuypere G, Feldman J, et al. (2012). "Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7" (PDF). International Journal of Transgenderism. 13 (4): 165–232. doi:10.1080/15532739.2011.700873. ISSN 1553-2739. S2CID 39664779.
^ Deutsch M (17 June 2016). "Guidelines for the Primary and Gender-Affirming Care of Transgender and Gender Nonbinary People" (PDF) (2nd ed.). University of California, San Francisco: Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. p. 28.
^ Wesp LM, Deutsch MB (March 2017). "Hormonal and Surgical Treatment Options for Transgender Women and Transfeminine Spectrum Persons". The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 40 (1): 99–111. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2016.10.006. PMID 28159148.
^ Dahl M, Feldman JL, Goldberg J, Jaberi A, Bockting WO, Knudson G (2015). "Endocrine Therapy for Transgender Adults in British Columbia: Suggested Guidelines" (PDF). Vancouver Coastal Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
^ Cite error: The named reference Bourns2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Murad MH, Elamin MB, Garcia MZ, Mullan RJ, Murad A, Erwin PJ, et al. (February 2010). "Hormonal therapy and sex reassignment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of quality of life and psychosocial outcomes". Clinical Endocrinology. 72 (2): 214–231. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03625.x. PMID 19473181. S2CID 19590739.
^ White Hughto JM, Reisner SL (January 2016). "A Systematic Review of the Effects of Hormone Therapy on Psychological Functioning and Quality of Life in Transgender Individuals". Transgender Health. 1 (1): 21–31. doi:10.1089/trgh.2015.0008. PMC 5010234. PMID 27595141.
^ Foster Skewis L, Bretherton I, Leemaqz SY, Zajac JD, Cheung AS (2021). "Short-Term Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on Dysphoria and Quality of Life in Transgender Individuals: A Prospective Controlled Study". Frontiers in Endocrinology. 12: 717766. doi:10.3389/fendo.2021.717766. PMC 8358932. PMID 34394009.

[pmid28945902-1] Hembree WC, Cohen-Kettenis PT, Gooren L, Hannema SE, Meyer WJ, Murad MH, et al. (November 2017). "Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline". The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 102 (11): 3869–3903. doi:10.1210/jc.2017-01658. PMID 28945902. S2CID 3726467.

[ColemanBockting2012-2] Coleman E, Bockting W, Botzer M, Cohen-Kettenis P, DeCuypere G, Feldman J, et al. (2012). "Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7" (PDF). International Journal of Transgenderism. 13 (4): 165–232. doi:10.1080/15532739.2011.700873. ISSN 1553-2739. S2CID 39664779.

[Deutsch2016-3] Deutsch M (17 June 2016). "Guidelines for the Primary and Gender-Affirming Care of Transgender and Gender Nonbinary People" (PDF) (2nd ed.). University of California, San Francisco: Center of Excellence for Transgender Health. p. 28.

[pmid28159148y-4] Wesp LM, Deutsch MB (March 2017). "Hormonal and Surgical Treatment Options for Transgender Women and Transfeminine Spectrum Persons". The Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 40 (1): 99–111. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2016.10.006. PMID 28159148.

[DahlFeldman-2015-5] Dahl M, Feldman JL, Goldberg J, Jaberi A, Bockting WO, Knudson G (2015). "Endocrine Therapy for Transgender Adults in British Columbia: Suggested Guidelines" (PDF). Vancouver Coastal Health. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.

[Bourns2018-6] Cite error: The named reference Bourns2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[7] Murad MH, Elamin MB, Garcia MZ, Mullan RJ, Murad A, Erwin PJ, et al. (February 2010). "Hormonal therapy and sex reassignment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of quality of life and psychosocial outcomes". Clinical Endocrinology. 72 (2): 214–231. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2265.2009.03625.x. PMID 19473181. S2CID 19590739.

[8] White Hughto JM, Reisner SL (January 2016). "A Systematic Review of the Effects of Hormone Therapy on Psychological Functioning and Quality of Life in Transgender Individuals". Transgender Health. 1 (1): 21–31. doi:10.1089/trgh.2015.0008. PMC 5010234. PMID 27595141.

[9] Foster Skewis L, Bretherton I, Leemaqz SY, Zajac JD, Cheung AS (2021). "Short-Term Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on Dysphoria and Quality of Life in Transgender Individuals: A Prospective Controlled Study". Frontiers in Endocrinology. 12: 717766. doi:10.3389/fendo.2021.717766. PMC 8358932. PMID 34394009.

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