Gender Centre » Resources » Kits & Fact Sheets » Oestrogen Hormone Information 1

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What are Hormones?

As an adult, your body needs to continually replace body cells as they are damaged and wear out. The endocrine system helps your body manage this task. Hormones are chemicals of the endocrine system, which act as messengers between various parts of your body.

Hormones are produced in the body by glands. The glands that produce most of the sex hormones in a male are called testes and in a female are called ovaries. Sex hormones are carried from the glands throughout the body via the blood stream.

They travel to different areas, for example to the breast tissue, hair follicles and fat tissue under the skin, as well as to the sexual organs where they play important roles during sexual activity, in maintaining fertility and during the process of having children.

Sex hormones remind the body as it rebuilds and grows, to follow a male pattern if they are male hormones or a female pattern if they are female hormones.

The patterns they follow are already in every cell of your body. They are the kind of patterns that result in you having a nose similar to your parents and other family traits. They are all called genes.

Everyone's genes include male and female patterns. Although sex hormones are involved in many activities they are basically the messengers that remind the body to continue to follow the same pattern.

Hormone Therapy

Medical scientists early last century identified hormones and have been able to extract them from natural sources (eg. From animal stock) or reproduce them as synthetic hormones in the laboratory.

The female hormone responsible for female characteristics like breast development is called oestrogen. The male hormone responsible for most male characteristics like beard growth and voice deepening is called testosterone.

If a person takes opposite sex hormones (eg. biological female takes male hormones), then they will block the message from their own glands (ovaries) and introduce a new message. Over time this will slowly soften some of their feminine traits and introduce male characteristics. This type of hormone therapy can be prescribed by your doctor to help you effect a change of gender role in your life.

Hormone therapy is a slow process. Changes will occur over a period of time similar to that of natural puberty.

Hormone therapy will initially involve regular blood tests to monitor your hormone levels. These tests can eventually be carried out less frequently, though at least once a year is advisable. This should be discussed with your doctor.

How Much is Enough?

The long-term development achieved from hormone therapy, for example in breast tissue or muscles, will depend on your genes. If therapy is commenced during or soon after puberty then the hormones will be more effective in achieving change.

When you begin hormone therapy, your doctor will prescribe a low dose of hormones and gradually increase the dose until it is enough to block the messages from your own glands and replace them with the new ones. This is achieved by keeping your hormones at a similar level to adults born naturally into the gender you are moving towards.

People normally have different amounts of naturally occurring hormones in their bodies. Therefore, the dose prescribed by the doctor will differ for each person.

The most important point to remember is that it will be necessary to stay on some hormone medication for the rest of your life.

If you are unhappy with the dose or the type of medication you are on, you should discuss this with your doctor and make any changes under their guidance. Repeatedly stopping and starting hormone therapy could seriously affect your long-term health.

Extra tablets or injections will not improve the long-term results. Taking more tablets or having extra injections to speed up the process will put you at greater risk of developing tumors, blood clots, heart disease or other serious illnesses. Always stay on the dose agreed to with your doctor.

Hormone Products

Hormone therapy may be given as tablets, injections or implants.

Hormone products prescribed to you will be manufactured from different sources and by a variety of methods. These products have very similar effects. However, it is not uncommon for patients to experience slight differences in how some products react to their body. This can be discussed with your doctor.

The costs of individual hormonal preparations will vary. Only some will be available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (P.B.S.). When you start a new regime ask your doctor how much it will cost.

Taking Hormones

There are some medicines that interfere with the effect of testosterone. Tell your doctor what other prescription and non-prescription medicines you are using. When you discuss hormone therapy it will be helpful to consider the following points.

Tablets

You can get a prescription from your doctor and not return until you need another. This keeps visits to a minimum and tablets are a painless form of taking your hormones.

But, tablets maintain your hormones at safe and effective levels only if you take them with complete regularity. Some people find it difficult to remember or don't like having to organise a routine around something medical. It may be inconvenient to have hormone tablets in your home where they may present unwanted questions.

Injections

Injections are excellent if you don't want to be reminded on a day to day basis that you are on medication. As injections go straight into your body and are released slowly, they can be a very effective way of keeping a healthy level of hormones. This may ensure maximum changes can occur, for example in muscle development in males and breast tissue in females.

But, injections can be painful or uncomfortable. You may need to make more frequent visits to the doctor and feel more dependent on their services.

Remember: If you inject your own hormones or you assist friends with theirs, never share needles or syringes. Dispose of them safely after a single use.

Needles and syringes can be obtained from the Gender Centre, any needle exchange program and some chemists. Contact the Alcohol & Drug Information Service (ADIS) on 9331 2111 for 24 hour information on needle exchange services.

Implants

Once in place, implants may last several months and provide an effective continuous dose.

But, implants are probably not a good idea when you first begin hormones as they are not available in the large doses usually required in the initial stages of therapy. They are more appropriate for people who have had surgery (involving the removal of their ovaries or testes) or people who have been on hormones for many years. It involves a minor surgical procedure under local anaesthetic to insert the small implant. Not all doctors will perform this procedure.

The Effects of Hormones

The long-term effects of sex hormones are wide ranging throughout the body. Limited research has been carried out on the long-term effects, risks and benefits relating to hormone therapy for people with gender issues.

Many health services and providers lack experience with the problems and issues involved. Despite these difficulties, experienced providers do exist and it is important if you are considering hormone therapy to obtain referrals to an endocrinologist (hormone specialist) and psychiatrist familiar with gender issues.

Treatment should be preceded by considerable thought and thorough discussion of the physical, emotional and social implications of treatment with the doctors and counselling services available. Discussions should include the medical risks associated with hormone treatment and the fact that some of the effects will be irreversible. Any other ongoing health problems also need to be considered.

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