Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy

Gender affirming hormone therapy is one of several steps transgender and nonbinary people can take to create the physical and sexual changes that match their gender identity. The caring team at HealthyClinic.me in Springfield, Massachusetts, honors your individual needs, helping you understand the therapy and what changes to expect. Most importantly, they ensure your gender affirming hormone therapy progresses at a pace that supports your well-being. Call the office today or use online booking to schedule time to learn about feminizing and masculinizing hormone therapy and decide if it’s right for you.

What is gender affirming hormone therapy?

Gender affirming hormone therapy is an individualized treatment for transgender and nonbinary people who want their body to align with their gender identity. Your HealthyClinic.me provider prescribes hormones that cause physical, sexual, reproductive, and emotional changes.

What should I know about gender affirming hormone therapy?

There are two types of gender affirming hormone therapy, feminizing and masculinizing:

Feminizing hormone therapy

Feminizing hormone therapy — taking estrogen along with medicine to block testosterone — is used by transgender women and nonbinary people who want the secondary sexual characteristics created by female hormones.

During feminizing hormone therapy, your skin gets softer and your face takes on a more feminine appearance. Your arms and legs change as you lose some muscle mass and strength.

Though your breasts increase in size, most people experience only a modest change. You’ll have erections less frequently, but you’ll still have erotic sensations and be able to orgasm.

You may permanently and irreversibly lose the ability to produce sperm. Consider freezing your sperm before taking hormones if you want to have children in the future.

Masculinizing hormone therapy

Transgender men and nonbinary people take testosterone to produce the secondary sex characteristics created by male hormones.

Your skin thickens and you may end up with acne that could be severe but improves over the first year. Your arms and legs develop more muscle mass, and the muscles become better defined.

Your face takes on a more angular, male appearance as the fat under your skin shifts. Some people develop a full beard quickly, while it can take years or never happen for others.

It doesn’t take long for your clitoris to get larger. Though it continues growing, it doesn’t get as large as a penis. Menstrual periods generally get lighter and shorter, then stop. Testosterone reduces your ability to get pregnant, but there’s always a chance it could happen.

What qualities don’t change during gender affirming hormone therapy?

Your bone structure won’t change no matter which therapy you receive. Your voice doesn’t change during feminizing hormone therapy. Though it changes with masculinizing hormone therapy, it may not get as deep as you desire. In both cases, you can seek speech therapy to learn how to change your voice.

Call HealthyClinic.me today or request an appointment online to learn more about gender affirming hormone therapy.