In the first four to eight weeks of your gender transition hormone therapy, you will be given a daily dose of diuretic spironolactone (Aldactone) at doses of 100 to 200 milligrams. This medicine helps block the androgen receptors and prevents the absorption of hormones like testosterone.
Later, your estrogen therapy will start to decrease testosterone production and induce feminization. This therapy can be carried out in various ways, such as estrogen pills, injections, or by prescribing estrogen-based creams, gels, or skin patches.
Your doctor may suggest additional therapies to improve the outcomes of estrogen hormone therapy, such as:
- Micronized Progesterone, which also helps in suppressing testosterone and improves breast development.
- Finasteride or topical Minoxidil courses are popular treatments for tackling male patterned baldness.
Hormone therapy for gender transition works best in transwomen patients who haven’t been exposed to as much testosterone, such as teens in their early twenties. As for older transwomen, body feminization surgeries may be required in addition to hormone therapy to achieve the well-defined hourglass figure.
Male to female transgender hormone therapy is a complex treatment that requires an individualized, patient-centered approach to gender transition for a safe and efficient outcome. During your preoperative consultation, Dr. Sanghvi will thoroughly discuss your goals from different body feminization surgeries and guide you in understanding this gender transition hormone therapy to help you weigh its pros and cons.
