What is estrogen and anti-androgen hormone therapy?

Hormone therapy is safe for most people. But there are some risks. The treatment may make you more likely to get blood clots. It can also cause infertility. But it's not an effective form of birth control. So talk with your doctor about your reproductive goals.

With estrogen and anti-androgen therapy, you take hormones to develop more feminine physical traits. It also suppresses masculine traits. It may be a part of gender affirmation for some people. Hormone therapy can help you change your body to better reflect your gender identity.

Hormone therapy can cause physical, emotional, and sexual changes. It can be like going through puberty. The changes you experience and how soon they happen can vary.

Physical changes may include:

• Lower sex drive.
• Fewer erections.
• Erections that are less firm.
• Changes in where fat is stored.
• Breast growth.
• Shrinking of testicles.
• Decreased sperm production.
• Less muscle mass.
• Less body hair growth.

Some of these changes will go away if treatment is stopped. Others (like breast growth and shrinking of testicles) are permanent.

Emotional changes are also common. You may find that you feel some emotions differently than you did before taking estrogen. Or you might find that your tastes and interests change.

Many people have a lower sex drive after starting estrogen. Some people have changes in sexual desire or who they're attracted to.

Estrogen is given as a pill, a patch placed on your skin, or a shot. You may also take medicines (called anti-androgens) that block the hormone testosterone. Or you may also take a hormone called progestin.