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Notes

• The words "female" and "male" refer to the original physical form, not to gender identification.
• This document does not address hormone therapy of the individual with an endocrine system disorder.
• The adverse effects listed in this document are gleaned primarily from drug information sheets and the PDR. They are translated from medibabble into English where possible. While this information should not be taken lightly, it should be viewed with slight suspicion, since it is first and foremost advertizement and legal copy from pharmaceutical companies. To attempt to reduce their exposure to lawsuits, they list not only the effects reasonably shown to be caused by the drug during clinical trial(s), but also every other adverse effect that the patients experienced while taking the drug -- or any other drug of the same class -- whether or not the effect was proven statistically relevant by controlled study for the drug in question. In particular, the reader should not be unduly worried about the mention of increase of body hair and loss of scalp hair from estrogens, nor about increase of body hair and deepening of voice from androgen receptor antagonists and GnRH agonists. Finally, adverse effects are only listed here if they make sense in their application to transsexuals, i.e., adverse effects on uniquely female organs are not listed for drugs intended for male-to-female transsexuals, and vice-versa. One should really read the PDR for the drugs of interest in order to provide context for the adverse effects listed in this document.

Disclaimers

The answers in this document are collected from a variety of sources: medical literature, pharmaceutical company advertizement, verbal advice of medical doctors, second-hand anecdotes, and personal experience. Despite the authoritative tone of this document, it is presented for educational interest only, not direct advice. It contains opinions, sweeping generalizations, and at least one mistake. The author is not a medical doctor, and makes no claim or warranty as to the suitability of the information in this document for application to any particular individual. You, the reader, take sole responsibility for interpretation and application of this information. Form your own opinions by doing your own research. May your favorite deity curse you if you seriously consider sueing the author for misinforming you. The endocrine feedback system is intricate, delicate, and poorly understood. Even the experts do not entirely agree on how to best meddle with it. Hormone therapy is fraught with risk as well as promise. Be sure you have fully considered the implications before you start. Work with a medical doctor who is qualified to interpret your signs, symptoms, blood tests, and development in the context of your personal medical history. Do not take hormones that you did not obtain directly from a licensed pharmaceutical distributor; the quality of drugs obtained through other channels is not only suspect, but possibly dangerous--especially those in injectable form.

Questions Answered in This Document