What is hormone therapy in the gender reassignment process?

Hormone therapy is an important part of the gender reassignment procedure for many individuals. It involves taking external hormones to suppress hormones naturally produced by the body and associated with one’s birth sex.

For individuals who identify as male-to-female (MTF), hormone therapy involves taking estrogen to help them develop female secondary sex characteristics and suppress male hormones.

For individuals who identify as female-to-male (FTM), hormone therapy involves taking testosterone to help them develop male secondary sex characteristics and suppress female hormones.