The 3 Biggest Lies of Starting Masculinizing HRT!
Do you feel ready to start masculinizing hormone therapy? Find yourself being hold back by fear?
Fear about things you have heard of what happens on testosterone. Things such as:
Hormones will make you aggressive.
You will need to be in therapy for a long time to get approved.
Hormones are super expensive.
Everyone will know you are on hormones.
You will loose your job.
Once you start hormones, you can’t stop.
Any of these sound familiar to you?
As a result, you end up delaying your transition. Prolonging symptoms of gender dysphoria. And enduring suffering!
While some of these fears are realistic, not all of them are true. And many are an extreme exaggeration!
Some of these fears have got to the point of becoming a myth.
And we don’t want that!
To dispel the myth, here are the 3 Biggest Lies of Staring Masculinizing HRT!
#1 YOU NEED TO SEE THERAPIST FOR A LONG TIME TO GET AN APPROVAL
This myth, originating from gatekeeping model of the past, is no longer true for the most part of the US. Let me explain.
In the past, you had to be in therapy to get an approval letter to start HRT.
And it would take provider anywhere from 6 months to a year or more to derive at diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria.
Today in some parts of the US, the gatekeeping model sadly still exists.
As a result, people continue to suffer with gender dysphoria.
Delaying medically necessary treatment to decrease symptoms.
Currently, many community health centers in the United States have developed protocols for providing hormone therapy based on an approach that has become known as the Informed Consent Model.
An Informed Consent Model allows medical providers assess for capacity to provide informed consent (able to understand risks, benefits, alternatives, unknowns, limitations, risks of no treatment).
Providers, are able to start gender affirming hormones without a prior assessment or referral from a mental health provider.
While some states still require a letter, many do not!
If you are ready to start HRT and your state requires a letter from a therapist, check if there are providers who practice informed consent model.
You can also look for Planned Parenthood clinics. They have implemented transgender care and use informed consent model.
#2 YOU WILL BECOME VERY AGGRESSIVE ON HORMONES
This lie comes from gender stereotypes of men as being aggressive, violent, human beings!
A 2018 study “Does Testosterone Treatment Increase Anger Expression in a Population of Transgender Men?”, assessed the effects of testosterone treatment on anger expression in trans men. The study concluded:
During 7 months of continuous HRT treatment, anger expression increased.
BUT……
The increase was due to persistence of menstrual bleedings and Axis 1 disorders (anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, etc., and Mood Disorders such as major depression, bipolar disorder, etc.) (Motta et al., 2018)
The circulating testosterone levels were not predictive of the increase anger expression score! (Motta et al., 2018)
Additionally, continuous psychological support to trans men during gender-affirming hormonal treatment was useful to prevent angry behaviors and decrease the level of dysphoria (Motta et al., 2018)
Now if you think about it, I’d be pretty pissed off too if I was still getting menstrual cycles while on T! Talk about experiencing severe dysphoria.
Note that feeling angry is not the same as acting aggressive or violent.
Additionally, if you were an aggressive person prior to HRT, chances are you’ll be equally aggressive after. And it won’t be as a result of being on T.
#3 IF YOU START MASCULINIZING HORMONES YOU CAN’T STOP
Hmmm really? If this was true we wouldn’t be hearing de-transitioning stories.
This lie is simply untrue.
You can always discuss stopping taking masculinizing hormones with your medical doctor.
Make sure you do discuss it with your medical doctor because your heath may require you to taper off vs just stopping.
If you have been thinking about starting masculinizing hormones to begin your transition, realize that there is a lot of misinformation out there. Some of it is true. But most of it is simply myths.
For further reading, see: What are Reversible and Irreversible Changes when Masculinizing with Testosterone?
If you need help finding a gender affirming trans provider, check out my comprehensive resource page.
You may also find the following helpful:
What's the Difference Between Gender Dysphoria vs Body Dysmorphia?
Learn How To Advocate for Your Needs with a Gender Provider!
WATCH EXPERT VIDEOS ON GENDER DYSPHORIA
REFERENCES & SOURCES
Motta, G., Crespi, C., Mineccia, V., Brustio, PR., Manieri, C., Lanfranco, F. (2018). Does Testosterone Treatment Increase Anger Expression in a Population of Transgender Men? Journal of Sex Medicine. 15:(1): 94-101.