The 3 Biggest Lies of Starting Masculinizing HRT!
Do you feel ready to start masculinizing hormone therapy? Find yourself being held 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 lose your job.
Once you start hormones, you can’t stop.
Does 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 are true. And many are an extreme exaggeration!
Some of these fears have gotten to the point of becoming a myth.
And we don’t want that!
To dispel the myth, here are the 3 Biggest Lies about Staring Masculinizing HRT!
#1 YOU NEED TO SEE A THERAPIST FOR A LONG TIME TO GET AN APPROVAL
This myth, originating from the gatekeeping model of the past, is no longer true for 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 the provider anywhere from 6 months to a year or more to derive a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria.
Today in some parts of the US, the gatekeeping model sadly still exists.
As a result, people continue to suffer from 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 known as the Informed Consent Model.
An Informed Consent Model allows medical providers to assess for capacity to provide informed consent (able to understand risks, benefits, alternatives, unknowns, limitations, and risks of no treatment).
Providers can 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 the informed consent model.
You can also look for Planned Parenthood clinics. They have implemented transgender care and use an informed consent model.
#2 YOU WILL BECOME VERY AGGRESSIVE ON HORMONES
This lie comes from gender stereotypes of men as 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 seven months of continuous HRT treatment, anger expression increased.
BUT……
The increase was due to the 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 increased anger expression score! (Motta et al., 2018)
Additionally, continuous psychological support to trans men during gender-affirming hormonal treatment was useful in preventing angry behaviors and decreasing 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 aggressively or violently.
Additionally, if you were an aggressive person before 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 were true, we wouldn’t hear de-transitioning stories.
This lie is simply untrue.
You can always discuss stopping taking masculinizing hormones with your medical doctor.
Make sure you discuss it with your medical doctor because your health 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 much misinformation. Some of it is true. But most of it is simply myths.
If you are planning on starting HRT, I recommend checking out my gender resource page in the states I am licensed in to find a gender-affirming prescriber in California, Texas, New York, or Florida. And if you are located in the states not listed, no worries; any of the links above offer links to the online consent-informed gender-affirming hormone care.
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.
