Is it possible to do HRT on your own?
Hormone replacement therapy can be quite expensive, and I'm wondering if it is possible to buy some estrogen and progesterone from a drug store and take matters into your own hands.
Is it possible to transition without having consult a profesional?
Just so you know, I am a male-to-female transsexual and I live in Puerto Rico which is more or less a conservative country to say the least.
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-Thomas Jefferson
I really wouldn't recommend this. You're not an endocrinologist. You cannot just take estrogen and progesterone and expect that to automatically provide the right chemical balance. The only way you could learn to administer the right doses would be from others who aren't endocrinologists or sexual health general practitioners - in other words, it'd still be dodgy, unprofessional advice which may well be flawed or outright wrong. Transfeminine HRT is complex, and often depends on the individual and is not the same across all people. It also can change as one progresses in hormonal transition - what was correct for you at the beginning may well be way too much for you three or four years later. Plus everyone doing HRT needs to have their levels checked periodically in order to maintain their health and avoid problems. How would you explain that to a doctor?
It is possible to get some of the necessary medications, and people do transition from black market products, but this can also be very dangerous without any monitoring. I knew a transman who had problems develop from black market testosterone which he bought from someone selling them as bodybuilding steroids. It trashed his liver.
PS - isn't there anyone you can appeal to in Puerto Rico? Any LGBT organizations? Sexual health and gay-friendly GP practices? Even in conservative countries, transsexuals still exist. You really should look into contacting someone who can help you. You may even be eligible for some financial subsidies based on your circumstance and the conditions in your country.
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jrjones9933
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It seems much more complicated than doing your own dentistry at home. It also sounds like a recipe for disaster. That said, I feel sympathy for your position. You don't deserve to be put into this situation because of someone else's irrational belief system.
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"I find that the best way [to increase self-confidence] is to lie to yourself about who you are, what you've done, and where you're going." - Richard Ayoade
Is it possible to transition without having consult a profesional?
Just so you know, I am a male-to-female transsexual and I live in Puerto Rico which is more or less a conservative country to say the least.
No, this would be very unwise. The endocrine system is akin to the system files on a computer. If hormones are not handled properly, it can really mess things up.
First, be aware that it's not hormone replacement therapy because you are not replacing hormones that your body has produced in quantity at some point in the past. You are adding hormones that your body has never produced in quantity.
Progesterone administration is controversial in MTFs. It's primary role in biological females is to stabilize the endometrium such that it facilitates zygote implantation and pregnancy, and regulate menstruation. That being said, it's also a known mood enhancer, and menstruation itself, and many of the negative symptoms associated with it are actually due to progesterone withdrawl. Estrogen will cause fat redistribution and fill out your face. Either of these hormones may cause some minor breast development. However neither of these hormones will cause a significant change in your looks without also being on testosterone blockers.
Estrogen, and progesterone can cause serious, and sometimes fatal blood clots, and estrogen is implicated in a number of cancers.
Testosterone blockers have a number of potentially serious health risks as well and require routine blood tests to ensure they are not having a negative impact on your health.
Keep in mind that even with hormone therapy, many MTF individuals do not pass, and some require facial feminizaton surgery to do so, and others would not pass even with facial feminization surgery. You might not be one of them but it's something to consider.
MushroomPrincess
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