| What about the side effects and dangers of taking testosterone? |
| · If you experience hives swelling, vomiting, call your health care provider immediately. · Testosterone can put stress on the liver, which may lead to liver inflammation. You should get regular blood tests to check your liver function. · Fatty tissue in the breasts is able to turn testosterone into estrogen, which may increase risk of breast cancer in the future. Even people who have had top surgery (chest reconstruction) can still have some breast cells that can be affected. You should examine your breasts or chest regularly. Your health care provider can show you how to do this. · The endometrium (the lining of the uterus) is able to turn testosterone into estrogen and so increase risk of cancer of the endometrium. Not having a period for prolonged times may increases this risk. · Many people get acne (pimples) when starting testosterone. Make sure to wash your face regularly with a mild soap. Some people will have very bad cases of acne that could cause scarring if not treated. If this happens, talk with your health care provider about treatment options. · Taking more testosterone than your health care provider recommends will not make your body change any faster. If you take too much testosterone, your body can change it into estrogen, which can stop the effects of the testosterone. It is very important to talk with your health care provider about the right dosage for your body. (See below for an article I found that says the opposite of this!) · Using testosterone may increase risk of developing diabetes in the future because of changes in the ovaries. · There are brain structures, which are affected by testosterone and estrogen, and that current medical science does not understand these adequately. Taking a hormone may have long-term effects on the functioning of the brain, which are impossible to predict. These effects may be beneficial, damaging, or both. · When taking testosterone it is possible that good cholesterol (HDL) will go down and bad cholesterol (LDL) will probably go up. This will likely increase risk of a heart attack or stroke in the future. The rates of risks for FTMs on testosterone are similar to the risks that are found in non-transgender men. · Through an interaction in the blood, taking testosterone may actually increase the effectiveness of the estrogen in the body. The results of this are not known. |
| How will the effects and side effects of hormones affect my emotional state? |
| The way hormones effect people can be very different. Some people feel that they become more aggressive when taking testosterone, while other people feel that it calms them down. Changing your injection schedule may cause mood swings and irritability (crankiness). |
| You should not use hormones if: |
| · You are still exploring · You smoke cigarettes · You have liver problems · Are pregnant |
| Why do some TG youth prefer not to take hormones? |
| There are many reasons to decide not to take hormones, if you are not sure you want to change your body, if you’re happy with what your body is like now, if you have health concerns or if you want to have children. There are many transgendered people who decide to on the "NoHO, NoOp" option (no hormones no operation). Hormones will not make you any more or less of a "real" transsexual or man or woman. They will change what you look like, but not who you are inside. |
| What Should I Have Checked Regularly? You should have lipid, testosterone, estrogen and liver levels, as well as blood pressure, checked regularly. |
| How Much is Too Much? - This is an article at Trans-Health.com that I found very interesting. Here is the link if you have trouble clicking on the link above. http://www.trans-health.com/Iss2Vol1/double.htm |
| TranZit - This is another article at Trans-Health about Vitamin B5 and acne. Definitely worth checking out if you suffer from acne on or off of testosterone! Here is the link if you have trouble clicking on the link above. http://www.trans-health.com/Iss2Vol1/zits.htm |