Hormones. Everyone has them but do you
know just how powerful these molecules are?
How they affect your entire existence, as you know it?
So let’s talk about them.
But let’s put a slight twist on it.
We’re gonna focus on what happens when
someone undergoes hormone therapy.
This is commonly for women going through
menopause, but we’re going to look at hormone
therapy used for transition genders.
No matter what your gender, age or race, everyone
has both estrogen and testosterone in them.
Estrogen and testosterone are the main components
in the body that makes a person look male or female.
Now what makes a person feel male or female,
well, that’s an entirely different video.
In females, the ovaries and adrenal glands
produce estrogen and testosterone.
Testosterone in females is important for muscle
肌肉 性能力 幸福感
strength, sex drive, and sense of well-being.
Now men have about 10 times more
testosterone than females, and males can
produce testosterone, in the testis, much faster
than females can in their overaies.
In men, testosterone is chemically converted
To estrogen as the body needs it for maturing
sperm and possibly regulating sex drive.
So when a person transitions to the opposite
gender, they undergo hormone therapy to adjust
the levels of estrogen and testosterone in their body.
This essentially puts a patient through a second
puberty. While the new hormones can’t totally reverse
the effects of the first puberty, it’s the development
of the secondary sex characteristics which makes
the person begin to physically appear as the gender they identify with.
When males transition to females (MTF),
they’re also given antiandrogens.
These block testosterone from doing what
testosterone is supposed to do and lowers
the amount of testosterone overall.
This significant reduction of testosterone means
the typical secondary sex characteristics in men
will start to go away. Muscle mass will shrink,
fat will redistribute, and body hair will become thinner and lighter.
In order for the female attributes to develop,
transitioning males take forms of estrogen in gels, pills, or shots.
Although hormone levels may reach targets in
the first year of therapy, it takes roughly 2-3 years
for the physical changes to occur, but hey,
that’s still quicker than puberty.
Females transitioning to males (FTM) are
given testosterone, sometimes called T.
[Cup of tea] Nope.
[Ice-T] Still no.
[Mr. T] Um..
[Testosterone] That’s the one.
T can be applied topically with a gel or through
routine shots. The increase of T lowers the voice,
produces facial hair, and increases muscle mass.
This increase of T also lowers the amount
of estrogen in the body causing the breasts to decrease
in size, the shoulders and hips to broaden, and the menstrual cycle to stop.
It takes about one to two years of being on
these hormones for a born female to attain
male levels of estrogen and testosterone.
So there you have it.
Estrogen and testosterone through hormone therapy
play a huge role in physically transitioning genders.
And since these hormones are so powerful, you
should never take hormones without talking your doctor first.
So there’s our weekly dose of chemistry for you.
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