Important Disclaimer: This page is only included for interest and information, it does NOT constitute Medical Advice. I will not be responsible for any hormone treatment or surgery you may pursue.  Such treatment should always be done under the supervision of a qualified medical professional.

A sample from my medicine cabinet, it contains hundreds of dollars worth of drugs.
 Going on hormones is not cheap, and it's a lifetime commitment.

Taking Hormones
Firstly, I'm no doctor and I have to say that you really should seek proper medical advice and supervision before starting hormone therapy, also it's essential to remember that some of the physical changes resulting from the long term consumption of so called "female" hormones by a genetic male are permanent - there's simply no easy going back.  However I know that the reality is that many girls (like myself) do go DIY, and I want to offer you my personal experiences.....

I've never tried "herbal" hormones as I've read that they have little real physical effect and are probably a waste of money.  Instead I've always used high oestrogen contraceptive pills, and have been lucky in that for many years I lived in a country where these were available without prescription.

I started taking "the pill" in 1994 as I turned 32 - much older than is ideal, but probably only slightly older than is typical for a European transsexual woman.  At first I did it all wrong.  I would take  hormones on rather irregular basis for a month or two before stopping just as they were beginning to have an effect, and then a few months later I would start again.  I also varied the dose from to low to far to high, when I would experience severe nausea and a permanent metallic taste in the mouth.

It was not until November 1996 that I went continuously on hormones for a significant period, which lasted seven months until the end of June 1997.  There was then a long two year break before I went back on hormones in summer 1999, and I have remained on them ever since.  While this long break was in retrospect very unfortunate, it did at least give me a chance to consider what I really wanted to do.  I would certainly recommend to any transsexual woman who's not absolutely certain that gender and sex re-assignment is the right solution for her, come off female hormones after about six months and have a hard re-assessment of your choices.

In my experience, after just a few weeks on hormones I would lose all sex drive and become incapable of an erection, which may disappoint some readers who've watched far too many she-male videos starring men with generous breast implants!  Also, when I stopped taking hormones in 1997 after 7 months use, my sex drive and libido never completely recovered, even after a year off hormones.  When I resumed hormones in 1999, I suspect that I was effectively chemically castrated and almost infertile long before my orchidectomy three years later, in 2002.

The initial effects of female hormones on the transsexual woman has often, and perhaps with some accuracy, been described as a second puberty.  While breast development is easily the most obvious result of taking hormones, there are also many other more subtle long-term physical and mental benefits.

The changes are so very slow and imperceptible, even with the breasts it's impossible to observe that your bust is 1/100 of an inch larger than it was yesterday, although you may wonder if a bra is a little tighter than the last time you wore it.  However cumulatively over months the effects become substantial and noticeable - whether or not you want them to be.  For me nothing really seemed to happen other than to my boobs, but I knew from my measurements, old photo's, trying on old clothes, comments, etc. that my body had changed far more than I felt it had.

My Hormone Regime (Complicated!) 1. Before my Orchidectomy Oestrogen: After some research and experimentation with different brands of oral contraceptive pill, I eventually settled on the Nordiol:21 from Wyeth-Pharma, which is a combination pill containing both oestrogen and progesterone hormones.  I believe it's similar to Ovran which is sometimes prescribed to transsexuals in the UK.   From September 1999 until my orchidectomy in May 2002 I took a pill morning and night for a daily dose of 0.1mg Ethinyl Estradiol and 0.05mg Levonorgestrel.  This seems to have the desired benefits without any noticeable bad side effects at all - and the monthly cost was a very reasonable $7.   Another contraceptive pill I took in addition for a while (see Facial Hair) was Diane-35 from Schering AG which contains 2mg Cyproterone Acetate and 0.035 mg Ethinyl Estrodiol.   Antiandrogens:  Diane-35 is of interest to transsexual women because Cyproterone Acetate is progestogen which acts as an antiandrogen, helping (among other benefits) to slow the growth of facial and body hair.  A pack of 21 tablets cost me about $8, or $12 a month.  If I had continued to take Diane-35  then in retrospect I may have begun taking three or four pills daily, while simultaneously dropping the Nordiol:21 in favour of a progesterone-only tablets such as Duphaston in order to help minimise any potential side effects or long-term risks. I stopped taking Diane-35 because I obtained a prescription for the antiandrogen Eulexin from Schering AG, I took two capsules three times daily, each containing 125mg of Flutamide (a nonsteroidal anti-androgen).  Eulexin proved expensive (I was paying about $150 a month, which I subsequently discovered was in fact very cheap!) and at the beginning of 2001 I switched to the much cheaper and easier to obtain antiandrogen Aldactone from Searle ( 2 tablets daily, each containing 100mg Spironolactone, and costing just $30 a month).  However the Aldactone began to apparently give me stomach upsets and at the end of 2001 I went full circle by changing to Androcur from Schering AG (1 tablet daily, containing 50mg Cyproterone Acetate, and costing about $40 a month) which has the same antiandrogen as Diane-35.

Progesterone: It is commonly recommended that transsexual women take Progesterone as well as well as Oestrogen to help promote breast development.  In addition to my intake of progesterone via the Nordial:21 pill, I have since January 2001 have been taking supplemental progesterone.  I have tried both Cyclogest from Cox Pharmaceuticals (one pessary daily containing 400mg Progesterone PhEur) and Duphaston tablets from Solvay Pharmaceuticals (two tablets daily, each containing 10mg Dydrogesterone).   

I keep getting asking about hormone regimens, so summarising the info above ...

My daily regimen during 2001 was:

Notes:

1. The progesterone dose was probably higher than necessary, but I was reluctant at this time to switch from the Nordiol:21 combination pill, which seemed to suit me well, to a different oestrogen-only pill such as Premarin.

2. A Cyproterone Acetate dosage level of 100mg daily is frequently recommended for pre-op transsexuals.  However recent studies have shown no significant difference in effects between 100mg and less than 2mg of Cyproterone Acetate daily in many women, so the best advice is to start low and slowly increase if necessary.

3. I believe that Cyproterone Acetate is not approved by the US FDA and is not available in the USA.

Another regimen I considered, which doesn't require specific antiandrogen drugs:

• Diane-35: three tablets daily, each containing 0.035 mg Ethinyl Estrodiol and 2mg Cyproterone Acetate 

• Duphaston: two tablets daily, each containing 10mg Dydrogesterone

And an easy to obtain and quite cheap hormone regimen that I actually used for a while:

• Nordiol:21 [equivalent to Ovran] : two tablets daily each containing 0.05mg Ethinyl Estradiol (oestrogen) and 0.025mg Levonorgestrel (progesterone)

• Diane-35 : one tablet daily containing 0.035 mg Ethinyl Estrodiol and 2mg Cyproterone Acetate (anti-androgen)

(Note:  On balance, one Nordiol and two Diane-35 may have been a much better combination because of its extra antiandrogen, but this combination would then be light on progesterone.)

Please note that these hormone regimens may not suit other transsexual women.  The optimal hormone regimen will vary from individual to individual and I would recommend experiment to find what works best with the minimum of contradictions (side effects)  Also, many medical experts have their preferences and opinions.  For those that want to learn more about hormones, here's two important links:- FAQ: Hormone Therapy for M2F Transsexuals and Some Typical Hormone Regimens.

2. After my Orchidectomy
In May 2002 I had an orchidectomy - this removed from my body the masculinising testosterone and other androgens produced by the testes, and also reduced resistance to feminising estrogens.

My doctor recommended that I change to Premarin from Wyeth-Ayerst, and stop taking the Nordiol:21.  The Androcur antiandrogen was also now redundant.  My daily regimen became:

Prevara is more commonly taken than Duphaston by transsexual women, but as I was already taking Duphaston he told me to continue with this.  I eventually reduced the dose to one tablet per day.  It was later suggested that I reduce the Premarin intake to just 0.625mg/day, but I instead began to take a 1.25mg pill with my Duphaston.  Thus my current daily regimen is:

Metformin:  In early January 2003 a visiting friend of mine (and a doctor) suggested that I should take Metformin.  His prescription was for Glucophage from Lipha Sante (initially 2 tablets daily, each containing 500mg Metformin - $7.50 per pack of 100, $4.50 per month).  Although normally a drug associated with diabetes, it's now also considered useful for aiding and enhancing the bodyfat redistribution (including limbs and face) of transsexual women taking oestrogen.  However in my experience it has at least two serious downsides, one is that no alcohol should be consumed while taking Glucophage (a rule which I found harder to keep than expected, particularly on special occasions - which also occurred more frequently than I expected!), the other is very severe nausea.  After just a week of use, continuous horrid nausea and occasional actual throwing-up made me decide (without any professional medical advice) to reduce my dose to one tablet a day.  This thankfully helped my nausea a lot, indeed the sickness had nearly gone completely after a month of use.  However on Valentine's Day (14th February for the totally un-initiated!), I decided that after nearly 4 years continuously on hormones my bodyfat was probably as much redistributed as it was ever going to be, and that a bottle of expensive wine was preferable to my Glucophage pill!

 
My Breasts
The zillions of hormone pills have done their work reasonably well.  Most of my breast development occurred relatively rapidly in the early part of 1997 during my first lengthy period on hormones, indeed the respectable growth gave me hope of big things to come!  Subsequently there was a very slight loss of shape when I stopped hormones for a long period - about 2 years.  Since resuming hormones in 1999 (including additional progesterone) they filled out to an awkwardly in-between over-full 36A or rather small 36B bra size.   Fortunately my chest doesn't appear too broad for them and their shape is fine.

The initial growth gave me a prominent nipple & aereolar area (a feature common in transsexual women), but this was usually unnoticeable when wearing a bra or halter top, and gradually dissipated with further growth.

By early 2001 it became clear that my breasts were no longer growing in size and I was usually stuck with a padded 'B'.  This was still a bit smaller than I was satisfied with, so in January 2002 I had breast augmentation (right) which increased my bra size to a 38C.  In May 2002 I also had an orchidectomy and during the following few months I unexpectedly had another burst of breast growth, perhaps aided by the change of oestrogen I was taking.  Now (September 2003) I still prefer a 38C bust first, but I sometimes take a 38D or 40C as the best fit. 

Problems
One annoying problem I have in common with many women is keeping my weight down.  Until my early '30's I was very slim and had no conscious problem staying that way, but I now find that I easily gain weight and have indeed put on a couple of stubbornly unlose'able pounds.  This is probably due to a combination of the effects of the hormones and a natural tendency to become more "rounded" as I reached my late 30's.

Thankfully I have so far suffered no other problems or side effects, although a desire to reduce my pill intake was one driver for my having an orchidectomy.

Facial Hair
I have never had excessive trunk and limb hair, and the years of hormones have helped ensure that it didn't became a problem.  However, like the vast majority of transsexual women who start hormone treatment years after puberty, facial hair and beard growth has been an issue.  

When I was young (early 20's) and had only light and sparse facial hair growth, or when I was only occasionally passing as Annie for short periods, I found shaving to be an acceptable solution.  However as I neared transition and spent more time as Annie, I found that my facial hair was a serious issue.  The constant need for close shaves was inconvenient and despite generous use of soap and various creams, it caused unsightly rashes and skin irritation, particularly on my neck area.  Also, despite the greatest care, a shaving cut is an inevitable occasional nightmare!  Even worse, only 4 or 5 hours after shaving I would again be very conscious of a stubble emerging.  

In mid-2000 I began taking the contraceptive pill Diane-35 (see my hormone regime) which is commonly used by women who suffer from hirsutism (excess body and facial hair) as it helps stop scalp hair loss while decreasing body and facial hair.  Before any benefits from Diane-35 were noticeable, undoubtedly in part because the dosage of Cyproterone Acetate was too low, I changed to taking the drug Eulexin which I believe is more powerful in it's anti-hirsutism effect.  

As usual with hormones, the results were imperceptible, but by December 2000 - when I transitioned full-time - there was definitely a slowing of the rate of growth of my beard, and my skin was in much better condition.  I found that one early morning “double wet shave” plus plentiful and regularly revisited make-up was sufficient for the working day, although I would repeat the shave if I was going out in the evening.  

As the year 2001 progressed I noticed further slowing of my beard growth, the hairs also becoming somewhat finer, allowing me to use less make-up.  However, by late 2001 it had become obvious that the hormones and anti-androgens wouldn't completely stop my facial hair growth, and it remained a problem to my passing as a woman - and a serious embarrassment when in close company 24 hours a day.  I thus began in November 2001 a course of Alexandrite laser hair removal.  By May 2002 I had had six laser treatments, done at 5-6 week intervals. 

In addition to the laser treatments, in early 2002 I also began using Vaniqa from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, a hair retardation cream which contains eflornithine hydrochloride.  Unfortunately it's expensive, I paid an outrageous $119 per 30gm tube (about a 3 weeks supply in my experience) for my first batch, but I think it was worthwhile in delaying re-growth and lengthening the shave-less period between laser treatments.  I purchased subsequent batches of three tubes for what worked out to be $75 a tube, but I have seen USA prices of under $40 per tube on the Internet - if you have a prescription and thus can avoid paying a so-called "consulting fee". 

After my May 2002 laser treatment I had very little hair re-growth for two months, indeed I did not have a further treatment until early September.  This wonderfully long period was probably due to a combination of the effects of the cumulative laser treatments, Vaniqa and my orchidectomy all kicking in simultaneously.  As an economy measure I stopped applying Vaniqa in December 2002 when my supply was exhausted, but thankfully I didn't notice any immediate burst of hair re-growth.   My next laser treatment was in late April 2003, a huge gap of nearly 8 months and actually a bit too long.  Because of the gradual re-growth I now expect to continue having further treatments on an occasional "as needed basis", perhaps at 6 month intervals.

The near total elimination of my beard has significantly helped my ability to convincingly pass as a woman, and thus my confidence.  I certainly regret that I didn't seek more treatment before my transition. 

Note: I've had a number of people asking if I can recommend laser'ing as an alternative to electrolysis - I can only say that it might be for some people.   With dark facial hair and fair skin I was a nearly ideal patient, but while the overall result is very good I'm still slowly getting some slight re-growth two years after starting treatment.  And I now expect that will continue for years yet.  I really wouldn't like to make a recommendation for or against without knowing the results of a prior consultation for the individual concerned,