What is "hormone replacement therapy"

n. (context medicine especially serotherapy English) Any of several medical regimens that introduce hormones to the body to replace lost or unavailable ones.

n. hormones (estrogen and progestin) are given to postmenopausal women; believed to protect them from heart disease and osteoporosis [syn: hormone-replacement therapy, HRT]

Hormone replacement therapy of the female-to-male type is a type of hormone replacement therapy for transgender and transsexual people. It introduces hormones associated with the gender that the patient identifies with (notably testosterone for trans men and estrogen for trans women). Some intersex people also receive HRT, either starting in childhood to confirm the gender they were assigned at birth, or later in order to change the gender they were assigned at birth.

HRT causes the development of secondary sex characteristics. While HRT cannot undo the effects of a patient's first puberty, developing secondary sex characteristics associated with a different gender can relieve some or all of the distress and discomfort associated with gender dysphoria, and can help the patient to "pass" or be seen as the gender they identify with. Introducing synthetic hormones into the body impacts it at every level and many patients report changes in energy levels, mood, appetite, etc. The goal of HRT, and indeed all somatic treatments, is to provide patients with a more satisfying body that is more congruent with their true psychological gender identity.

Male-to-female hormone replacement therapy (MTF HRT) is a type of hormone replacement therapy for transgender and transsexual people. It changes the balance of sex hormones in the body. Some intersex people also receive HRT, either starting in childhood to confirm the assigned sex, or later if the assignment proves to be incorrect.

The purpose of hormone replacement therapy is to cause the development of the secondary sex characteristics of the desired sex. It cannot undo many of the changes produced by naturally occurring puberty, which may necessitate surgery and/or epilation (see below).

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is any form of hormone therapy wherein the patient, in the course of medical treatment, receives hormones, either to supplement a lack of naturally occurring hormones, or to substitute other hormones for naturally occurring hormones. Common forms of hormone replacement therapy include:

• Hormone replacement therapy for menopause is based on the idea that the treatment may prevent discomfort caused by diminished circulating estrogen and progesterone hormones, or in the case of the surgically or prematurely menopausal, that it may prolong life and may reduce incidence of dementia. It involves the use of one or more of a group of medications designed to artificially boost hormone levels. The main types of hormones involved are estrogens, progesterone or progestins, and sometimes testosterone. It is often referred to as "treatment" rather than therapy.
• Hormone replacement therapy for transgender people introduces hormones associated with the gender that the patient identifies with (notably testosterone for trans men and estrogen for trans women). Some intersex people may also receive HRT. Cross-sex hormone treatment for transgender individuals is divided into two main types: hormone replacement therapy (female-to-male) and hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female).
• Androgen replacement therapy (andropausal and ergogenic use) is a hormone treatment often prescribed to counter the effects of male hypogonadism. It is also prescribed to lessen the effects or delay the onset of normal male aging. Additionally, androgen replacement therapy is used for men who have lost their testicular function to disease, cancer, or other causes.

Hormone replacement therapy for transgender or gender variant individuals, also sometimes called cross-sex hormone therapy, is a form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in which sex hormones (namely androgens for trans men and estrogens for trans women) are administered for the purpose of synchronizing a person's secondary sexual characteristics with their gender identity. Some intersex people may also undergo HRT, either starting in childhood to confirm the sex they were assigned at birth, or later in order to align their sex with their gender identity.

This form of HRT is given as one of two types, based on whether the goal of treatment is feminization or masculinization: hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female) and hormone replacement therapy (female-to-male).