#Trans Health

[crossdreamers]

Hormone therapy affects the metabolic health of transgender individuals

The Karolinska Institutet recently reported on the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on the metabolic health of transgender individuals.

Research highlights include how hormonal changes influence muscle mass, strength, and fat distribution, as well as the broader implications for metabolic and cardiovascular health.

Key findings show that testosterone therapy in trans men significantly increases muscle mass and strength, while trans women on estrogen therapy experience modest muscle mass reductions but generally maintain strength.

The metabolic changes, such as alterations in fat distribution and insulin sensitivity, underline the importance of monitoring long-term health outcomes in transgender individuals undergoing hormone therapy.

Karolinska has more.

Tommy Lundberg et al: "Longitudinal changes in regional fat and muscle composition and cardiometabolic biomarkers over 5 years of hormone therapy in transgender individuals"

[floral-ashes]

Someone anonymously messaged me to tell me that writing about detrans folks makes me a traitor to trans people, because all detrans people want to push conversion therapy on us and forcibly detransition us.

That’s precisely the kind of narrative that ends up pushing detransitioners into the arms of TERFs and the religious far-right.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with detransitioning. Sometimes people realize that transitioning no longer suits them, or never really did. And that’s fine.

When we systematically push them away regardless of their politics, we make people feel like the only places they can get support are among transphobes. That’s not a good thing. Building de/trans solidarity is an critical tool for disarming anti-trans movements.

[honeysucklebuttons]

The tweet: https://twitter.com/Lionhearted_ben/status/1629919975203848192?t=HfF1j3BVqZMgZEIHgVnz3w&s=19

And in case Twitter is being a fool, here's the PDF itself: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PiO5JAc2_erXL9rEPU-Gj4DXQ3N0dTbe/view

Shout-out to a friend for showing me this!!

[tidyturnip]

[genderqueerdykes]

I've heard smoking can harm the effects of estrogen, does this apply to nicotine in general or just smoking?

thank you so much for asking this question, this is an extremely important matter to discuss! smoking while taking estrogen HRT is highly discouraged for 2 reasons.

the first is that smoking (nicotine) has been shown to completely neutralize and eliminate the effects of estradiol altogether:

nicotine reduces the amount of circulating estrogen one has in their system, which can lead to menopause in many individuals.

the second reason is that smoking nicotine can increase risk of life threatening clotting disorders like stroke, heart attack and pulmonary embolism:

many folks are not informed of the fact that estrogen hrt can cause increased risk for pulmonary embolism and heart complications- this is why it's vital to make sure you get testing done by a professional to make sure what levels will be safe for your body, or what complications you may face if you have blood clotting or heart issues.

i can't find too many studies that disseminate different types of tobacco usage (chew, vape, patches, etc.) but it does in fact seem like the nicotine itself, no matter how it's administered, greatly affects one's estrogen levels.

overall, i would say it would be best to completely quit using nicotine if you are planning going on estrogen HRT. not only will you see more of the effects you're looking for, but you'll feel better in general, and have a way reduced risk of stroke and heart attacks. there's little to no point in taking a medication that will become completely useless once administered. i had a problem with smoking cigarettes for a while and i wish you the best if you do, yourself.

i hope this information has been helpful, thanks for stopping by! good luck out there

[liberaljane]

Gender affirming care saves lives!

Digital illustration of a nonbinary person sitting on a stool. Their dark green button-up shirt is unbuttoned to reveal bandages from top surgery, including a drain. They are also wearing plaid yellow pants, hot pink socks and combat boots. Text reads, 'gender affirming care, saves lives.'

[intersexfairy]

it's been so hard for me as a trans man these past few years. unfortunately the internet has had a huge hand in that. i won't get into it too much from that angle, but i will tell you how i felt, and still feel.

i feel like the scum of the earth, a lot of the time. like im betraying women, like i can't be proud and happy. like there's something gross about me, irredeemable and unwanted. like my pain and joy don't matter. like i need to conform as much as i physically can - and run away from who i really am.

that led me down a really dark road. addiction, psych wards, suicidality, the whole nine yards. im 117 days sober today, and i'd be lying to you if i told you it's sunshine and rainbows. it's not. but it is so much better. im finally getting the clarity of mind to look at myself again, trying to discover myself for the first time.

that's scary as hell, but the good news is, if i reconnect with myself, things can get better. and you know what? i don't deserve that - i need that. being my true self isn't something i need to earn, or prove. it's something to be experienced and felt and valued. self-actualization is a human need.

so to any other trans men who have struggled with who they are, whether it expressed itself as it did in me or not, i want you to know you're not alone. you're not, and you shouldn't be. you are allowed to exist, just as you are, right here in this moment. all the things you've been through matter. all the things you've yet to experience matter. you matter.

our suicide rates are absymally high, and we need to stick together. all of us, not just trans men. there is family out there for us. we can find love and compassion and freedom and joy. and other people, whether online or not, cannot change that. the world is so much bigger than the hate that's out there. there's so much life to be lived.

there is so much love waiting for you. i hope you stick around to find it. i'd promise to be with you to do that, but i can't. i will tell you though, i will try my damned hardest to become my best self. not just for me, but for you. for you, for you, for you. i love you, man. and one day you'll love yourself too. so will i.

be as honest, open, and willing as you can. hold on tight to hope, even if only for the ride. one day you won't regret it.

[dragongirl-casca]

Updated Adult Trans Legislative Risk Assessment Map

Map as of October 2024, by Erin Reed

This map incorporates the Odessa, TX bathroom bounty bill, among others.

Read more (and find the trans youth map) at her website:

[grimesapologist]

Trans Man in Morocco in need of urgent help!!

Hey! I'm making this post on behalf of a friend of mine, Adam, in Morocco, who needs help financially to afford medical care, specifically paying for visits to doctors, an EEG to get treatment for his epilepsy, and buying antidepressants. He has no medical insurance, and no income largely on account of being a transgender person in Morocco, so he's made a fundraiser to help with costs of medical treatment.

Please donate if you can, anything at all helps, and please, please share! 💕💕💕💕

donation link below:

[incognitopolls]

DIY HRT: purchasing and using hormone replacement therapy without a prescription.

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We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

[redgoldsparks]

BREATHE: JOURNEYS TO HEALTHY BINDING by Maia Kobabe and Sarah Peitzmeier, with colors by Ashley R Guillory, is now available for pre-order :D

A graphic guide to chest binding with real-life stories and research-backed advice from bestselling Gender Queer author Maia Kobabe and University of Michigan professor Sarah Peitzmeier. Breathe arose from the need for an evidence-based resource for folks considering chest binding as gender-affirming care. Its original form was a 32-page digital-only 'zine, but Peitzmeier and Kobabe saw potential for reaching a wider audience with an expanded version with more art and more exploration of what the research really shows about binding, designed to be easily readable as a printed book. This is the result. To create Breathe, Peitzmeier and her research team interviewed many people of different ages and backgrounds about their journeys with binding, and then she and Kobabe combined excerpts from those interviews with evidence-based resources on binding into this extremely accessible book. The result is both a practical resource for trans and nonbinary folks and an engaging and perspective-broadening read for anyone interested in what it means to be on a journey of expressing one's gender in the ways that are joyful, healthy, and affirming.

64 pages, fully illustrated, single tone colors. Due out from Dutton Books for Young Readers May 2024.

Please order it anywhere except Amazon :)

[floral-ashes]

The fact that leagues of smart and rational trans adults who are informed about the evidence base for puberty blockers wish they could’ve taken them in their youth seems to me pretty darn conclusive evidence that the balance of risk and benefit is favourable.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

An Alberta doctor says Premier Danielle Smith will struggle to attract trans specialists to the province if her other policies restricting health-care options for trans youth are made law. Dr. Kate Greenaway, a trans health-care specialist and medical director of the Foria Clinic, is part of a growing number of medical professionals calling on the UCP to scrap the proposed legislation. Greenaway said restricting health care for trans and non-binary youth will create a "culture of fear and discrimination" that will act as a barrier to attracting specialists or even keeping the few that already practise here.

Continue Reading

Tagging @politicsofcanada @abpoli

[genderqueerdykes]

hello, here with another trans, intersex & queer health post. just wanted to let folks know about a temporary side effect of hormone replacement therapy that i don't really see talked about: some folks who take estrogens and/or testosterone HRT may experience swelling in the ankles, and feet. this can also be caused by a wide variety of other conditions and medications:

however, if nothing else has changed and you're experiencing this, it could be from this. this is usually very temporary, during fluctuations or changes in dosage, and is generally harmless. most folks taking HRT never experience or notice this, but even though it's usually easily resolved with home remedies, it's important to put the information out there for people who may be experiencing this with no answers. luckily, this can usually be easily reduced by propping up one's feet, light exercise, and more. if you are experiencing this and want to read more:

[arthurroseart]

"Lion's Problem"

So last year the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs commissioned me to make an animation about birth control, so I did one about a trans lion taking birth control, though they underpaid me and never told me if they actually aired it so here it is

[intersexfairy]

it's good to be a trans man. being trans doesn't make you a bad person. being a man doesn't make you a bad person. no matter what, you belong in this community. without you, the world wouldn't be the same. it'd be far worse off without you - i promise.

you are who you are, and that happy, wonder-filled trans man you are underneath all that pain and trauma deserves to shine through. there is a better life out there, and in that life you will find people who accept you and want you around. most of all, you'll accept you and want to be around, too.

hang on my friend. i'm with you in this rat race, and one day we'll both climb out of this deep dark hole. one day we'll be free, even if to no one but ourselves. we are stronger than we know and more loved than we believe. that's another promise, and i don't make promises i can't keep.