Q. I’m a 20-year-old male who has been cross-dressing off and on since junior high school. With old age, I’m losing some of my femininity.
I’d like to try taking female hormones. Would this be safe? What results could I expect?
I am 5 feet 9 and weigh 110 pounds. I am in perfect health but I want to be a girl.
A. Taking estrogen can feminize appearance by increasing breast size, shrinking testicles, rounding the hips and reducing facial and body hair. There are some potential side effects, including erectile dysfunction, depression, high blood pressure, migraine headaches, gallbladder disease and blood clots.
We encourage you to seek counseling that may help you clarify your gender identity. Cross-dressing does not require hormonal treatment, but changing one’s sex calls for a great deal of psychological and medical preparation.
