HRT
Hormone replacement therapy. In a trans context, the hormones of a transition.
HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy. In a trans context it means taking oestrogen or testosterone as part of a transition, and it is the shorthand almost everyone uses.
⚠️ The same abbreviation is used far more widely for menopause treatment, which is what most search results are about. Context decides which is meant, and the two have almost nothing in common beyond the letters.
It changes some things and not others, and which is which is a matter of medicine rather than opinion. The one thing worth stating here is that it is not a switch: the changes are gradual, partial and different for everyone.
As with every other item in this section, it is not a question to ask someone. Whether a person is on hormones, what dose, and how long is between them and their clinician.
This entry explains the term. Anything about starting, stopping, dosing or effects belongs with a doctor or a trans health service, and nowhere else.
HRT is not the thing that makes someone trans
It is treated as the moment a transition becomes real, which leaves out everyone who cannot access it, cannot take it, or does not want it.
Access is decided by waiting lists, money and geography far more than by desire, and none of that has any bearing on whether someone is trans.
Saying it well
Say this
- I have been on HRT for a year.
- HRT, meaning the trans kind, not the menopause kind.
- That is between me and my doctor.
- She started HRT recently.
Not this
- Are you on hormones?
- What dose?
- How long before you look different?
- Can I see before and after?
Questions people actually ask
What does HRT mean?
Hormone replacement therapy. In a trans context, taking oestrogen or testosterone as part of a transition.
Is trans HRT the same as menopause HRT?
No. The abbreviation is shared; the treatments and purposes are different.
Do you need HRT to be trans?
No. Many trans people are not on hormones, for reasons including access, health and preference.
Where should I get information about HRT?
From a doctor or a trans health service. This entry explains the word only.