By — Corinne Segal Corinne Segal Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/hormone-therapy-means-transgender-people Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter What hormone therapy means for transgender people Nation Jun 9, 2015 1:48 PM EDT Video by ACS How do hormones affect the appearance of gender? Many transgender people find themselves facing questions from others about what it means to transition. After the public transition of Caitlyn Jenner, a new video from the American Chemical Society (ACS) explains the role that estrogen and testosterone can play in this process. The video explains the basics of how hormone therapy works for those transitioning from male to female (MTF) and from female to male (FTM). Taking certain amounts of estrogen, testosterone and antiandrogens can cause a person to begin to develop the secondary sex characteristics of the gender with which they identify. For MTF people, this can mean breast development and a shrink in muscle mass and body hair; for FTM people, this could result in deepening voice, more facial hair, and broadening shoulders, among other changes. These changes take several years to fully take effect, and the effects of hormones vary from person to person. Not everyone who is transgender transitions, and for some people, transitioning does not involve hormones at all. But for others, hormone treatment makes a big difference by helping their body to align with their gender identity. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Corinne Segal Corinne Segal Corinne is the Senior Multimedia Web Editor for NewsHour Weekend. She serves on the advisory board for VIDA: Women in Literary Arts. @cesegal
Video by ACS How do hormones affect the appearance of gender? Many transgender people find themselves facing questions from others about what it means to transition. After the public transition of Caitlyn Jenner, a new video from the American Chemical Society (ACS) explains the role that estrogen and testosterone can play in this process. The video explains the basics of how hormone therapy works for those transitioning from male to female (MTF) and from female to male (FTM). Taking certain amounts of estrogen, testosterone and antiandrogens can cause a person to begin to develop the secondary sex characteristics of the gender with which they identify. For MTF people, this can mean breast development and a shrink in muscle mass and body hair; for FTM people, this could result in deepening voice, more facial hair, and broadening shoulders, among other changes. These changes take several years to fully take effect, and the effects of hormones vary from person to person. Not everyone who is transgender transitions, and for some people, transitioning does not involve hormones at all. But for others, hormone treatment makes a big difference by helping their body to align with their gender identity. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now