Comment from Anonymous
AnonymousSupportIndividual
Summary: The commenter supports the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for gender dysphoria, citing research that shows significant improvements in mental health outcomes for transgender adults. They argue that HRT is a useful treatment and that the risks of suicide are more closely linked to social non-acceptance than to the hormone therapy itself.
Given the available research on estrogen as hormone replacement therapy as treatment for sex dysphoria, no other form of treatment has proved quite as useful. Personal anecdote is not enough to rule out hormone therapy as negatively impactful. As cited from the paper "Mental Health Changes in US Transgender Adults Beginning Hormone Therapy Via Telehealth: Longitudinal Cohort Study", "In this observational study, adults accessing GAHT [Gender-affirming hormone therapy] at a telehealth clinic experienced significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation after 3 months. Although GAHT is not prescribed for mental health, it may be an important part of mental health wellness for TGD adults." Additionally, it is important to note that, in general, transgender people are at risk of suicide, and to assign HRT as the leading cause of that is to ignore the impact on mental health that non-acceptance can have on transgender individuals. Citing "Association of Gender Identity Acceptance with Fewer Suicide Attempts Among Transgender and Nonbinary Youth", it is explained that "The current findings highlight the impact that acceptance can have in the lives of many TGNB young people and suggest that although everyone might not be accepting, if at least one person in their life is, it is associated with a significantly lower risk for suicide." Thank you.