DIY transgender hormone therapy
DIY transgender hormone therapy is a phenomenon where transgender people obtain and self-administer hormones as part of their gender transition without the guidance of a licensed medical provider. Many trans people lack access to transition-related health care because of lack of existence of specialized providers, discrimination, long waitlists, and affordability.[1][2][3] Trans people can obtain information about hormone therapy from online sources, some of which are generated by the trans community.[4][5][6] Estimates of the prevalence of DIY hormone therapy in the trans community vary significantly. One survey in Ontario found that 25 percent currently or formerly obtained DIY hormones whereas for trans people of color living in San Francisco a different survey found that 63 percent had relied on DIY.[7][5] The use of DIY increased during the COVID-19 pandemic although it had been common before hand.[6] The prevalence of DIY hormone usage has been estimated to be higher among trans women than trans men.[1] In rare cases, some transgender people have attempted DIY surgeries.[8]
References
- WEXLER, ANNA (2022). "Mapping the Landscape of Do-it-Yourself Medicine". Citizen Science : Theory and Practice. 7 (1): 38. doi:10.5334/cstp.553. ISSN 2057-4991. PMC 9830450. PMID 36632334.
- Metastasio, Antonio; Negri, Attilio; Martinotti, Giovanni; Corazza, Ornella (May 2018). "Transitioning Bodies. The Case of Self-Prescribing Sexual Hormones in Gender Affirmation in Individuals Attending Psychiatric Services". Brain Sciences. 8 (5): 88. doi:10.3390/brainsci8050088. ISSN 2076-3425.
- Redcay, Alex; Bergquist, Kathleen; Luquet, Wade (18 August 2021). "On the Basis of Gender: A Medical-Legal Review of Barriers to Healthcare for Transgender and Gender-Expansive Patients". Social Work in Public Health. 36 (6): 615–627. doi:10.1080/19371918.2021.1942378.
- Edenfield, Avery C.; Holmes, Steve; Colton, Jared S. (3 July 2019). "Queering Tactical Technical Communication: DIY HRT". Technical Communication Quarterly. 28 (3): 177–191. doi:10.1080/10572252.2019.1607906.
- Deutsch, Madeline B. (June 2016). "Evaluation of Patient-Oriented, Internet-Based Information on Gender-Affirming Hormone Treatments". LGBT Health. 3 (3): 200–207. doi:10.1089/lgbt.2015.0116.
- Edenfield, Avery C. (January 2021). "Managing Gender Care in Precarity: Trans Communities Respond to COVID-19". Journal of Business and Technical Communication. 35 (1): 15–21. doi:10.1177/1050651920958504.
- Kennedy, Caitlin E.; Yeh, Ping Teresa; Byrne, Jack; van der Merwe, L. Leigh Ann; Ferguson, Laura; Poteat, Tonia; Narasimhan, Manjulaa (2022). "Self-administration of gender-affirming hormones: a systematic review of effectiveness, cost, and values and preferences of end-users and health workers". Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. 29 (3): 2045066. doi:10.1080/26410397.2022.2045066. ISSN 2641-0397. PMC 8942532. PMID 35312467.
- Rotondi, Nooshin Khobzi; Bauer, Greta R.; Scanlon, Kyle; Kaay, Matthias; Travers, Robb; Travers, Anna (October 2013). "Nonprescribed Hormone Use and Self-Performed Surgeries: "Do-It-Yourself" Transitions in Transgender Communities in Ontario, Canada". American Journal of Public Health. 103 (10): 1830–1836. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301348.