Do-it-yourself hormone replacement therapy (DIY HRT) is the practice of self-medicating with transgender hormone therapy drugs bought without a prescription.
Reasons
editReasons for seeking DIY treatments include lack of or inaccessibility of competent healthcare personnel, legal restrictions on transgender healthcare, cost, long waiting times, and exclusion.[1]
Prevalence
editSeveral studies have been undertaken on the prevalence of nonprescribed hormone use among transgender people. At the low end, 11% of Ontarian transgender people report having used DIY HRT; at the other extreme, 79% of trans women from Rio de Janeiro have done the same. In between lie London at 31% of transgender people, and 49% of trans women in San Francisco.[1]
Effectiveness
editA 2022 review identified no peer-reviewed studies on the effectiveness of self-administered gender-affirming hormones.[1]
Safety
editThe medical literature generally condemns DIY HRT.[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c Kennedy CE, Yeh PT, Byrne JL, van der Merwe LL, Ferguson L, Poteat TC, & Narasimhan M. 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. 2021;29(3). doi:10.1080/26410397.2022.2045066.
- ^ Baker JT, Cusanno BR, Dean M. Dilemmas in patient-clinician communication about do-it-yourself hormone therapy: A qualitative study. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health. 2023;3. doi:10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100213.