Category Archives: Hormone Replacement Therapy

There are some men who choose to have their penises and testicles removed, not because they identify as transgender or female, but because they experience a form of gender dysphoria that causes them not to identify with their genitals. Some of these men still feel male and still use masculine pronouns, but they find it difficult to locate doctors willing to conduct elective penectomies. These guys sometimes refer to themselves as nullos, smoothies or eunuchs, a word for castrated men that have performed a wide range of social functions as far back as 21st century BC. TheGame of Thrones character Lord Varys, for example, is a eunuch, though his castration occurred involuntarily, as did that of other eunuchs throughout history. Some male singers known as castrati also used to have their genitals removed before puberty as a way to keep their vocal ranges high, though that doesnt apply to the men discussed in this article. Its unclear how many modern men desire or have undergone voluntary castration, although some discuss their curiosities and journeys on various web forums.Others even self-castrate,destroying their own testicles or injecting their genitals with toxic chemicals if they cant access a doctor wholl perform a full … Continue reading →

Even though 80 per cent of women going through menopause will get symptoms such as hot flushes and night sweats, few are confident talking about it. So, what helps? British Menopause Society chairman Kathy Abernethy said: "Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is absolutely the best treatment for hot flushes. It can also help sleep disturbance caused by night sweats and is one of the many strategies to keep bones strong ." Endocrinologist Mark Vanderpump said: "If men got hot flushes, they'd be screaming for HRT." Other options include the non- hormonal drugs clonidine, venlafaxine and gabapentin, or lifestyle measures such as avoiding spicy foods, alcohol and hot places. The risk of cancer from HRT is overstated, said Dr Vanderpump. Cancer Research UK puts it in perspective - if 1,000 women start HRT at the age of 50 and take it for five years, there will be two extra cases of breast cancer and one extra case of ovarian cancer, compared with non-HRT users. There will also be some extra cases of heart attack and stroke, but the overall negative effects are small. Avoiding HRT could prevent 1,700 cancer cases a year, but staying a healthy weight could prevent 18,000 cancer cases … Continue reading →

Even though 80% of women going through the menopause will get symptoms, such as hot flushes and night sweats (and in 25% of cases they will be severe enough to affect quality of life), few are confident talking about it. A global industry worth about US$4bn (3.4bn) flogs books and products, but reliable information is hard to come by. So how can women distinguish fact from marketing hype and what helps? Kathy Abernethy, chair of the British Menopause Society, says: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is absolutely the best treatment for hot flushes and sweats that affect daily life. It can also help sleep disturbance caused by night sweats and is one of several strategies to keep bones strong. Dr Mark Vanderpump, an endocrinologist (hormone specialist), agrees: If men got hot flushes, theyd be screaming for HRT, he says. Other options include the non-hormonal drugs clonidine, venlafaxine and gabapentin, or lifestyle measures such as avoiding spicy foods, alcohol and hot places. The risk of cancer from HRT is overstated, says Vanderpump. Cancer Research UK puts it in perspective; if 1,000 women start HRT at the age of 50 and take it for five years, there will be two extra cases of … Continue reading →

Along with hot flashes and weight gain, menopause also brings along vaginal atrophy which means that the walls of the vagina become drier, thinner and easily inflamed because the estrogen levels plummet. And it is no secret that vaginal atrophy can lead to dyspareunia or painful intercourse along with itching and burning. While using a lubricant can provide some relief, the first course of treatment should be estrogen. Opting for an oral hormone replacement therapy may have some downsides, so you can instead go for a relatively new treatment known as vaginal laser therapy to combat vaginal atrophy and make sex more pleasurable and less painful. Cosmetologist Dr Prasad Chaudhury breaks it down for you. What is vaginal laser therapy?In vaginal laser treatment, a wand is inserted into the vagina where the laser makes minuscule injuries to the vaginal wall. The body responds to the pin pricks by producing new collagen and encouraging blood flow, in turn, strengthening the skin tissue and thickening the vaginal walls. While you can do normal activities after the treatment, you just need to abstain from sex for a few days. Does vaginal laser therapy hurt?Since the laser pricks do not go very deep, this … Continue reading →

SALIDA Less than three years into her transition from Jonathan to Jillian, pro cyclist Jillian Bearden has once again found serenity on her bike. Now, using studies and stats collected during her long career, shes helping prove that transgender athletes change more than their names, they change their biology. Bearden has watched her performance ebb since beginning hormone-replacement therapy in 2015. As testosterone fades and estrogen grows, her fastest times on favorite climbs have slipped into what she calls the gutter. It was tough realizing her hard-earned power, developed over more than a decade of elite-level bike racing, was waning. I went from 16 minutes to 26, 27, 28 minutes, she said of her times on her those climbs. I was like holy Testosterone gives you this drive, this oomph, and I didnt have that push. My muscles looked fairly big, but I did not have that push to drive that extra energy. I had good days and really, really bad days. But at the end of it all, I always know that I won the biggest race of all. I am here on planet Earth with my family and it doesnt really matter how slow I am. Ive already … Continue reading →

Derek Hawkins, The Washington Post Trystan Reese and his partner Biff Chaplow were already seasoned parents when they decided last year that they wanted another child. Years earlier, they had adopted Chaplow's niece and nephew after his sister was no longer able to take care of them. They raised the two children as their own, bringing them up in Los Angeles, where Reese and Chaplow worked in nonprofits, then moving the family to Portland, Ore., where they live now. Adoption was a taxing process, Reese said, and learning how to care for two toddlers ushered in a suite of new challenges and lifestyle changes, as it does for any parent. But it was also eye-opening. "After the dust settled, I just realized how much I loved our kids," Reese told The Washington Post, "and how much room there was in our life for our family to grow." After trying for several months, Reese, a transgender man, got pregnant. And just weeks ago, he gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Reese and Chaplow documented the pregnancy in blog posts and on social media, hoping to demystify what it means for a transgender man to give birth and create a new … Continue reading →

Trystan Reese, a transgender man, gave birth to a healthy boy on July 14 in Portland, Ore. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post) Trystan Reese and his partner, Biff Chaplow, were already seasoned parents when they decided last year that they wanted another child. Years earlier, they had adopted Chaplows niece and nephew after his sister was no longer able to take care of them. They raised the two children as their own, bringing them up in Los Angeles, where Reese and Chaplow worked in nonprofits, then moving the family to Portland, Ore., where they live now. Adoption was a taxing process, Reese said, and learning how to care for two toddlers ushered ina suite of new challenges and lifestyle changes, as it does for any parent. Butit was also eye-opening. After the dust settled, I just realized how much I loved our kids, Reese told The Washington Post, and how much room there was in our life for our family to grow. After trying for several months, Reese, a transgender man,got pregnant. And just weeks ago, he gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Reeseand Chaplow documented the pregnancy in blog posts and on social media, hoping to demystify what it … Continue reading →

New law was designed for cancer patients whose treatment could leave them sterile, but it may also apply to transgender people undergoing hormone-replacement therapy. PROVIDENCE, R.I. Rhode Island has enacted a new law that requires private insurers to cover "fertility preservation" for people who undergo medical treatments that may leave them sterile. The legislation believed to be the first in the country was designed to help cancer patients of childbearing age whose chemotherapy treatment usually renders them infertile. The law also could expand access to fertility-preservation services for another group of Rhode Islanders who have historically had trouble getting coverage: transgender people. Nationally, more than 100,000 people under age 45 are diagnosed with cancer in the U.S. each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. In nearly 90 percent of the cases, their treatment results in infertility, said Dr. Eden Cardozo, a reproductive endocrinologist at Women & Infants' Fertility Center, who came up with the idea for the legislation. In Rhode Island, roughly 375 people under age 40 are diagnosed with cancer each year, about 63 percent of them women. "There are options currently available to preserve the fertility of these patients," Cardozo said in a statement, "but the unfortunate … Continue reading →

Spc. Alex Ketchum thought shed done everything right. The 22-year-old infantryman started her transition from man to woman in late 2015. Eight months later, former Defense Secretary Ash Carter lifted the militarys ban on transgender service, and by the following March, Ketchum had completed the steps to change her gender in the militarys personnel system. Now, as the Army is bringing women into its first gender-integrated infantry units, she is by default one of the first women to serve in the infantry in an all-male unit, no less. Wow, what are the odds? Ketchum told Army Times in March, as she was waiting for her battalion commanders signature to finish her transition. I just really want to be happy. But that could all come crashing down now, following President Trumps July 26 announcement via Twitter that he intended to ban military service for transgender Americans. The tweets came more than a year after Carter lifted the previous ban, allowing currently serving troops to come out of the closet. By late September, the Defense Department had released a directive with regulations for how trans service members could go about changing their genders on their military records. Carter had given the department … Continue reading →

According to the Global Wellness Institute the global wellness economy is worth $3.7 trillion dollars, making the beauty, anti-aging and aesthetics industry one of the largest and fastest growing in the world. Other facts about the industry: One of the leading providers of anti-aging and aesthetics is theBeverly Hills Rejuvenation Center, which has grown from its single location in 2005 to five locations in California, Texas and Arizona with plans to expand to 11 locations around the country. The two entrepreneurs who started BHRC, Devin Haman and Dan Holtz, found thatthe number of people looking for ways to beat the aging process as well as feel great physically and emotionally was growing. Haman said, Weve known for a long time that the fountain of youth isnt exactly possible.The good news is that for those who want to look great and feel amazing, there are options to help them get there. We are happy that we have been and continued to be at the forefront of helping this industry grow and to help people look and feel their best. Haman is a mechanical engineer who opened the famous Sunset Tan tanning salons in 2003 that quickly acquired famous clients like Megan … Continue reading →