F. Pfaefflin, E. Coleman W. Bockting Assoc. Requirements for Hormone Therapy for Adults Reasons for Hormone Therapy. Cross-sex hormonal treatments play an important role in the anatomical and psychological gender transition process for properly selected adults with gender identity disorders.
Hormones are often medically necessary for successful living in the new gender.
They improve the quality of life and limit psychiatric co-morbidity, which often accompanies lack of treatment. When physicians administer androgens to biologic females and estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone-blocking agents to biologic males, patients feel and appear more like members of their preferred gender. The administration of hormones is not to be lightly undertaken because of their medical and social risks. Three criteria exist. Hormone therapy can provide significant comfort to gender patients who do not wish to cross live or undergo surgery, or who are unable to do so.