DIY transgender hormone therapy

DIY transgender hormone therapy is when transgender people get and use transgender hormone therapy on their own. They do this part of their gender transition without the help of a licensed medical provider. This may be caused by various problems accessing healthcare. A lot of transgender people face problems accessing healthcare. The amount of the trans community that uses DIY hormone therapy varies. Studies have found percentages ranging from 11% to 79%.

 Description 
DIY transgender hormone therapy involves transgender people seeking to access transgender hormone therapy. However, they access it through friends, peers, or the internet. This way, they sometimes may be able to access it without consulting a health worker. Trans people can obtain information about hormone therapy from online sources. Some of these sources are made by the trans community.

In rare cases, some transgender people have tried to do DIY surgeries.

 Causes 
A 2022 review article concluded that DIY hormone replacement therapy is related to challenges finding knowledgeable and non-stigmatising health workers. This study also found that lack of access to appropriate services, and exclusion played a role in the rise of DIY HRT. In addition, a connection was found to discomfort managing relationships with health workers. Lastly, a push for DIY came from cost and desire for a faster transition.

 Prevalence 
Estimates of the popularity of DIY hormone therapy in the trans community vary significantly. One survey in Ontario found that 25% currently or formerly obtained DIY hormones.  For trans people of color living in San Francisco a different survey found that 63% had relied on DIY.
According to a 2022 review, 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 lies London at 31% of transgender people having used DIY hormones.  In addition to this, 49% of trans women in San Francisco report using DIY HRT
The use of DIY increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it had been common before.
The prevalence of DIY hormone usage has been estimated to be higher among trans women than trans men. A possible explanation is that Testosterone is a controlled substance in many places, and is therefore harder to obtain legally.

 Effectiveness 
A 2022 review was done on the topic of self-administered gender-affirming hormones. It found no peer-reviewed studies on self-administered gender-affirming hormones' effectiveness.

 References 

Category:Articles containing Neapolitan-language text
Category:Transgender
Category:LGBT