Use of Sex Hormones among Transgender Women in Sakon Nakhon Province

Abstract

Objective: To study the experiences in using sex hormones among transgender women in Sakon Nakhon Province. Method: This research was a qualitative study that collected data by in-depth interviews with 18 key informants who were transgender women who had used or were using hormonal drugs for gender crossing. Data were collected between January 2020 and February 2021. Data analysis was done by content analysis. Results: Key informants defined sex hormones as vehicles or shortcut to femininity. The main reason for using sex hormones was desire to transform body from male to aesthetic body of female. Each informant had different experience in using sex hormones and different drug taking depending on conditions or limitations of each person. There was no fixed formula or pattern for crossing to femininity. Awareness of sex hormones and their uses came from offline information or word-of-mouths from friends with same age or those older, from online-information. It was also found that adverse drug reactions, as the medical definition, were interpreted to be linked to the effectiveness of the drug in achieving a desirable body shape. The informants defined such side effects as drug being on action which created happiness and satisfaction for users rather than being seen as harmful to health or the body. On the other hand, if the side effects resulted in an undesirable body, such as obesity or an allergic rash, the effects were promptly and negatively interpreted leading to intolerability and responses to stop using the drug. Conclusion: The use of hormonal drugs among transgender women focused on self-medication. Their experiences in using a variety of sex hormones and their definition of drug-related side effects in a new perspective were something that healthcare professionals should understand and should give advices for safe use of drugs in the context of transgender women.