A gender reassignment program for male to female transsexuals normally includes the prescription of feminising hormones, oestrogen and progesterone which develop female secondary sexual characteristics. In addition this may be accompanied before surgery by anti-androgen treatment to reduce the effect of the patients own male sex hormones. There can be risks attached to hormone therapy in both men and women and therefore it is definitely inadvisable to take any form of hormone product unless it is medically prescribed.
Dydrogesterone – Duphaston
This progestogen (trade name Duphaston) may be used as an alternative to medroxyprogesterone acetate. It is not metabolised into testosterone within the body, and is therefore ftee of the virilising effects which some patients experience ftom other progesterones. Conversely it may be less effective in maintaining libido than medroxyprogesterone acetate. Dydrogesterone is regarded as the progestogen of choice when patients have experienced virilising effects from other progestogens. A typical pre-op (or early post-op) dose would be 20mg in two doses, reducing to a single dose of 10mg daily post-op.
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