Side Effects of Stopping Hormones

Stopping cross-sex hormones leads to the reorientation of the hormonal system.

General

Stopping cross-sex hormones leads to the reorientation of the hormonal system. In people who have not undergone orchiectomy or oophorectomy, the gonads generally resume producing the body's own sex hormones — although this can be slow and may not always be complete.

Effects

Known effects of stopping hormones include mood problems, fatigue, changes in libido, hot flashes and — in cases of prolonged hormone deficiency — a risk of decreased bone density. Physical characteristics that have changed as a result of previous hormone treatment (voice, facial hair growth, breast growth) partly or entirely persist.

Guidance

Medical guidance is important during detransition, with attention to gradual tapering, hormone replacement where necessary (for example, when the gonads have been removed), and monitoring of bone density and cardiovascular risks.

After testosterone

In women who stop taking testosterone and still have their ovaries, menstruation usually returns within several months. Fat distribution gradually becomes more typically female again, and muscle mass decreases. The lowered voice, facial hair growth and enlarged clitoris remain. Hair loss on the scalp usually does not reverse. Whether fertility fully returns varies from person to person; pregnancies after stopping have been documented.

After estrogen

In men who stop taking estrogen and testosterone blockers such as cyproterone acetate and still have their testicles, their natural testosterone production generally resumes. Body hair, muscle strength and libido increase. Breasts that have grown as a result of the hormones do not disappear and can only be removed surgically. The testicles have often become smaller after prolonged use, and recovery of sperm production is uncertain and may take a long time.

Not without a doctor

Do not stop abruptly or without consultation, especially if the gonads have been removed. Without sex hormones, menopausal symptoms, low mood and fatigue develop, followed in the long term by bone loss. The doctor will then prescribe hormones of the person's original sex. The first few months after stopping are often accompanied by mood swings; seek support for this. The composite diary entry The day I stopped on mijngender.nl describes what the day of stopping may be like. See medical consequences of detransition, support after detransition and bone density during transition. What is reversible and what is not when stopping hormones is also outlined in the overview medical detransition on ikbentrans.nl.