The_Blonde_Alien wrote:
Hormone replacement therapy can be quite expensive, and I'm wondering if it is possible to buy some estrogen and progesterone from a drug store and take matters into your own hands.
Is it possible to transition without having consult a profesional?
Just so you know, I am a male-to-female transsexual and I live in Puerto Rico which is more or less a conservative country to say the least.
No, this would be very unwise. The endocrine system is akin to the system files on a computer. If hormones are not handled properly, it can really mess things up.
First, be aware that it's not hormone replacement therapy because you are not replacing hormones that your body has produced in quantity at some point in the past. You are adding hormones that your body has never produced in quantity.
Progesterone administration is controversial in MTFs. It's primary role in biological females is to stabilize the endometrium such that it facilitates zygote implantation and pregnancy, and regulate menstruation. That being said, it's also a known mood enhancer, and menstruation itself, and many of the negative symptoms associated with it are actually due to progesterone withdrawl. Estrogen will cause fat redistribution and fill out your face. Either of these hormones may cause some minor breast development. However neither of these hormones will cause a significant change in your looks without also being on testosterone blockers.
Estrogen, and progesterone can cause serious, and sometimes fatal blood clots, and estrogen is implicated in a number of cancers.
Testosterone blockers have a number of potentially serious health risks as well and require routine blood tests to ensure they are not having a negative impact on your health.
Keep in mind that even with hormone therapy, many MTF individuals do not pass, and some require facial feminizaton surgery to do so, and others would not pass even with facial feminization surgery. You might not be one of them but it's something to consider.