August 31, 2003 5:32 PM BST
HRT = Hormone Replacement Therapy - HRT involving some form of estrogen and/or progesterone is actually for genetic females, because it's used for replacing naturally occurring hormone levels that have fallen to levels that are considered to be too low (for situations like hysterectomy, menopause, etc.). The same would apply to genetic males who need to use other drugs to get their testosterone levels back to normal (for example, after a bilateral orchietomy to treat testicular cancer).
HT = Hormone Therapy - HT using some form of estrogen and/or progesterone is used for male-to-female transsexuals who need to introduce certain hormones into their bodies at new levels that are not naturally occurring. No hormone is being replaced, because it wasn't there to begin with (well, not at the desired level). Also, HT for male-to-female transsexuals includes the reduction of normal levels of naturally occurring male hormones. For example, male-to-female transsexuals might use spironolactone as an androgen inhibitor, to keep testosterone from binding to receptors, or goserelin acetate to reduce the gonadal production of male hormones, or cyproterone acetate to do a bit of both.
Because women's health and female hormonal balances are popular medical topics on-line and off-line, the phrase "HRT" gets a lot of press, and trannies who conduct research on female hormones get bombarded by the phrase "HRT," and use it out of habit, when they really mean to use the phrase "HT." I'm guilty of that myself, simply because I see "HRT" so often.
