The Chemistry Of Gender Transition

The Chemistry Of Gender Transition

What exactly happens when someone undergoes hormone replacement therapy, especially as part of a gender transition?

Transitioning is in the spotlight because of the dramatic story of Caitlyn Jenner, who has publicly discussed her transition. And now, a new video from the American Chemical Society (above) explains the chemistry behind transitioning.

"This essentially puts a patient through a second puberty," Elaine Seward, the video's writer and producer, says. "While the new hormones can't totally reverse the effects of the first puberty, it's the development of the secondary sex characteristics, which makes a person begin to physically appear as the gender they identify with."

To learn more about how hormone therapy works and what it does to the body, check out the video.

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