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[hotstff]

Are Transgender women also forced to stop taking HRT once they reach 60? (like we are)

I am coming up to 60 - that wonderful age where you get 'the talk' from your GP, about how ''HRT is evil and you must come off it now''.   
and I have been wondering (what with there being a lot about transgender people in the news at the moment).

What happens to a transgender woman once she reaches 60?
Does she stop taking female hormones?  We females from birth have to.    Or is she (as I suspect) allowed to continue taking female hormones indefinitely, regardless of any consequences.
Most of the transgenders I see on tv seem to be over 60 and it's obvious they are taking female hormones and yet I suspect that they will be allowed to continue to take female hormones indefinitely - until the day they die.

To me this seems grossly unfair and it's one more example of ways in which women are treated terribly and are seen as second best - not only to men, but also to transgenders now.

If a natural born female is forced to accept the menopause eventually, then transgender women should have to as well!!!!!

[TheDuchess]

Are you asking for yourself, or just in theory? Presumably transgender women need hormones for life which is somewhat different?

There is no rule about stopping at 60. The guidelines from Nice which are due out next month will state that there is no arbitrary cut-off point for HRT. This is already in the draft which came out in June.
This information is already out there for GPs in the consensus statements from the BMS.
Here it is:

http://www.thebms.org.uk/statementpreview.php?id=1

See the 3rd bullet point. When it mentions HRT for women over 60, a couple of bullet points further down, I'm assuming they mean for women starting HRT at 60+, not continuing if they already use it.

The consensus from the BMS is that women can ask to remain on HRT post-60 as long as their dr discusses the risks and benefits.

[hotstff]

Definitely not asking for myself.
I am looking at it purely from a 'what's fair' standpoint.

Presumably transgender women need hormones for life which is somewhat different?

But, why is it different?
Yes, by not taking HRT they will lose some feminine attributes, eg soft skin, their skin will get hairier (happens to some post menopausal women as well) their figures will get thicker (so do ours)
We are expected to suck it up.  So should they.

[hotstff]

The Duchess, it's good that the guidelines are changing regarding HRT.
Lets hope it filters through quickly to the Docs in the burbs.

[TheDuchess]

I don't know enough about it but would assume that by being transgender you are born with the chromosomes to be one or other gender, but due to other factors in the embryonic stage you are born neither truly male or female - so hormonal treatment is _ I assume!- needed for life, post-surgery.

The guidelines have been there for some time to educate GPs. There has never been a cut-off point at 60. Some drs have chosen to do this, for their own sweet reasons. I know someone who is 75 and has been on HRT for 30 years. From her GP. She just says she can't cope without it - tired for 6 months not long ago. If your GP won't allow you to continue post-60, why not print off the BMS thing and take it along?

[TheDuchess]

Out of curiosity, I had a look and found this.
It's an NHS guide to hormones and transgender. On pages 9-10 is discusses how hormones are needed for life.

http://www.teni.ie/attachments/9ea50d6e-1148-4c26-be0d-9def980047db.PDF

[Meeka]

Without reading any data I would think transgender females are really a different issue.   They are physiologically different.  The risks and benefits are different to women who are born female. I doubt any long term studies have even been conducted yet on the risks and benefits for trans females.

My mother took HRT until she was 74 prescribed by her GP .   She was never told to stop.   She eventually stopped because she had a hysterectomy and was advised to stop by her Gynea.   It was really not the right decision because she had osteo artheritis which became much more severe once the hrt was removed.  She basically lost her mobility quickly and her quality of life was greatly reduced.   In hindsight she would of been better to stay on HRT .

[TheDuchess]

The information in the NHS link appears to say that transfemales who become men need testosterone, and transmales who become women need oestrogen, for life  unless they have their ovaries and testes removed, because these will always influence their physique, appearance and functions. They also say that after surgery the levels of hormonal treatment may be adjusted. So is quite different.

[Taz2]

Canada has produced this leaflet which sets out the risks and benefits and how each hormone works. I can't see a mention of age though http://www.wagenderproject.org/resources/hormones-MTF.pdf

Taz x

[CLKD]

Interesting thread!  Will read the Links later