Editorial Policy: How We Research and Review

This page explains how the content on this site gets written, what it's based on, how often it's checked, and what happens when something is wrong. A lot of what is out there about hormones is either a clinic's leaflet or a forum thread, and neither usually says where its numbers came from. This page does.

Where the information comes from

Every guide on this site starts from three kinds of source.

Clinical guidance. The WPATH Standards of Care, version 8, the Endocrine Society's clinical practice guideline, and published protocols such as UCSF's transgender care guidelines and national health service guidance are the baseline for which medicines are used, how they are monitored and what the usual target ranges are.

Peer-reviewed literature. For timelines of change, side effects and long-term risks, I rely on published studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses from endocrinology and transgender health journals. Much of the evidence on gender-affirming hormones is observational, and some questions, such as the role of progesterone or the long-term effects of low doses, have very little behind them. Where that is the state of the evidence, the page says so rather than presenting one answer as settled.

Clinic and prescriber materials. Patient information leaflets, informed-consent forms, published monitoring schedules and price lists. These are the most useful source for what care actually looks like day to day, and for realistic costs.

Forum posts and social media tell me what questions people have; they aren't used as a source for medical claims.

How figures are reported here

• Timelines are ranges, because the same medicine does different things at different speeds in different people.
• Blood level targets are given as the ranges guidelines commonly cite, with the units, and with the reminder that your prescriber may aim for something different for good reason.
• No page gives a dosing schedule or tells you to start, stop or change a medicine. That decision belongs with you and a prescriber who knows your history.

How pages are written and checked

I write everything on this site myself. Before a page goes live, I check every factual claim against at least one of the sources above and check cost information against current published prices in the countries named.

Review and updates

Each guide carries a last-reviewed date, and I aim to re-check the following on a fixed schedule:

• Cost and access pages: every six months, because prices and the rules on who can prescribe change quickly
• Medicine and health pages: once a year, or sooner if guidance changes or significant new research is published

Independence

Nobody but me funds this site, and no clinic, telehealth service, pharmacy or drug maker has any tie to it.

• No clinic or service pays to be mentioned, and no one can pay to be recommended or described more favourably.
• No content on this site is sponsored.
• I don't accept free services, travel or accommodation in exchange for coverage.

Corrections

If you find something wrong, whether it's a factual error, an outdated price, a guideline that has changed or a description that doesn't match your experience, please tell me. If the correction stands up, the page is fixed and a dated note at the bottom says what changed.

What this site is and isn't

This site provides general information about gender-affirming hormones. It is not medical advice and it does not establish any kind of clinical relationship. What is right for your body, and at what dose, can only be judged by a prescriber who knows your history and your blood results.