Androgen
An androgen is any hormone that drives the changes of a testosterone-led puberty: a deeper voice, facial and body hair, more muscle, and oilier skin. Testosterone is the main one, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which the body makes from it, is the most potent.
Where you'll meet it
In the names of the medicines that block them (anti-androgens), on blood results, and in almost every conversation about feminizing hormones, where lowering androgens is half the job.
Everyone has them
Androgens are not a male-only hormone. Every body makes some, from the testes, the ovaries and the adrenal glands, and the difference between people is mostly in how much. That is why a lab sheet has reference ranges for both sexes, and why neither range fits a trans person on hormones very well.
Why DHT gets its own mention
Much of what people dislike about androgens, scalp hair loss and body hair especially, is driven by DHT rather than testosterone itself. Some medicines target the conversion from one to the other rather than testosterone as a whole. On masculinizing hormones, DHT is also why someone on testosterone may start losing hair from the crown or temples, if it runs in the family.
Related pages
Not sure where to begin?
The Start Here guide covers what hormones change, how people get a prescription, what the blood tests are for and what it costs.
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