Hormone therapy can have profound effects on our immune systems, gut bacteria, our brains, senses, and sex lives.

This story was originally reported by Orion Rummler of The 19th, and republished through Rewire News Group‘s partnership with the 19th News Network.

The politics of hormone therapy depend on who’s taking it. But whether hormones are taken to treat menopause or gender dysphoria, we’re talking about the same drugs. They have powerful effects on our bodies. And in recent years, research has expanded our understanding of what they do. 

They can change the way our brains work, change how we sense the world, and may even lower the risk of certain cancers. 

They can cause profound changes that blur the line between “biological sex” and gender identity. 

The science and the future of hormones are evolving quickly, and that has far-reaching implications. Some of the links between hormones and changes in the body are well-researched; others are less so, with studies into people of different races, backgrounds, and socioeconomic classes lacking. But understanding how hormones affect the body can improve health care for everyone. For example, some experts believe that more research into hormones and gut bacteria can advance treatment for autoimmune diseases.

We all have hormones; everyone naturally has both estrogen and testosterone. Hormone therapy changes that mix and impacts your body in similar ways, whether you’re trans or cisgender, nonbinary, or not. 

As more cis people start hormones and transgender people navigate limited access under the Trump administration, The 19th takes a look at how hormones can change your body. 

A 2024 study found that, among trans men, testosterone alters immune cells. After a year of hormone therapy, study participants’ immune systems resembled that of cis men—making them slightly more susceptible to viral infections. 

And for menopausal women, estrogen taken through hormone therapy may boost immune health, according to a study released last fall from the Queen Mary University of London. There are limitations for studies like this, such as population bias, since women on menopausal hormone therapy tend to have more money and therefore be healthier overall.

A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in the medical journal BMC Medicine found that, after hormone therapy, both trans men and trans women........

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