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Whether you’re transgender or otherwise gender nonconforming, you may be thinking about the options when it comes to surgical transition, either now or in the future — and if you're under 18, “future” may be the operative (so to speak) word. While you may not be thinking about surgery for quite a while, it helps to be informed so that you can start thinking about your options and the decisions ahead.

Depending on how old you are, where you live, and the specifics of your situation, you may start with “blockers,” also called puberty blockers or puberty inhibitors (or, more formally, GnRH agonists). These drugs do pretty much exactly what it sounds like they do: they block the release of hormones from the pituitary gland, thus putting a pause on puberty.

If you’re a little older, or you feel confident and ready to transition after being on blockers and your doctor thinks it's reasonable to do so, you may start taking estrogen and an androgen blocker if your body would otherwise naturally produce testosterone. You may hear estrogen referred to as a “feminizing hormone” or “female hormone,” which is a term I dislike because you may not necessarily be taking it to achieve a “feminine” body if you’re nonbinary or otherwise gender nonconforming, and lots of people who aren't women produce estrogen naturally. You can just call it estrogen!

If your body is longing to pump out some estrogen and you’d rather it didn’t, your doctor will start you on testosterone therapy. Estrogen blockers are also available, but they aren’t widely used — usually your testosterone will be enough to do the trick. You may also hear testosterone discussed as a “masculinizing” or “male” hormone, but it doesn’t have to be either of those things for you unless you want it to be.

After social transition, many people face the question of whether they also want to pursue medical (hormones) and/or surgical transition. In this post, we’ll be discussing hormones — our following post will delve into the nitty gritty details of “the surgery” (starting with the fact that there’s not just one).

So you’ve come out. Now what? Today we’re all about logistics, because coming out, and socially transitioning, is an ever-evolving process. First, let’s head to the schoolyard.

You cannot become pregnant when you have pants or other kinds of clothing on that covers your genitals. No, seriously, listen up: YOU CANNOT BECOME PREGNANT WHEN YOU HAVE PANTS ON. No, not even JUST you but no one else, because you think you are some kind of one-in-a-million-something-or-other...

He doesn't want to engage in sex with condoms (or, I assume, anything that would reduce your risks of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections). You don't want to engage in sex without those things. So, your limit, a limit you need to make clear to him, is that you won't engage in sex without...

For most of our global history, people have rarely been free from the judgment of others about their sexual lives. Unfortunately. Mind, we can say the same for pretty near every part of human life and behavior: some people are judgy or sanctimonious about some things sometimes, and some of those...

Want a quick way to sort out what does and does not pose real risks of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections? We've taken the temperature for you here.