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After about two years of estrogen, your body will be pretty maxed out in the boob department. What you see is what you get…but if you’re not happy with the look and feel of your breasts, you can explore breast augmentation. There are a huge range of procedures available, broken down by type of incision and implant, and your best option depends on the preferences of your surgeon, your body, and your desired outcome.

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.

I can spot one big thing that’s making sex unpleasant for you, and it has zero to do with your brain or body being “wrong”. It’s got everything to do with your boyfriend. Before I go into why that is, there’s something else that needs addressing. You mention someone abused you as a child, and I’m so…

Hello there! If you’re reading this, then you’you’ve probably learned that you have a transgender (trans) or otherwise gender nonconforming student at your school. Or maybe you’re reading up in hopes of proactively making your school a safer space. Either way, we’re glad to have you here. Why create…

So you’re ready to start talking openly about your gender, and you want to come out of the shadows and live as yourself. Coming out stories are as diverse as gender itself and you have a whole lot of options in front of you, depending on the level of support you anticipate from friends, family, school, and the world at large.

For trans folks (and non-binary, genderqueer, agender, and all other gender non-conforming folks) gender expression can be a lot more tricky than it is for many cisgender people. How do you find clothing when many companies don’t acknowledge that people who are built like you exist? If you body doesn’t quite have all the bits you wish it did (or has some bits you really wish it didn’t), how can you present your body in a way that makes you feel like yourself?

So you’ve thought about sex and gender and all that good stuff and a little bird is telling you that you might be trans. But how do you know?

Whether someone peeped at your reproductive organs in utero or they waited until after you popped out into the world, one of the first things people probably defined about you was your sex, on the basis of what they found between your legs. Ever since, you’ve been stuck with the assigned gender label of “male” or “female,” and all the baggage that goes along with it. Well, here’s your chance to set that baggage down for a bit, because we’re going to go in deep on sex, gender, and identity.

I couldn’t be more excited to tell you that the brand, spankin’ new edition of Scarleteen’s long-popular sex, sexuality, sexual health and relationships guide, S.E.X.,(2007 & 2016, DaCapo Press/Perseus Books) is coming to bookstores everywhere this week!

Experiencing a little gender confusion? We know the feeling. In Trans Summer School, we’ll give you the big scoop about trans and otherwise gender nonconforming people, and answer your questions about the wide world of gender.

I’m sorry to hear you’re feeling insecure in your sexual relationship. It’s understandable that you’d feel a bit uncertain about your girlfriend’s enjoyment of sex since it sounds like you aren’t getting much, if any, honest feedback from her and are worried her responses during sex aren’t genuine…

So, you’ve got an STI. How do you tell current or potential partners?

We cannot begin to express our sorrow about the shootings at the Pulse in Orlando last night. Our hearts go out and are open to all of the friends, lovers, partners, community and family who have lost loved ones, and to those, and their loved ones, who have been injured. All of our wishes and hopes…

While it can sure feel like there is sometimes, there is no default setting when it comes to feeling sexual desire. There’s no one default, nor a universal normal, for who has those feelings, how often they have them, when in life they have them or they first develop, in what specific circumstances…

Another day, another famous person accused of abuse or assault. And with it, yet another wave begins of victim-blaming and denials from fans and people who know the person being accused of abuse personally or professionally. We’ve been here before, so many times. We’re all familiar with the kinds of…

Advice for sorting good information from the bad.

Yes, the adolescent brain makes impulsive behavior more likely. That doesn’t mean young adults don’t know what they want or what they’re talking about.

First things first - it sounds like your family needs to step back and let you make your own choices here, without adding their own commentary or judgment. They may be coming from a place of concern, but it’s misguided and hurtful, and whether they wind up being right about this or not, it’s still…

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This is a real-time chat, staffed and seen only by you and our staff and volunteers. It works just like an IM conversation or Facebook chat. You may also sometimes see the available chat icon outside of chat hours if and when staff are available for chat at times other than our set hours, and are…