• Question: do you think you could change the human body using hormones.

    Asked by OpticShrek69 to Amy, Craig, Laura, Partha, Saffron on 13 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Saffron Whitehead

      Saffron Whitehead answered on 13 Jun 2015:

      Yes and they do naturally. For example testosterone secreted by an XY male fetus controls development of the male reproductive tract. The fetus who cannot respond to testoterone because of a genetic defect will look like a girl although he/she will have no ovaries. We would be very short if we had no growth hormone. We can growth lumps in our neck (termed a goitre)is there is something wrong with our thyroid gland

    • Photo: Amy Cameron

      Amy Cameron answered on 15 Jun 2015:

      Yes people who are going through gender reassignment are given hormones that they don’t make naturally to produce a more feminine (from oestrogen) or masculine (from testosterone) appearance. It can be quite dramatic which shows the power of hormones. Female to make for example get deeper voices and body hair.

    • Photo: Laura Wales

      Laura Wales answered on 18 Jun 2015:

      Yes.

      If there is an imbalance of hormones, this may be sorted with hormone replacement therapy. If a transgender (male to female for example) starts female hormone therapy, they grow breasts, there would be less body hair, skin becomes softer, fat distribution and muscle mass changes, testes will slightly decrease in size.

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