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“Creating ourselves:” A qualitative analysis of DIY HRT practices in nonbinary adults

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  • Welty, Heather

Abstract

Engaging in ‘do it yourself’ hormone replacement therapy (DIY HRT), including accessing hormones through non-medical pathways or self-altering one's prescribed dosage, is a common way trans people fulfill their transition-related needs. Although extant research has primarily focused only on binary trans populations, “DIYing” is particularly salient for those who are not seeking a binary transition. This paper shares findings from a qualitative, in-depth interview-based study with nonbinary adults who engage in DIY HRT practices and medical providers who prescribe HRT. Through participant's narratives, DIY HRT emerged as both a mode of knowledge production, a site of communal care, and a practice through which participants could support themselves and their communities and achieve bodily autonomy. These findings indicate that nonbinary trans people may opt to DIY due to systemic disinvestment in the production of knowledge and quality care within trans healthcare, choosing instead to engage with the wealth of knowledge and resources that exist in DIY HRT sites and communal care networks.

Suggested Citation

  • Welty, Heather, 2025. "“Creating ourselves:” A qualitative analysis of DIY HRT practices in nonbinary adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 373(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:373:y:2025:i:c:s0277953625002953
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.117965
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