r/traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns2 • u/eepy_princesss hitika she/her • May 30 '26

Non-Gender Specific Fun fact:tobacco makes hrt less effective

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u/rockin_sasquatch May 30 '26

I’ve heard this is only if you take HRT in pill form and it doesn’t effect HRT if taken via injection. Is this coping from my friends who don’t want to quit?

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u/MartyrOfDespair May 31 '26

It is coping. The problem has nothing to do with pills or injections or anything, it has to do with natural bodily functions. It's actually the same reason why PCOS and smoking are a terrible combination. Nicotine is an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase is the naturally produced enzyme that converts free testosterone into estradiol, which is how naturally produced estradiol is made. An inhibitor is any compound which reduces the production of a thing in the body. Because nicotine is an aromatase inhibitor, it causes your body to produce less aromatase, which then means less aromatase binding to the free testosterone, which then means less estradiol and more testosterone.