HRT in Iraq — overview
This is a multi-part guide to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for trans Iraqis. It is written by people who have navigated Iraqi pharmacies, found their own labs, and learned hard lessons about what works and what hurts.
This guide is harm-reduction information. It is not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for care from a qualified clinician. We provide it because most readers do not have access to an informed clinician — the goal is that anyone who is going to do this anyway does it as safely as possible. If you have access to a doctor who will work with you, see them first.
What this guide covers
- What is HRT — the basics of what hormones do and the two-component model.
- Feminizing HRT — estrogen and antiandrogen options available in Iraq, including Estrofem, cyproterone acetate (Androcur, Androfarm), bicalutamide, and spironolactone. Dosing, timeline of changes, and the critical CPA meningioma warning.
- Masculinizing HRT — testosterone options in Iraq.
- Sourcing in Iraq — how to actually obtain these medications, the show-the-box-photo method, and how to ask a pharmacy to order from the مذخر.
- Pharmacy script — tested Arabic-language scripts that the collective has used, with English translations.
- Monitoring — what labs to get, how often, and where to find Iraqi private labs that handle hormone panels.
- Risks — honest information about the cardiovascular, hepatic, neurological, and mental-health risks of HRT.
Who this is for
Anyone in Iraq who is considering hormone therapy, currently on hormones, or supporting someone who is. The information below assumes you are an adult. If you are under 18 and considering HRT, please reach out via our community channel before starting — there are additional considerations we want to discuss with you privately.
Before you start
Read all eight pages of this guide before purchasing anything. The information builds on itself: the dosing page only makes sense after the basics, and the risks page is essential context for the sourcing page. HRT is a long-term commitment to your body, and getting the foundation right matters more than starting fast.
If at any point something is unclear, reach out to us. We are not doctors, but we can connect you with people in the collective who have been through it.