“Liminal Femininities: The social role of hormone medicine in menopausal and gender transitions.”

Using qualitative interview data from a sample of heterosexual cisgender women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for (peri)menopause and transfeminine people taking HRT for medical gender transition, I argue that while users anticipate the medication’s efficacy, they narrativize HRT as producing a liminal state of femininity. Within this process, cis women’s liminal femininity leans nostalgic; wherein their menopausal transition is a different state from their “former” selves. Transfeminine people’s liminal femininity is more uncertain, and with HRT, they are co-producing a feminine body that is not necessarily tethered to previous feminine embodiments.

This paper is drafted from my dissertation, which was defended in April 2026. I plan to submit this for publication by September 2026.

Manuscript is available upon request.