Contemporary scientific research into the so-called sex hormone ‘estrogen’ show both that estrogens are multiple and that they may be better regarded as ‘growth hormones.’ Engaging with feminist accounts of the history of endocrinology and recent scientific reformulations of estrogen, this paper will explore how cultural understandings and material practices of sex/gender and embodiment have restricted mainstream scientific, biomedical and popular understandings of what estrogen can do. How are contemporary scientific research projects changing these understandings and how might feminist and queer theorists get involved in promoting emerging reformulations?

Estrogen-based medications are used to treat a variety of concerns, including bothersome symptoms of menopause, gender affirming care and breast or prostate cancer. However, inaccessibility and unintended effects complicate its use. Uses of estrogen today are influenced by twentieth century hormone research, which understood estrogen as ‘the female hormone’. Hormones were meant to signal and create biological sex; a binary and complementary system. How we understand hormones impacts the kinds of healthcare people seek, expect and receive.

This paper examines narratives surrounding estrogen across eight social media platforms. Relevant posts were compiled into a database based on theme, topic and user group, and analysis was guided by three key questions: who is talking about estrogen and why? Who is considered an authority on the topic? Where are the points of contact between user groups?
 
The stories, advice and complaints of users online reveal understandings of estrogen that aren’t often known to medical authorities. They indicate widespread frustration and distrust, but also different ways of living in the gendered body. Understanding narratives of estrogen online can inform better health communications. It can reveal how users, particularly marginalised users, are adapting medical knowledge to non-clinical environments.