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I know that ingesting testosterone and other hormonal drugs may stimulate libido and increase sexual desire.

But I wonder, if a man ingests female hormones such as estrogen, will he experience sexual desire towards other men or not?

Similarly, the other way around, whether a female ingesting male sexual hormones will experience desire towards other women?

The question is motivated by the interest to know whether transgender people, particularly, the MtF transsexuals engaged in prostitution experience genuine attraction to males.

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    $\begingroup$ Testosterone injections do not increase libido in healthy adult men: eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2001-11/aps-tdr113001.php (at least not more than a placebo) $\endgroup$
    – dtech
    Commented Jan 9, 2013 at 22:59
  • $\begingroup$ @dtech what about teenagers? It is often said that they want more sex because of hormonal boom. $\endgroup$
    – Anixx
    Commented Jan 10, 2013 at 0:48

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There is no evidence that postnatal hormone exposure can change the sexual sexual preference of an individual. However atypical hormonal stimulation of the fetus can induce homosexuality.

Homosexuality does not develop without a variety of social factors which are up-to-date mostly unexplained. But can develop without hormonal stimulation.

As real life examples there are a androgen antagonists for the treatment of of prostate cancer, which reduce the testosterone level in males. Under treatment the men often turn softer and more emotional, as described by their wifes. And there is beer which contains oestrogens and can induce the growth of female breasts in men. But none of this mechanisms has been observed to turn males homosexual.

Further Reading (second text is free fulltext):

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23397798

[2] http://endo.endojournals.org/content/152/8/2937.long

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People suspect that hormones for have an effect, but there are also genetic and biological factors. Hormones have caused some animals, such as frogs, to change sexes. Also, both genders have testosterone and estrogen in their bodies. Men just have more testosterone and women have more estrogen.

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    $\begingroup$ Can you expand on that, possibly putting some references? For instance, although it is true that the balance T/E2 is higher in men, but testosterone, in men also act (especially in the brain) after being aromatized to estrogen and local concentrations can be very high. $\endgroup$
    – nico
    Commented Jan 10, 2013 at 7:46
  • $\begingroup$ Suppression of testosterone activity is correlated with lowered sexual desire in both men and women... $\endgroup$
    – shigeta
    Commented Feb 13, 2013 at 15:41

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