When I began hormone replacement therapy (HRT), I expected changes in body and emotion, but I didn’t anticipate a cognitive transformation. To say it has been profound doesn’t do justice to the shifts in my mind, nor to the way I now interact with language, both spoken and written. Initially, I imagined HRT would affect my mood and perhaps my energy levels, but my focus was on the physical and emotional changes. I hadn’t prepared for what feels like an entirely new relationship with words and thought.