Abstract
This article discusses the production of subjectivities and bodily transformations related to the use of biomedical resources. Its guiding thread is an interview with a woman who is a hormonal implant user. This interview was carried out within the scope of a project that included interviews with physicians and patients/consumers of hormonal treatments, as well as observations at events and analyses of documents. The case illustrates the emergence of a new type of "patient-specialist-consumer", as has been described in the literature on the biomedicalization of society. Moreover, it serves to problematize the establishment of pre-defined boundaries between the supposed material and discursive factors. Considering the narrative of the interviewee, the subjectivity produced is dependent on the performance of the hormonal implant, at the same time that the implant requires a series of investments to produce the expected effects. This underscores the need for an analytical approach that highlights the different processes of materialization involved.
Key words:
Biomedicalization; Subjectivation; Hormones; Gender; Process of materialization