Study shows hormone therapy may pose health risks to transgender men

New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) Long-term sex hormone treatment in transgender individuals can lead to significant changes in body composition and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, particularly in transgender men, finds a study on Thursday.

Hormone therapy is a gender-affirming medical treatment that can help transgender people align their bodies with their gender identities.

The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, showed that prolonged use of the hormone therapy causes changes in fat volumes over time, the greatest changes in muscle mass and strength occurred after just one year of treatment.

Research from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden followed 17 adult transgender men and 16 transgender women who were prescribed treatment with testosterone and oestrogen, respectively.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) they mapped body composition and also measured metabolic risk factors via blood tests, blood pressure, and vascular stiffness.

The scans were conducted before the start of hormone therapy, after one year and then after five to six years to assess the difference.

Tommy Lundberg, from the Department of Laboratory Medicine, at Karolinska said that the transgender men treated with testosterone had their muscle volume increased by an average of 21 per cent in six years.

Along with their abdominal fat which increased by 70 per cent, they also had more liver fat and higher levels of ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol - - raising the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Lundberg stressed the need to “continue monitoring the long-term health effects of hormone therapy in transgender individuals to prevent cardiovascular disease and other health issues.”

Notably, the study did not find a similar increase in body changes among transgender women receiving oestrogen treatment. Their muscle volume decreased by an average of seven percent after five years of treatment, whereas muscle strength remained unchanged. The transgender women increased their total fat volume but gained less abdominal fat, the researchers said.

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