Research

Hormonal

Testosterone therapy in transgender men is effective for virilization, with higher doses achieving effects faster but not resulting in greater final outcomes compared to lower doses over the intermediate term.

For trans men, testosterone therapy effectively causes virilization. While higher doses might speed up early changes, they do not produce better results than lower doses after six months. It is safer to start with a lower dose and titrate up to a target range (300-1,000 ng/dL) to minimize risks while achieving the same physical changes.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Nakamura et al. (10) showed that early onset of treatment effects of testosterone therapy is dose-dependent, but within six months of initiating therapy, higher doses are no more effective than lower doses. Therefore, while higher doses may achieve desirable effects sooner, the risks associated with fast titration need to be assessed, and patients should be aware that testosterone effects eventually become the same over the intermediate-term.
Cécile A. Unger · Translational Andrology and Urology · 2016

Why this rating

Based on a specific study (Nakamura et al.) cited in the review; the review itself is a narrative review, not a primary trial.

Source

Hormone therapy for transgender patients

Cécile A. Unger · Translational Andrology and Urology · 2016

DOI 10.21037/tau.2016.09.04

narrative_reviewCited 243×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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