Research
Hormonal
Long-term cross-sex hormone therapy does not increase the occurrence of cardiovascular events (myocardial infarction, DVT, cerebrovascular events) in transgender men, despite some negative changes in metabolic risk factors.
Trans men on testosterone therapy should have their metabolic health (lipids, blood pressure) monitored regularly. However, current studies do not show an increased risk of actual cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes, though long-term data is still being gathered.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Despite these metabolic changes, and negative impact on potential risk factors for cardiovascular disease, no studies have found an increase in the occurrence of cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, and cerebrovascular events (16,29,30).
Why this rating
Based on observational studies (Wierckx et al.) with small numbers and medium-term follow-up; large-scale prospective studies are lacking.
Source
Hormone therapy for transgender patients
Cécile A. Unger · Translational Andrology and Urology · 2016
DOI 10.21037/tau.2016.09.04
narrative_reviewCited 243×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Ethinyl estradiol is strongly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and should be avoided in transgender women; oral and transdermal estradiol are preferred.Good
- Cross-sex hormone therapy (testosterone for trans men, estrogen/anti-androgens for trans women) significantly improves quality of life, mood, and reduces perceived stress and cortisol levels.Moderate
- 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.Moderate
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →