Hormonal
Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT) with estrogen in transgender females (TGF) is associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke compared to cisgender females, whereas testosterone therapy in transgender males (TGM) does not show consistent evidence of increased cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease risk.
If you are a transgender woman taking estrogen, be aware that your risk of heart attack and stroke may be higher than that of cisgender women, so regular cardiovascular check-ups are important. If you are a transgender man taking testosterone, current evidence does not show a significantly increased risk of heart or brain vessel disease, though blood pressure and lipids should still be monitored.
Current research about vascular outcomes in adults receiving hormonal therapy is limited... Existing epidemiological data suggest that the use of estrogens in transgender females confers an increased risk of myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Conversely, transgender males receiving testosterone lack any consistent or convincing evidence of increased risk of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease.
Why this rating
The paper is a review of observational studies, noting limitations such as lack of large cohort studies, lack of appropriate control populations, and reliance on self-reporting in some cases.
Source
Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy, Vascular Health and Cardiovascular Disease in Transgender Adults
Paul Connelly et al. · Hypertension · 2019
DOI 10.1161/hypertensionaha.119.13080
More from this paper
- Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT) is associated with alterations in blood pressure, with some studies showing increases in both transgender females and males, while others show decreases or no change depending on the formulation and duration of therapy.Moderate
- Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT) with estrogen in transgender females (TGF) is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), whereas no increased risk of VTE has been demonstrated in transgender males (TGM).Moderate
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