Research Relating to Transgender HRT
Mutual Medical Education for a Neglected Community
While there is a plethora of research on trans people, the focus of this repository is Gender Affirming HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). There is a section on affirming surgical procedures that will grow with time (and hopefully your help!), but the bulk of the research posted here will focus on the use of testosterones, estrogens, antiandrogens, progestogens, and puberty blockers (GnRH agonists).
Categories & How to Use Them
The research is divided into categories, but it's important to note that it's NOT divided by transition type or gender identity, with the exception of a special category for research that mentions non-binary folks. It hasn't been divided between trans masculine and trans feminine because many of the studies involve both and much of the research relating to the effects of testosterone and estrogen applies to both groups in opposing ways. If you are trans feminine and looking for information about the effects of going on estrogen, it's strongly encouraged that you also read the research about testosterone so you are aware of what effects you'll be losing when you start antiandrogens. The inverse applies for transmasculine folks as well. Some research appears in multiple categories as applicable, and the newest posted research will appear at the top of each category.
Paywalls
Some of these research papers are behind paywalls, meaning they are not free to read in their entirety. Reading the abstract can often give some valuable insight, and if you are a college student or work in medicine you may be able to access the full text version without paying. If this site indicates there is NOT a paywall, but you don't see the full article when you follow the link, look for a "Download" link- that will download the full article to your device as a PDF. Some of the sites have a link that allows you to request the full version from the author, which often works as authors want their work to be read. The creators of this site firmly believe all research papers should be free to the public, but unfortunately academia and the scientific community are drenched in accessibility and class barriers. Great effort was put into locating free, full-text versions and the only ones behind paywalls could not be located elsewhere for free. If you find a link to a free, full-text version of a paper that is listed here behind a paywall, please submit it using the Submit a Link form so others can access it.
Not All Research is Equal
There are different types of research papers, ranging from studies of a single case to systematic reviews of all literature available on a topic. Research posted here is not necessarily hard fact, or even promoted as truth by the creators of this site. In fact, you may find some of it downright offensive, especially in regard to terminology used. Some of it is contradicted by other research posted here. The information is presented as-is, without opinion, for you to use how you see fit.
Here is a graphic that may help those who are new to research papers determine how much weight a single piece of research may have based on what type of paper it is:
Ways to Use This Research
If you have concerns that are backed up by research found here, print it out and take it to your doctor or healthcare provider. They may be able to help you understand what it means and/or it may be new information for them that ends up helping you and other trans folks.
Take it all in, and keep it in mind as you start your HRT journey. If something happens to you that you read about here, having the knowledge of why it's happening may be extremely helpful.
Prepare yourself for possibilities.
Consider the risks before you decide what steps you want to take in your transition. There are risks and rewards for everything, and only you can decide if it's worth it in your particular case.
If you have a loved one on HRT or considering it, educate yourself on what they may be experiencing.
Share this repository with friends, family, medical professionals, etc to increase general knowledge about transgender HRT!
Read about why this repository was created
AFFIRMING PROCEDURES
AGING
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Feminizing Hormone Therapy Prescription Patterns and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Aging Transgender Individuals in Australia | No | 7/13/2021 | 9/21/2022 |
Estrogens and aging skin | No | 4/1/2013 | 4/21/2020 |
Sex Hormones and Alzheimer’s Disease | No | 12/24/2017 | 4/20/2020 |
Gender Differences in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD) Support an Estrogenic Model of Delayed Onset | No | 4/12/2018 | 4/20/2020 |
Sex Hormones and Inner Ear | No | 5/2/2018 | 4/20/2020 |
APPETITE & WEIGHT
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Ovarian Hormones and Reward Processes in Palatable Food Intake and Binge Eating | Yes | 12/1/2019 | 4/26/2020 |
Sex hormones, appetite and eating behaviour in women | No | 3/1/2012 | 4/21/2020 |
The effects of cross-sex hormone therapy on body weight and fat percentage in transgender individuals | Yes | 5/1/2015 | 4/21/2020 |
Cross-sex hormone therapy in transgender
persons affects total body weight, body fat,
and lean body mass: a meta-analysis | No | 8/29/2016 | 4/21/2020 |
The ovarian hormone estradiol plays a crucial role in the control of food intake in females | No | 9/26/2011 | 4/20/2020 |
BEHAVIORAL CHANGES
BONE HEALTH
CANCER
CHRONIC ILLNESS
COGNITIVE CHANGES
DYSPHORIA
FERTILITY
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Fertility preservation for transgender individuals | No | 5/13/2022 | 9/21/2022 |
Successful In Vitro Fertilization in a Cisgender Female Carrier Using Oocytes Retrieved From a Transgender Man Maintained on Testosterone | No | 2/1/2022 | 9/21/2022 |
Oocyte cryopreservation in a transgender man on long-term testosterone therapy: a case report | No | 6/1/2021 | 9/21/2022 |
Transgenderism and reproduction | No | 12/1/2013 | 4/20/2020 |
AMA Journal of Ethics ® POLICY FORUM Transgender Reproductive Choice and Fertility Preservation | No | 11/1/2016 | 4/20/2020 |
Family Creation Options for Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People | No | 6/1/2016 | 4/20/2020 |
Impact of Exogenous Testosterone on Reproduction in Transgender Men | Yes | 3/1/2020 | 4/20/2020 |
Uterine and ovarian changes during testosterone administration in young female-to-male transsexuals | No | 10/1/2016 | 4/20/2020 |
Contraception Care for Transmasculine Individuals on Testosterone Therapy | yes | 4/17/2019 | 4/20/2020 |
Contraception Across the Transmasculine Spectrum | No | 8/1/2019 | 4/20/2020 |
GENERAL
GYNECOLOGICAL
HAIR & SKIN
HEART & VASCULAR HEALTH
HIV & PREP
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Longitudinal Cohort Study of Gender Affirmation and HIV-Related Health in Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults: The LEGACY Project Protocol | No | 3/1/2021 | 9/21/2022 |
Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy on Progression Along the HIV Care Continuum in Transgender Women | No | 12/1/2021 | 9/21/2022 |
Decreased Tenofovir Diphosphate Concentrations in a Transgender Female Cohort: Implications for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Preexposure Prophylaxis | No | 12/15/2019 | 9/21/2022 |
Drug‐drug interactions between feminizing hormone therapy and pre‐exposure prophylaxis among transgender women: the iFACT study | No | 7/1/2019 | 9/21/2022 |
Drug-drug Interactions Among Thai Transgender Women Living with Human Immunodeficiency Undergoing Feminizing Hormone Therapy and Antiretroviral Therapy: The iFACT Study | No | 2/1/2021 | 9/21/2022 |
Transgender women on oral HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis have significantly lower tenofovir and emtricitabine concentrations when also taking oestrogen when compared to cisgender men | No | 11/1/2019 | 9/21/2022 |
Sex Hormone Therapy and Tenofovir Diphosphate Concentration in Dried Blood Spots: Primary Results of the Interactions Between Antiretrovirals And Transgender Hormones Study | Yes | 8/8/2020 | 9/21/2022 |
Gender-Affirming Hormone Pharmacokinetics Among Adolescent and Young Adult Transgender Persons Receiving Daily Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate | Yes | 8/29/2022 | 9/21/2022 |
Estrogen May Enhance Toll-Like Receptor 4-Induced Inflammatory Pathways in People With HIV: Implications for Transgender Women on Hormone Therapy | No | 6/3/2022 | 9/21/2022 |
LONG TERM
MENTAL HEALTH
NON-BINARY
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Beyond the Binary: Sexual and Reproductive Health Considerations for Transgender and Gender Expansive Adolescents | No | 10/6/2021 | 9/21/2022 |
Comparing the health of non-binary and binary transgender adults in a statewide non-probability sample | No | 8/27/2019 | 4/20/2020 |
Health of Non-binary and Genderqueer People: A Systematic Review | No | 6/25/2019 | 4/20/2020 |
Genders and Individual Treatment Progress in (Non-)Binary Trans Individuals | No | 1/1/2018 | 4/20/2020 |
PAIN
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Cross-sex hormone administration changes pain in transsexual women and men | Yes | 2/1/2007 | 4/20/2020 |
Hormones and Their Interaction with the Pain Experience | No | 12/1/2008 | 4/20/2020 |
Sex and pain perception and analgesia | No | 12/1/2011 | 4/20/2020 |
Hormones in pain modulation and their clinical implications for pain control: a critical review | No | 7/30/2016 | 4/20/2020 |
Treatment of pain in fibromyalgia patients with testosterone gel: Pharmacokinetics and clinical response | No | 8/1/2015 | 4/20/2020 |
PHYSICAL CHANGES
SEX
SLEEP
Title | Paywall | Date published | Date Added |
|---|---|---|---|
Effects of low-dose oral micronised progesterone on sleep, psychological distress, and breast development in transgender individuals undergoing feminising hormone therapy: a prospective controlled study | No | 5/23/2022 | 9/21/2022 |
The relationship between sleep disorders and testosterone in men | No | 1/7/2014 | 4/20/2020 |
Sex hormones play a role in vulnerability to sleep loss on emotion processing tasks | No | 10/12/2017 | 4/20/2020 |
Testosterone therapy and obstructive sleep apnea: is there a real connection? | Yes | 7/21/2007 | 4/20/2020 |
Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Transgender Community | No | 10/15/2019 | 4/20/2020 |
Changes in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) during male to female transgender therapy | Yes | 8/1/2011 | 4/20/2020 |