A Call for Updates to Hormone Therapy Guidelines for Gender-Diverse Adults Assigned Male at Birth

Reema Patel; Stanley Korenman; Amy Weimer; Shira Grock

doi:10.7759/cureus.62262

A Call for Updates to Hormone Therapy Guidelines for Gender-Diverse Adults Assigned Male at Birth

Cureus. 2024 Jun 12;16(6):e62262. doi: 10.7759/cureus.62262. eCollection 2024 Jun.

Authors

Reema Patel^{1

2}, Stanley Korenman², Amy Weimer³, Shira Grock²

Affiliations

¹ Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, USA.
² Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.
³ General Internal Medicine, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA.

Abstract

Gender-affirming hormone therapy for assigned male at birth (AMAB) individuals with gender incongruence typically consists of estradiol with or without an anti-androgen to achieve physical changes and psychological benefits. However, prescribed hormone regimens vary considerably, and high-quality research in this area is extremely limited. Additional evidence-based research evaluating patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is needed to fill current knowledge gaps and create a personalized therapeutic approach for AMAB individuals. This editorial provides a critical description of current treatment options, discusses their variability, reviews some discrepancies in guideline-based dosing recommendations, and recommends areas for further study.

Keywords: anti-androgen; estradiol; gender incongruence; hormone therapy; transgender.

Publication types

Editorial