Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Sep;54(9):1450-1457.
doi: 10.1111/imj.16413. Epub 2024 Jul 26.

Gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender and gender-diverse adults in Australia

Brendan J Nolan  1   2   3 , Ada S Cheung  2   4
Affiliations
Review

Gender-affirming hormone therapy for transgender and gender-diverse adults in Australia

Brendan J Nolan et al. Intern Med J. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is used by many transgender and gender-diverse adults to align physical characteristics with their gender identity, reduce gender incongruence and improve psychological functioning. This narrative review provides an overview of the initiation and monitoring of GAHT in an Australian context. Trans individuals treated with testosterone typically receive standard testosterone doses and formulations recommended for cisgender men, whereas those receiving estradiol GAHT are typically treated with estradiol in combination with an anti-androgen in those without orchidectomy. Proactive monitoring and mitigation of cardiovascular risk factors is pertinent in all transgender and gender-diverse adults and bone health is an important consideration in those using estradiol GAHT.

Keywords: estradiol; gender‐affirming hormone therapy; testosterone; transgender.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Meerwijk EL, Sevelius JM. Transgender population size in the United States: a meta‐regression of population‐based probability samples. Am J Public Health 2017; 107: e1–e8.
    1. Zucker KJ. Epidemiology of gender dysphoria and transgender identity. Sex Health 2017; 14: 404–411.
    1. van Leerdam TR, Zajac JD, Cheung AS. The effect of gender‐affirming hormones on gender dysphoria, quality of life, and psychological functioning in transgender individuals: a systematic review. Transgend Health 2023; 8: 6–21.
    1. Nolan BJ, Zwickl S, Locke P, Zajac JD, Cheung AS. Early access to testosterone therapy in transgender and gender‐diverse adults seeking masculinization: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6: e2331919.
    1. Foster Skewis L, Bretherton I, Leemaqz SY, Zajac JD, Cheung AS. Short‐term effects of gender‐affirming hormone therapy on dysphoria and quality of life in transgender individuals: a prospective controlled study. Front Endocrinol 2021; 12: 717766.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources