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Review
. 2024 Jan-Dec:20:17455057241289706.
doi: 10.1177/17455057241289706.

Breast care considerations for transgender and gender-diverse patients

Evelyn F Carroll  1   2 , Christine Rogers  3 , Margaret Summerside  3 , Chandler S Cortina  4   3
Affiliations
Review

Breast care considerations for transgender and gender-diverse patients

Evelyn F Carroll et al. Womens Health (Lond). 2024 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) persons represent a small but growing population in the United States. Accessing inclusive, equitable, and evidence-based healthcare remains a challenge for this patient population. Many TGD persons seek gender-affirming care, including gender-affirming hormonal therapy (GAHT) and gender-affirming surgery (GAS), to help ameliorate the physical and mental aspects of their gender incongruence. Both GAHT and GAS induce clinically important histopathologic and anatomic changes in breast tissue. Consequently, breast care in TGD persons has become an increasingly recognized topic of importance in gender-affirming care. However, there remains a scarce but growing base of literature specifically addressing the unique healthcare needs of breast care in TGD patients. This article will review how to establish trusting patient-provider relationships for TGD patients, gender inclusivity in breast clinics and imaging centers, the influence of GAHT and GAS on breast tissue, breast cancer screening recommendations and barriers, and breast cancer risk and treatment considerations in TGD persons.

Keywords: breast; breast cancer; breast cancer screening; breast health; gender-affirming care; gender-affirming hormone therapy; gender-affirming surgery; gender-diverse; nonbinary; transgender.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Examples of gender-affirming top surgery. Before (a) and after (b) chest masculinization surgery. Before (c) and after (d) breast augmentation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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