Featured research

Here you can find an updated list of all the featured research blurbs that randomly appear on the main page.

Andrology of male-to-female transsexuals: influence of cross-sex hormone therapy on testicular function. A review of previous studies which looks into the efficacy of standard feminizing HRT for the treatment of gender dysphoria. The review aims to analyze the past techniques and their goals, then proposing improvements that can help increase the reliability of achieving the intended effects of HRT.

12-months metabolic changes among gender dysphoric individuals under cross-sex hormone treatment: a targeted metabolomics study. An in depth study which looks into how HRT changes the metabolism of trans men and women. Since many metabolic processes are sexually dimorphic this study can help determine to what extent pre-transition development vs subsequent HRT may effect the metabolism of trans people in contrast to cis people.

Testosterone levels achieved by medically treated transgender women in a United States endocrinology clinic. This study assessed the anonymous medical records of 98 trans women taking spironolactone as part of their feminizing regimen, and assessed how much their testosterone levels dropped over time. ''* Please note that spironolactone is not an anti-gonadotropin and thus does not aim to suppress testosterone production, instead it is an androgen receptor antagonist and instead prevents androgens from activating the receptor. This is a common misconception that can lead to fairly useless data when testing for testosterone levels.''

Testosterone undecanoate and testosterone enanthate injections are both effective and safe in transmen over 5 years of administration. A study evaluating the safety and efficacy of testosterone undecanoate and enanthate injections in 50 trans men for over 5 years. The study has concluded that such injections are safe and effective within the studies scope, shown through parameters of physical health and satisfaction.

A Retrospective Cohort Study on Surgical Outcomes of Penile Prosthesis Implantation Surgery in Transgender Men After Phalloplasty. This study attempted to assess the surgical outcomes of penile prosthetic implants by looking at the frequency of complications and reoperations occurring in various types of phalloplasty. The researchers recommend that patients should be better informed about these complications and their rates.

Medroxyprogesterone Acetate in Gender-Affirming Therapy for Transwomen: Results From a Retrospective Study. This is the first study aiming to investigate the side effects of medroxyprogesterone in the transgender population. The side effects which were self-reported by the population included improved breast development, decreased facial hair, and mood swings. The testing of hormone levels indicated no change in estrogen, yet a decrease in testosterone.

Cyproterone acetate or spironolactone in lowering testosterone concentrations for transgender individuals receiving oestradiol therapy. A comparison between the ability of cyproterone acetate and spironolactone to lower testosterone levels. Although it shows that cyproterone has a greater effect towards lowering testosterone levels, it ironically notes this metric isn't very meaningful since spironolactone is only an antagonist and does not inhibit steroidogenesis.

Venous Thrombotic Risk in Transgender Women Undergoing Estrogen Therapy: A Systematic Review and Metaanalysis. A study which concluded the risk for venothrombotic disease due to estrogen therapy may be overstated and further study is required to have reason limit it's prescription based on the commonly feared factors (age, tobacco use, obesity) specifically with more data on risk factors in relation to routes of administration.

Safety of Combined Facial Plastic Procedures Affecting Multiple Planes in a Single Setting in Facial Feminization for Transgender Patients. A retrospective analysis on the safety of doing multiple facial feminization procedures at once. The study concluded that although there were complications experienced, they were within the expected range of potential issues for such complex surgeries, and despite the issues all came through with "good cosmetic results".

Feminizing the Face: Combination of Frontal Bone Reduction and Reduction Rhinoplasty. A series of case studies which looked into the safety and efficacy of performing both brow and nose facial feminization surgery at the same time, noting that this combination is not only safe, but beneficial as it allows for better coordination and less hospital time/costs.

Comparing the health of non-binary and binary transgender adults in a statewide non-probability sample. A comparison between the health of non-binary vs. binary transgender patients, which showed that there was significant statistical differances between them in terms of health and social factors, with non-binary individuals seemingly being more at-risk in many areas (though not all), mainly in those seen commonly in minority stress.

Health of Non-binary and Genderqueer People: A Systematic Review. A review analyzing prior looks at the health needs of non-binary/genderqueer patients, showing that there is a lack of look into attempts to improve their mental health. It only noted one instance of such a paper, which was focused on the chest surgery outcomes of transmasculine patients. Thus the review concludes there is a shortage of research on this subject which should be expanded.

Masculinizing Chest Reconstruction in Transgender and Nonbinary Individuals: An Analysis of Epidemiology, Surgical Technique, and Postoperative Outcomes. A look at the safety of both mastectomy and breast reduction in both binary and non-binary transmasculine patients. They conclude that both mastectomy and reduction, with or without nipple graft are all safe within the transmasculine population, and that these results may be useful as a way to discuss between patients and providers which option may lead to the ideal outcome.

LGBT+ Health Teaching within the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum. A pilot study into the effectiveness of including a mandatory LGBT+ program into an undergraduate medical curriculum. The change in the students confidence at properly interacting with and assessing the LGBT population was shown to dramatically increase based on self reported statistics.