Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy has a positive impact on well-being

New evidence shows that people who have undergone Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy report high
grades of satisfaction with both the physical and psychological effects. A new study on this topic, carried out
by researchers in Portugal, will be presented today (21 May 2022) at the 24th European Congress of
Endocrinology in Milan, Italy.
Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy (GAHT) aims to align the characteristics of an individual with their gender
identity. Typically, this means altering a person’s hormone levels to match their gender identity. Dr. Miguel
Saraiva and team at the Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto – Hospital de Santo António wanted to
understand to what degree this type of therapy impacts the lives of those affected. To this end, the team
conducted a cross-sectional study in March 2021, collecting data via an online questionnaire. This
questionnaire was distributed to adults living in Portugal who had undergone GAHT for at least one year. The
questionnaire used an ordinal scale ranging from 0 (worst result) to 6 (best result). With a median age of 25
years, 142 people completed the questionnaire: 101 for masculinising GAHT and 41 for feminising GAHT. The
overall satisfaction with GAHT was rated at 5.0 points on a scale of 6.0.
The high score was consistent across several metrics and shows that GAHT positively influences self-esteem,
well-being, and social/familial relationships in the Portuguese adult transgender population. GAHT similarly
appears to reduce suicidal ideation, having a significant impact on the quality of life of the people who benefit
from it.
”The well-being of transgender patients is very important, and we are happy to document the very positive
result of Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy on the Portuguese transgender population,” concluded Dr.
Saraiva.
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President Martin Reincke Munich, Germany. President-elect Jérôme Bertherat Paris, France. Secretary Mónica Marazuela Madrid, Spain. Treasurer Djuro Macut Belgrade, Serbia. Executive Committee members:
Philippe Chanson Paris, France. Mirjam Christ-Crain Basel, Switzerland. Martin Fassnacht Würzburg, Germany. Simona Glasberg Jerusalem, Israel. Riccarda Granata Torino, Italy. Robin Peeters Rotterdam, The
Netherlands. Ex-Officio members: EYES Representative Eva Coopmans, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Nurse Representative Sherwin Criseno West Bromwich, UK. ECAS Representative Anton Luger Vienna, Austria.
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Notes for Editors
1. The presentation “Overall impact of Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy: The Portuguese
experience” will be presented on Saturday 21 May at 12:00 CEST at
ECE 2022 in Milan on the 21-24 May 2022. You can access more information about the congress here.
2. The European Society of Endocrinology was created to promote research, education, and clinical
practice in endocrinology by the organisation of conferences, training courses and publications, by
raising public awareness, liaison with national and international legislators and by any other
appropriate means.
About the European Society of Endocrinology
The European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) provides a platform to develop and share leading research
and best knowledge in endocrine science and medicine. By uniting and representing every part of the
endocrine community, we are best placed to improve the lives of patients. Through the 54 National
Societies involved with the ESE Council of Affiliated Societies (ECAS) ESE represents a community of over
20,000 European endocrinologists. We inform policy makers on health decisions at the highest level
through advocacy efforts across Europe.
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European Society of Endocrinology
Starling House, 1600 Bristol Parkway North, Bristol, BS34 8YU, UK Tel +44 1454 642247 [email protected] www.ese-hormones.org
President Martin Reincke Munich, Germany. President-elect Jérôme Bertherat Paris, France. Secretary Mónica Marazuela Madrid, Spain. Treasurer Djuro Macut Belgrade, Serbia. Executive Committee members:
Philippe Chanson Paris, France. Mirjam Christ-Crain Basel, Switzerland. Martin Fassnacht Würzburg, Germany. Simona Glasberg Jerusalem, Israel. Riccarda Granata Torino, Italy. Robin Peeters Rotterdam, The
Netherlands. Ex-Officio members: EYES Representative Eva Coopmans, Rotterdam, Netherlands. Nurse Representative Sherwin Criseno West Bromwich, UK. ECAS Representative Anton Luger Vienna, Austria.
Registered in England and Wales No. 5540866. Registered Office: Redwood House, Brotherswood Court, Great Park Road, Almondsbury Business Park, Bradley Stoke, Bristol, BS32 4QW, UK. Company Limited by
Guarantee. Registered Charity No. 1123492.
Abstract
187
Overall impact of Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy: the Portuguese experience
Miguel Saraiva1, Rafael Santos2, Zélia Figueiredo3, Carolina Lemos4, Isabel Palma1
1Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto – Hospital de Santo António, Endocrinology, Diabetes and
Metabolism, Porto,; 2Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto; 3Hospital de
Magalhães Lemos; 4i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto
Introduction
The prevalence of Transgender individuals seeking gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) has been
increasing. This therapy has been known to be highly effective in the treatment of gender dysphoria and
enhancing mental health in this population.
Aim
To evaluate the overall impact of GAHT on self-esteem, well-being and social/familial relations in the
Portuguese adult transgender population
Methods
Cross-sectional study conducted in March 2021. Data collected through an online questionnaire that was
delivered to adult transgender people living in Portugal who had been under GAHT for at least one year. To
answer some of the items on the questionnaire, an ordinal scale ranging from 0 (worst result) to 6 (best
result) was used.
Results
A total of 142 individuals (Group T) answered the questionnaire: 101 under masculinizing GAHT (Group M)
and 41 under feminizing GAHT (Group F), with a median age of 25.0 (21.0–33.0) years.