Hormone therapy in transgender adults is safe with provider supervision; A review of hormone therapy sequelae for transgender individuals

Introduction: Some providers report concern for the safety of transgender hormone therapy (HT). Methods: This is a systematic literature review of HT safety for transgender adults. Results: Current literature suggests HT is safe when followed carefully for certain risks. The greatest health concern for HT in transgender women is venous thromboembolism. HT among transgender men appears to cause polycythemia. Both groups experienced elevated fasting glucose. There is no increase in cancer prevalence or mortality due to transgender HT. Conclusion: Although current data support the safety of transgender HT with physician supervision, larger, long-term studies are needed in transgender medicine. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license