The term transgender is a general term which describes the individuals who do not perceive their genetically assigned gender at birth as their true sex and gender. Over the last decade transgender population has increased in numbers and their unique health needs and concerns require extensive research.
There are recognized barriers to care including health disparity, delay in access to care, discrimination in the community which is associated with wide spectrum of psychological disorders including anxiety and substance abuse.
In health care, a multidisciplinary team should direct the care for a satisfactory outcome. However, lack of knowledge, training and experience could be obstacles in creating these teams in many locations. In adults, after thorough evaluation and informed consent, gender-affirming hormone therapy is the mainstay of the treatment in which an endocrinologist plays a key role. Targeting hormone therapy to desired secondary sex features of the identified gender is not completely free of adverse effects; therefore follow up visits assessing safety, tailoring the therapy to the individual needs and vulnerabilities are strongly recommended.
Despite a growing population and need for transgender health care, there is insufficient evidence to guide comprehensive care, as clinical research to support best practices and address long term outcomes of hormone therapy is lacking.
In this Research Topic we aim to explore some areas in the field of transgender medicine, including, but not limited to:
• Long term effects of puberty blockade in kids
• Use of Progesterone therapy for breast development
• Assessing reproductive health concerns in transgender population
• Long term consequences of estrogen therapy
• Transgender health management in the elderly and youth
• Gender affirming surgery: challenges, access, cost, etc.
• Differences in access to care between ethnicity, race and location
Keywords: Transgender care, Psychosocial, Affirming surgery, Health equity, management/hormone therapy, elderly, youth, cardiovascular risk, mental health, depression, hormone therapy
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
