New study reveals health risks associated with transgender women's hormone therapy

Transgender women face a litany of health risks in modern society — and a new study published this week reveals that there may be one more to add to the list.
The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente, examined the medical history of 5,000 transgender patients over the course of eight years. It is the largest research project dealing with transgender people on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) ever conducted, NBC News reports. Comparing the data of transgender patients to that of over 97,000 cisgender patients, the study suggests that there may be a correlation between hormone therapy and an increased risk of "cardiovascular problems," including stroke, heart attack, and blood clots.
"Doctors and patients need to be aware of the possibility for increased health risks for transgender women," said Dr. Darios Getahun, one of the authors of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. A similar risk was not identified for transgender men on hormone therapy. The study is, admittedly, not perfect, as Getahun cautioned that "direct cause and effect" would be difficult to prove; to conduct a traditional study, transgender women would have to be given placebo hormones without their knowledge or consent, which presents an ethical problem.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, the study is leaps ahead of older research on transgender women. Previous studies on hormone therapy have simply researched cisgender women going through menopause, and applied those findings to trans women, but this study found significant differences between the two groups.
Even with the results, the study authors predict transgender women would take the gamble. "I think most transgender women would conclude the risk is not high enough to forgo hormone therapy," said Dr. Joshua Safer, executive director of the Transgender Medicine Center at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and study co-author. "The risks here are not different from many other medications and therapies that are used."
Read more at NBC News.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
-
Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
Today's Big Question Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
-
Hotels with kitchen gardens for a foodie weekend away
The Week Recommends Feast on seasonal produce straight from the veg patch at these country retreats
-
Succession planning as the Dalai Lama turns 90
In the Spotlight China 'determined to shape the narrative' around choice of Tibet's next spiritual leader
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?
today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Iran nukes program set back months, early intel suggests
Speed Read A Pentagon assessment says US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites only set the program back by months, not years. This contradicts President Donald Trump's claim.
-
Trump says Iran and Israel agreed to ceasefire
Speed Read This followed a night of Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and multiple waves of missiles fired by Iran
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Israel deports Thunberg after seizing Gaza aid boat
speed read The Swedish activist was delivering food and medical aid to Palestine, highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis there
-
Colombian senator shot on streets of Bogotá
speed read Miguel Uribe Turbay, who has announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, was shot at a rally
-
Trump says Putin vowed retaliation for Kyiv strike
speed read The Russian president intends to respond to Ukraine's weekend drone strikes on Moscow's warplanes