Adding Progesterone To Gender-affirming Hormone Therapy Improves Breast Growth For Transgender People

The summation of nan hormone progesterone to gender-affirming hormone therapy leads to accrued bosom maturation for transgender group pursuing feminizing hormone therapy. This is demonstrated by an Amsterdam UMC-led proceedings among 90 participants and these results are presented coming astatine nan European Professional Association for Transgender Health (EPATH) yearly legislature successful Hamburg.

Our results show that progesterone is safe and effective for transgender people. We're now capable to prescribe it, successful a proceedings setting, for those who person been taking oestradiol for astatine slightest year. We dream that our findings lead to amended hormone treatments for transgender individuals."

Koen Dreijerink, endocrinologist astatine Amsterdam UMC

Gender-affirming hormone therapy helps an individual's assemblage amended align pinch their gender identity. In nan lawsuit of feminizing hormone therapy this involves blocking nan action of testosterone and nan summation of estradiol. Traditionally, immoderate bosom maturation is past limited, starring galore transgender group to yet opt for bosom augmentation surgery.

Breast growth

Alongside estradiol, progesterone is 1 of nan 2 cardinal female activity hormones. Progesterone is known successful cis women to besides origin bosom growth. However, progesterone has not been prescribed successful transgender group owed to a deficiency of grounds of its effectiveness and safety. In bid to summation much accusation of nan effect connected bosom measurement arsenic good arsenic nan information of progesterone, Dreijerink and his colleagues conducted a randomly controlled way betwixt 2021 and 2024.

"Among our 90 participants we many times utilized 3D-scanning techniques to measurement bosom measurement and saw up to an summation of 37%. Crucially, we besides saw that nan study participants were much satisfied pinch nan size, style and nan maturation of their breasts," adds Raya Geels, PhD campaigner astatine Amsterdam UMC and nan study's first author.

The largest summation was seen successful nan group who besides accrued their estradiol dosage pinch immoderate predominant broadside effects specified arsenic short-lasting tiredness, bosom and nipple sensitivity and temper swings.

Participants successful nan study utilized progesterone for a year. "The logic we're moving guardant pinch prescribing this successful a investigation mounting is to study astir nan semipermanent effects and side-effects, for illustration we cognize that progesterone causes drowsiness truthful we advised our participants to return it anterior to sleeping" adds Dreijerink. "It's important that we support learning astir nan effects of gender affirming hormone therapy".