Hormonal therapy and sex reassignment: A systematic review and meta-analysis of quality of life and psychosocial outcomes

Mohammad Hassan Murad, Mohamed B. Elamin, Magaly Zumaeta Garcia, Rebecca J. Mullan, Ayman Murad, Patricia J. Erwin, Victor M. Montori

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

300 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective To assess the prognosis of individuals with gender identity disorder (GID) receiving hormonal therapy as a part of sex reassignment in terms of quality of life and other self-reported psychosocial outcomes. Methods We searched electronic databases, bibliography of included studies and expert files. All study designs were included with no language restrictions. Reviewers working independently and in pairs selected studies using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, extracted outcome and quality data. We used a random-effects meta-analysis to pool proportions and estimate the 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We estimated the proportion of between-study heterogeneity not attributable to chance using the I 2 statistic. Results We identified 28 eligible studies. These studies enrolled 1833 participants with GID (1093 male-to-female, 801 female-to-male) who underwent sex reassignment that included hormonal therapies. All the studies were observational and most lacked controls. Pooling across studies shows that after sex reassignment, 80% of individuals with GID reported significant improvement in gender dysphoria (95% CI = 68-89%; 8 studies; I 2 = 82%); 78% reported significant improvement in psychological symptoms (95% CI = 56-94%; 7 studies; I 2 = 86%); 80% reported significant improvement in quality of life (95% CI = 72-88%; 16 studies; I 2 = 78%); and 72% reported significant improvement in sexual function (95% CI = 60-81%; 15 studies; I 2 = 78%). Conclusions Very low quality evidence suggests that sex reassignment that includes hormonal interventions in individuals with GID likely improves gender dysphoria, psychological functioning and comorbidities, sexual function and overall quality of life.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)214-231
Number of pages18
JournalClinical Endocrinology
Volume72
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Endocrinology

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