Research project Health effects of gender-affirming care in Sweden

The overall purpose of the project is to contribute to better health among transgender people seeking gender-affirming care. More specifically, this project aims to assess the health effects of hormone replacement therapy in gender-affirming care. Hormone replacement therapy is the most common type of treatment for gender incongruence and is often given as a life-long treatment.

Studies on other groups of patients who received hormone therapy for other reasons (e.g., cancer) have found an increased risk of diseases such as cardiovascular disease and thromboembolism. However, the effect of hormone replacement therapy as part of gender-affirming care remains uncertain.

Using population wide administrative health data, we aim to conduct a nationwide cohort study that compares people who have received gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy to within-birth cohort peers who were never diagnosed with gender incongruence. Within cohorts, we will compare the overall mortality and morbidity risks of specific diagnoses that have previously been linked to hormone therapy in other groups of patients.