Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1-2022

Comments

This is the authors' accepted manuscript version of the article from Journal of Pediatric Adolescent Gynecology, 2022 Aug;35(4):450-456.

The published version of the article can also be accessed on the journal's website: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpag.2022.01.015

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To describe menstrual history, associated dysphoria, and desire for menstrual management in transgender male and gender diverse adolescents who were assigned female at birth

DESIGN: Retrospective chart review

SETTING: Tertiary care children's hospital

PARTICIPANTS: All patients seen in a multidisciplinary pediatric gender program from March 2015 through December 2020 who were assigned female at birth, identified as transgender male or gender nonbinary, and had achieved menarche

INTERVENTION: None

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient demographics, menstrual history, interest in and prior experiences with menstrual management, parental support, and concerns about menstrual management

RESULTS: Of the 129 included patients, 116 (90%) identified as transgender male and 13 (10%) as gender nonbinary, with an average age of 15 (SD 1.6) years. Almost all (93%) patients reported menstrual-related dysphoria. Most (88%) were interested in menstrual suppression. The most common reasons for desiring suppression were achievement of amenorrhea (97%) and improvement of menstrual-related dysphoria (63%).

CONCLUSIONS: Most gender diverse patients assigned female at birth reported dysphoria associated with menses and desired menstrual suppression. This information can encourage physicians to raise this topic and offer menstrual management for gender diverse patients who experience distress related to menses, especially for those who are not ready for or do not desire gender-affirming hormonal treatment. Future research is needed to better understand patients' experiences with menses and to determine the optimal menstrual management methods. This could be an important intervention to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

PubMed ID

35123055

Language

English

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