Searchable abstracts of presentations at key conferences in endocrinology
Endocrine Abstracts (2012) 29 P318

1Hospital Universitario Ramon y Cajal, Madrid, Spain; 2Hospital Universitario Fuenlabrada, Madrid, Spain; 3University of Alcala, Alcalá de Henares, Spain; 4University Autonoma, Madrid, Spain; 5University Complutense, Madrid, Spain.


Introduction: The transsexuals are persons that having born with a biological sex feel to belong to the opposite sex. To obtain the sexual characters opposite to his (her) biological sex they need treatment with cross-sex hormones.

This treatment with sexual steroids can produce changes in cardiovascular risk factors (CRF). There has been described that hyperhomocysteinemia is an independent CRF that is modifiable by cross-sex hormonal treatment (CHT) in transsexuals but there is no agreement on the sense of these changes. We investigate the effects of CHT on plasma total homocysteine (Hcy) levels.

Material and methods: We measured at baseline and after 12 and 36 months of treatment with conjugated oral estrogens (2.4–3.6 mg/day), in combination with the antiandrogen, cyproterone acetate (100 mg/day), in 63 male-to-female transsexuals (MFT), aged 32.4±8.5 years, and with testosterone gel (50 mg/day) in 79 female-to-male transsexuals (FMT), aged 29.0±7.9 years. None had done gonadectomy.

Results: At baseline the levels of Hcy were significantly higher in the MFT group. In FMT, the plasma Hcy level increased from geometric mean 10.9 to 11.2 μmol/l (P=0.032) after 12 months, and to 11.8 μmol/l (P=0.003) after 36 months. In MFT, the plasma Hcy level decreased from geometric mean 11.7 to 10.6 μmol/l (P=0.006) after 12 months, on the contrary these levels increased to 12.5 μmol/l (P=0.003) after 36 months.

Conclusion: Hcy levels increase after androgen administration to female (transsexual) subjects, resulting in worsening of the cardiovascular risk in androgen-treated FMT. On the contrary after estrogens administration to male (transsexual) subjects, those decrease after 12 months but increase after 36 months. These changes may be due to the long-term different effects of testosterone and estrogens on metabolism of Hcy.

Declaration of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research project.

Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sector.

Volume 29

15th International & 14th European Congress of Endocrinology

European Society of Endocrinology 

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