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Endocrine Abstracts (2017) 49 EP1032 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.49.EP1032

ECE2017 Eposter Presentations: Pituitary and Neuroendocrinology Pituitary - Clinical (145 abstracts)

Does cyproterone acetate therapy contribute to the observed elevation in serum prolactin levels in trans women?

Justine Defreyne 1 , Nienke Nota 2 , Cecilia Perreira 3 , Schreiner Thomas 4 , Fisher Alessandra Daphne 5 & T’Sjoen Guy 1,


1Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; 2Department of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, VU, University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 3Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, San Juan de Dios Hospital, Santiago, Chile; 4Department of Endocrinology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; 5Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy; 6Center for Sexology and Gender, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.


Objective: Hormonal treatment in trans women (MtF transgender persons) in Europe usually consists of estrogens and anti-androgens, e.g. cyproterone acetate (CPA). After initiation of cross-sex hormone therapy, an elevation in serum prolactin levels is frequently observed in trans women, which was previously attributed to estrogen agents. This analysis evaluates whether CPA contributes to the elevation of prolactin in trans women receiving cross-sex hormones.

Design: This study is part of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI). Belgian data were selected for this substudy. Trans women that initiated cross-sex hormone treatment (which consists of oral CPA 50 mg in combination with estrogen substitution in Belgium) and underwent orchiectomy were prospectively evaluated. Post-surgery estrogen was reinitiated in unchanged dose.

Methods: Sex steroids, gonadotropins and prolactin were compared at baseline, pre and post surgery (patients receiving orchiectomy) and after 12 and 18 months of cross-sex hormone therapy (patients not receiving orchiectomy).

Results: Data was collected of 107 trans women, with a mean age of 31.5 years. After 1 year of cross-sex hormone therapy, there was an increase in serum prolactin levels in all patients (9.65 μg/l), with a decrease after 18 months (14.10 μg/l) and after orchiectomy (10.17 μg/l). However, serum prolactin levels post orchiectomy were significantly lower than serum prolactin levels after 18 months of CPA therapy, whereas there was no difference in serum estrogen levels between both groups.

Conclusions: The observed elevation of serum prolactin levels in trans women is likely caused by CPA (independent of estrogen therapy), as prolactin levels return to normal after CPA discontinuation, independent of serum estrogen levels.

Volume 49

19th European Congress of Endocrinology

Lisbon, Portugal
20 May 2017 - 23 May 2017

European Society of Endocrinology 

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