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Subcutaneous testosterone therapy safe, effective in female-to-male transgender patients
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In female-to-male transgender patients, subcutaneous testosterone therapy was safe and effective and was the preferred route of therapy in patients previously receiving intramuscular injections, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Daniel I. Spratt, MD, of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Maine Medical Center in Portland, and colleagues evaluated 63 female-to-male transgender adults electing to receive subcutaneous testosterone therapy (mean age at completion of dose titration, 27.6 years) for gender transition to determine whether subcutaneous administration is safe and effective.
Serum total testosterone levels within or above the normal male range were reached by all participants, and mean total serum testosterone was 702 ng/dL after participants were receiving the optimized testosterone dose for 0.5 to 42.7 months. The median testosterone dose was 75 mg to 80 mg per week; 31.7% of participants reached normal serum testosterone concentrations at 50 mg per week, 54% at 75 mg to 80 mg per week, 11.1% at 100 mg per week and 3.2% at 150 mg per week.
Among the 53 participants who were premenopausal, 96.2% experienced amenorrhea.
Normal serum total testosterone levels were achieved by all participants regardless of BMI category.
Twenty-two participants initially receiving intramuscular injections initiated subcutaneous therapy; two reported a mild preference for the subcutaneous injections, and the remaining 20 reported a marked preference.
“Data from our patients indicate that long-term [subcutaneous] administration of [testosterone] cypionate to [female-to-male] transgender patients is effective, safe and well-accepted,” the researchers wrote. “Because our patients were genetically female with low endogenous [testosterone] secretion, the normal male levels of serum [testosterone] necessarily resulted from absorption of the [testosterone] that was administered [subcutaneously]. Sustained efficacy for more than 6 months of therapy was demonstrated. Our observations extend information reported in preliminary short-term studies in hypogonadal men and young [female-to-male] transgender patients as well as a pharmacokinetic study in hypogonadal men.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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