Hormone Therapy News

Despite new criteria for defining and regulating use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, taking effect in Europe, scientists, citizens and policymakers worldwide continue to debate the effects of chemicals commonly found in consumer goods. In a recent statement, the Endocrine Society raised concern that the bar for defining a chemical as endocrine disruptor is too high. Meanwhile, suspect chemicals have been found in restaurant and fast food offerings and containers, essential oils and cash register receipts, among many others.

Among adults with suspected growth hormone deficiency, the oral ghrelin agonist macimorelin is a safe and effective alternative GH stimulation agent vs. the more invasive and potentially risky insulin tolerance test, according to findings from an open-label, two-way crossover trial.

The use of percutaneous estradiol gel and oral micronized progesterone during long-term hormone therapy may reduce cognitive decline in postmenopausal women, according to a study published in Menopause.

WASHINGTON — Postmenopausal women who received hormone replacement therapy were at an increased risk for developing microscopic colitis, according to a presenter here.

As transgender medicine continues to grow as a subspecialty, new research is rapidly changing the treatment landscape. Today, more adolescents are comfortable visiting an endocrinologist to discuss the initiation of cross-sex hormone therapy — some before reaching puberty — raising new questions and considerations about therapies that have not been studied long-term. Additionally, midlife transgender patients considering gender-affirming HT or gender-confirmation surgeries must also confront a host of issues, including the potential side effects of estrogen or testosterone and the importance of continuing cancer screenings.

Postmenopausal women who had higher testosterone to estradiol ratios had an increased risk for incident CVD, CHD and HF events, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Most transgender and gender-nonconforming adolescents do not consider fertility preservation an important reason to delay the start of hormone therapy, but some cite parental attitudes regarding biological offspring as influencing any decision regarding treatment, according to survey data presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting.

Most pediatric health care providers supported further training on caring for children and teenagers who identify as transgender, as more than half of these providers were unaware of current guidelines related to puberty-blocking treatments, according to research presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies 2018 Meeting.

Transgender women on a long-term regimen of estrogen and spironolactone therapy did not experience a clinically relevant change in prolactin level, suggesting the therapy combination is safe in this population, according to findings from a retrospective study published in Endocrine Practice.

The international governing body for track and field sports will require women with certain forms of hyperandrogenism to lower their natural testosterone level for at least 6 months prior to competing in races ranging from 400 meters to 1 mile, according to new eligibility regulations released by the organization last week.