Is There a Cancer Risk Associated with Testosterone Therapy for Trans Men?
Have you ever wondered what prolonged testosterone use may lead to? Or worse, hearing that there is a cancer risk associated with T use, especially ovarian and uterine cancer.
And when you start searching on the internet it brings up conflicting information concerning your decision to have reproductive organ surgery as a cancer-risk preventative.
Fearing potential cancer risk you end up deciding to have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). Or even salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of the fallopian tube and ovary) as a potential safeguard against cancer.
Like other trans men, you probably carry similar motivations for undergoing reproductive organ surgery in the first place.
And studies tell us that trans men choose to have a hysterectomy for 2 reasons:
REASON 1 | Feeling Incongruent With Their Identity
A study surveying 134 trans male individuals discovered that 58% of individuals underwent surgery to remove organs that were incongruent with their individual identity (Rachlin et al., 2010).
REASON 2 | To Avoid Potential Future Health Issues
The other 60% of individuals underwent surgery due to concerns about the potential for future medical problems associated with masculinization hormone therapy, such as ovarian cancer (Rachlin et al., 2010).
This study demonstrates many transgender men desire hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy for gender affirmation, cancer-risk reduction, pelvic pain, or abnormal uterine bleeding.
Cancer risk, especially uterine cancer, seems to be one of the main reasons to seek out this surgery. However, it is difficult to derive this decision given the limited information on the internet and conflicting opinions from medical doctors.
BUT IS THERE A CANCER RISK ASSOCIATED WITH TESTOSTERONE USE?
The research is further incredibly limited and there seems to be dubious evidence on this topic.
A large study by Weinand et al., (2015) examined a literature review from articles dated from 1967 to 2014. The compiled evidence from this literature review suggests that HRT for transgender individuals is safe without a large risk of adverse events when followed carefully by a medical provider (Weinand et al., 2015).
Another study of literature review selected 43 articles from a total of 228, looking at the breast and reproductive cancers in the transgender population had similar results.
The findings yielded overall very low to low evidence to support cancer risk in transgender men (Joint et al., 2018). Stating there is insufficient evidence to estimate reproductive cancer prevalence in the transgender population (Joint et al., 2018). Concluding that gender‐affirming hormones have not been shown to affect cancer risk (Joint et al., 2018).
As we can see, there is a consistent literature review showing low cancer risk in transgender men.
If you are seeking hysterectomy and salpingo-oophorectomy for gender affirmation, that’s a personal and important reason.
But if you are seeking it to reduce cancer risk, you may want to take into consideration the lack of medical research.
One thing remains certain. There is a clear need for well-designed, robust studies to confirm or refute concerns about cancer risk in transgender men which will help individuals make better decisions when it comes to reproductive organ surgery.
If you are considering hysterectomy and/or salpingo-oophorectomy, it is imperative that you discuss all the pros and cons with a medical professional. If you are searching for a gender-affirming surgeon, I encourage you to check out my gender resource page in the states I am licensed in to find a gender-affirming prescriber in California, Texas, New York, or Florida.
You may also find the following helpful:
What it Means Not to Have an Early Childhood Memory or Narrative of Trans Experience?
Affirming Steps to Take and How to Know You are On the Right Track!
WATCH EXPERT VIDEOS ON GENDER DYSPHORIA
REFERENCES & SOURCES
Joint, R., Chen, ZE, and Cameron, S. (2018). Breast and reproductive cancers in the transgender population: a systematic review. An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Vol 125, Issue 12, 1505-1512.
Rachlin, K., Hansbury, G., and Pardo, S.T. (2010). Hysterectomy and Oophorectomy Experiences of Female-to-Male Transgender Individuals. International Journal of Transgenderism. Volume 12, Issue 3, p. 155-166.
Weinand, J. D., and Safer, J. (2015). Hormone therapy in transgender adults is safer with provider supervision; A review of hormone therapy sequelae for transgender individuals. Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology. Vol 2, Issue 2, 55-50.
