Transgender Individuals and Osteoporosis Prevention

Inequalities in older LGBT people's health and care needs in the United Kingdom: a systematic scoping review

The hostile environment that older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people faced at younger ages in the United Kingdom (UK) may have a lasting negative impact on their health. This systematic scoping review adds to the current knowledge base through comprehensively synthesising evidence on what is known about the extent and nature of health and care inequalities, as well as highlighting gaps in the evidence which point the way towards future research priorities. We searched four databases, undertook manual searching, and included studies which presented empirical findings on LGBT people aged 50+ in the UK and their physical and mental health or social care status. From a total of 5,738 records, 48 papers from 42 studies were eligible and included for data extraction. The synthesis finds that inequities exist across physical and mental health, as well as in social care, exposure to violence and loneliness. Social care environments appeared as a focal point for inequities and formal care environments severely compromised the identity and relationships that older LGBT people developed over their lifecourse. Conversely, the literature demonstrated how some older LGBT people successfully negotiated age-related transitions, e.g. emphasising the important role of LGBT-focused social groups in offsetting social isolation and loneliness. While there exist clear policy implications around the requirement for formal care environments to change to accommodate an increasingly diverse older population, there is also a need to explore how to support older LGBT people to maintain their independence for longer, reducing the need for formal care.

Inequalities in Health and Care Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People Aged 50 and Older in the United Kingdom: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Sources of Individual Participant Data

OBJECTIVES

Modeling the health and care trajectories of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) is essential to identify inequalities and support needs, yet because of the small sample of LGB people in any one survey, current evidence relies on studies that have poor generalizability and low power. This study assesses the magnitude of health inequalities among older LGB people across 10 outcomes, informed by evidence on the health trajectories and distinct LGB history of the United Kingdom.

METHOD

A systematic review was conducted of representative data sources on older LGB and heterosexual people's health and care status in the United Kingdom. Individual Participant Data (IPD) meta-analysis was employed to synthesize data from up to 25 different sources. To account for the intricacies of individual data sets, the analysis employed a two-stage approach where an odds ratio and standard error was calculated for each data set individually, before being meta-analyzed through DerSimonian and Laird random effects models.

RESULTS

Among men aged 50+, being gay, bisexual, or having another nonheterosexual orientation is associated with an increased risk of reporting long-term illness and health-related limitations. Indicators of mental health also suggest that gay and bisexual men are more likely to report low life satisfaction and to have attempted suicide over their life time. Among women, differences are apparent with regards to self-rated health as well as with engagement with risky health behaviors.

DISCUSSION

The findings corroborate the minority stress theory, but they also generate new questions for researchers around when and how these inequalities emerge.

IDEA Group Consensus Statement on Medical Management of Adult Gender Incongruent Individuals Seeking Gender Reaffirmation as Female

Cross sex hormone therapy (CSHT) is a strongly desired medical intervention for gender incongruent individuals. The goal is to change secondary sex characteristics to facilitate gender presentation that is consistent with the desired sex. When appropriately prescribed CSHT can greatly improve mental health and quality of life for gender incongruent individuals. Appropriate care for gender incongruent individuals in India is almost absent due to lack of country specific guideline and lack of training amongst the medical professionals. This document is intended to assist endocrinologists and physicians whose adult gender incongruent client is seeking gender reaffirmation as female (transfeminine). These individuals require a safe and effective CSHT regimen that will suppress endogenous male hormone secretion and maintain physiologic levels of female sex hormone. In this document, we offer suggestions based on an in-depth review of Guidelines of Endocrine Society, The World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidelines, the Sappho Good Practice Guide of India and collegial meetings with expert Indian clinicians working in this field. Clinicians represented in our expert panel are not gender specialists by training but have developed expertise due to the volume of gender incongruent individuals they manage. This consensus statement on medical management provides protocols for the prescribing clinician relating to diagnosis, baseline evaluation and counselling, prescription planning for feminizing hormone therapy and anti-androgen therapy, targets for monitoring hormone therapy, choice of therapy, clinical and biochemical monitoring, recommending sex reaffirmation surgery and peri-operative hormone therapy. The recommendations made in this document should not be perceived as a rigid set of guidelines and the treating clinicians are encouraged to modify our suggested protocols to address emerging issues.

Bone Health in the Transgender Population

It is well known that sex steroids, particularly estrogen, play a crucial role in the attainment and maintenance of peak bone density in all people. Transgender (trans) women have been frequently observed to have low bone density prior to initiation of gender-affirming hormone therapy, while trans men generally do not. With pharmacologic estrogen, many studies show improving bone density in trans women. With pharmacologic testosterone, bone density in trans men remains largely unchanged although androgens have indirect effects on bone health via changes in fat and lean mass. Much remains unknown about best practices to optimize bone health, interpret DXA scans and assess fracture risk in trans adults.