Gender-affirming hormonal treatment in trans people changes physical appearance but also alters body composition. In a study by Scharff et al., the time course of changes in grip strength, lean body mass and bone mineral density were assessed in trans people during the first year of hormone treatment.

This multi-centre prospective cohort study was part of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence. It included 249 transwomen, who received oestradiol, and 278 transmen, who received testosterone. After 1 year of hormone treatment, grip strength was decreased in transwomen. In transmen, grip strength increased over baseline, and this was associated with increased lean body mass. Changes in grip strength were not associated with a change in bone mineral density in either transwomen or transmen.

These insights into changes in grip strength that occur over time may be of relevance for the management of prevention of sarcopenia (the age-related loss of muscle mass) and dynapenia (the age-related loss of muscle strength) in trans people.

Read the full article in Endocrine Connections 8 1020–1028