Transgender people sometimes use cross-sex hormones without medical supervision. The use of cross-sex hormones, as well as the functional health and mental well-being, among male-to-female transgendered people （＇kat...Transgender people sometimes use cross-sex hormones without medical supervision. The use of cross-sex hormones, as well as the functional health and mental well-being, among male-to-female transgendered people （＇kathoeys＇） in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was studied. Sixty kathoeys were interviewed regarding their use of cross-sex hormones and their familyrelationships. Individuals also completed the Life Orientation Test Revised （LOT-R） to assess dispositional optimism, the Social Functioning Questionnaire （SFQ） and the Short Form Health Survey 36 （SF-36）. Three categories were established as follows： those who never cross-dress, those who sometimes cross-dress and those who always cross-dress in public. Of the 60 subjects, 44 had used hormones for prolonged periods （9.7＋6.1 years）. Their use was related to the permanence of cross-dressing but unrelated to functional health and mental well-being. Fifty percent of subjects had overdosed on commonly used oral contraceptives. Three people used injectable oestrogen in a higher-than-recommended dose. Self-acceptance was high or reasonably good （83%） compared to no acceptance （17%）, and neither was related to the permanence of cross-dressing. Their acceptance by parents and siblings was also relatively high （85% and 89%, respectively）. The permanence of cross-dressing had no effect on the scores of optimism, SF-36 scores and social functioning. Acceptance by oneself or one＇s parents did not seem to affect most aspects of functional health and mental well-being, but non-acceptance by siblings generated lower scores on the social functioning and general mental health subscales. Stressors tended to include physical rather than social factors. In conclusion, the unsupervised use of cross-sex hormones was common among kathoeys, and 50% of the sample had overdosed on them. Acceptance was relatively good, except by siblings. New strategies are needed for a more responsible use of cross-sex hormones.展开更多
Guidelines for cross-sex hormone treatment of transsexual people have been developed, but no attention has been paid to the specifics of ethnic groups. South East （SE） Asian male-to-female （MtoF） transsexual peopl...Guidelines for cross-sex hormone treatment of transsexual people have been developed, but no attention has been paid to the specifics of ethnic groups. South East （SE） Asian male-to-female （MtoF） transsexual people may be able to transition to the female sex with lower doses of estrogens/progestins than Caucasians thus reducing health risks. Female-to-male （FtoM） may virilize less profoundly with standard doses of androgens, but this is probably sufficient to pass acceptably as men in view of the less pronounced sex differences in physique in Asians compared with Caucasians. It is timely that studies in Asians are conducted to get a better insight into their specific needs and risks of cross-sex hormone treatment.展开更多
文摘Transgender people sometimes use cross-sex hormones without medical supervision. The use of cross-sex hormones, as well as the functional health and mental well-being, among male-to-female transgendered people （＇kathoeys＇） in Chiang Mai, Thailand, was studied. Sixty kathoeys were interviewed regarding their use of cross-sex hormones and their familyrelationships. Individuals also completed the Life Orientation Test Revised （LOT-R） to assess dispositional optimism, the Social Functioning Questionnaire （SFQ） and the Short Form Health Survey 36 （SF-36）. Three categories were established as follows： those who never cross-dress, those who sometimes cross-dress and those who always cross-dress in public. Of the 60 subjects, 44 had used hormones for prolonged periods （9.7＋6.1 years）. Their use was related to the permanence of cross-dressing but unrelated to functional health and mental well-being. Fifty percent of subjects had overdosed on commonly used oral contraceptives. Three people used injectable oestrogen in a higher-than-recommended dose. Self-acceptance was high or reasonably good （83%） compared to no acceptance （17%）, and neither was related to the permanence of cross-dressing. Their acceptance by parents and siblings was also relatively high （85% and 89%, respectively）. The permanence of cross-dressing had no effect on the scores of optimism, SF-36 scores and social functioning. Acceptance by oneself or one＇s parents did not seem to affect most aspects of functional health and mental well-being, but non-acceptance by siblings generated lower scores on the social functioning and general mental health subscales. Stressors tended to include physical rather than social factors. In conclusion, the unsupervised use of cross-sex hormones was common among kathoeys, and 50% of the sample had overdosed on them. Acceptance was relatively good, except by siblings. New strategies are needed for a more responsible use of cross-sex hormones.
文摘Guidelines for cross-sex hormone treatment of transsexual people have been developed, but no attention has been paid to the specifics of ethnic groups. South East （SE） Asian male-to-female （MtoF） transsexual people may be able to transition to the female sex with lower doses of estrogens/progestins than Caucasians thus reducing health risks. Female-to-male （FtoM） may virilize less profoundly with standard doses of androgens, but this is probably sufficient to pass acceptably as men in view of the less pronounced sex differences in physique in Asians compared with Caucasians. It is timely that studies in Asians are conducted to get a better insight into their specific needs and risks of cross-sex hormone treatment.
