Learn More About Transgender Research Studies

Trans theory, which has roots in feminist and queer theory, calls into question heteronormative and essentialist notions of gender, sex, and sexuality. By paying attention to and putting the body front and center in both theory and reality, trans theory teaches us how to challenge essentialist and binary notions of embodiment. Transgender studies, also known as trans studies, is an interdisciplinary area of academic study that focuses on gender identity, expression, and embodiment and a range of topics pertinent to transgender and other populations who identify as having a different gender.

Research ideas in transgender studies strongly emphasize how gender nonconformity is represented in culture, politics, society, and social movements. The early 1990s saw the discipline's emergence, closely associated with queer theory. For transgender studies, non-transgender-identified persons, including intersex people, crossdressers, drag queens, third-gendered people, and genderqueer people, are sometimes also included under the "trans" umbrella.

Transgender studies offer responses to unfavorable assumptions about transgender individuals. These false beliefs may be related to the limited and incomplete understanding of transgender people in psychology, medicine, and other fields. Transgender studies' overarching objective is to disseminate information that will aid transgender individuals and communities.

Some well-known books that address transgender problems blur the lines between memoirs, creative work, and critical work. Numerous transgender authors have published significant works in the area of trans studies that were not technically considered to be critical scholarship but were still informed by their personal experiences. This is especially true of transgender fiction and non-fiction. Other significant books in transgender studies have a stronger theoretical or critical bent. Recent books on the crucial intersection of transgender identity with nationalism and race include Susan Faludi's memoir "In The Dark Room." In this book, she describes her Hungarian Jewish father's transition at 76 and the co-constitutional histories of transness/transphobia in America from the 19th century.

Why Is Transgender Being studied in Transgender Research Studies?

Transgender persons used to be expected to transition under the idea that they would be heterosexual (straight) and follow gender binary standards in earlier generations. This assumption, which was heavily skewed and based on colonial gender norms, prevented many transgender persons from receiving the medical care they needed.

Transgender persons and other minority groups in the United States are frequently neglected and ignored, as seen by how they are treated across the healthcare and insurance systems. Many times, the research and clinical trials that are conducted — or are not conducted — are the basis of these issues. Research and clinical trials can be influenced by preconceived assumptions and prejudice, which subsequently has an impact on the therapies based on this medical data.

These healthcare gaps expose several flaws in the medical-industrial complex. In a recent essay titled "Trusted Source," a group of transgender persons involved in HIV research and public health called for further research to improve the lives of trans people by highlighting the damaging techniques frequently employed in present studies.

The varied intersections of marginalized persons within trans communities continue to contribute to the discrepancy in the quality and amount of research on transgender healthcare. For instance, 1.2 million Americans identify as nonbinary. Despite being a sizable population, they are seldom taken into account in clinical research examining how gender affects various disorders. The effects of HRT on trans people's reproductive systems, general health outcomes, cardiac issues, and other factors also need to be studied. For instance, trans guys are more likely to develop ovarian cancer, which may or may not be related to testosterone usage. Additionally, trans males are typically left out of current studies since they are not well known.

Not only is this poorly understood by current research, but trans males are frequently excluded from ovarian cancer screening programs, which is particularly risky for this "silent" malignancy. Our understanding of the variations in bodies and diseases, as well as how different drug combinations and existing therapies could benefit everyone, will only grow with more study. Despite the fact that helping transgender persons should be sufficient justification, this will also teach us a lot about how the human body functions.

What Are Some Treatments Found in Transgender Research Studies?

Hormone therapy, such as masculinizing or feminizing hormone therapy, may be used as a medical treatment for gender dysphoria. Surgery to alter the chest, external genitalia, internal genitalia, facial characteristics, and body contour, such as feminizing or masculinizing surgery. A multidisciplinary approach is used in treatment. A gender dysphoria-trained mental health professional, psychologists, counselors, behavioral and occupational therapists, and an endocrinologist focusing on hormones are all on the team. It may also involve a urological surgeon with expertise in genital and urinary tract surgery.

Endocrine Society guidelines advise against giving hormone therapy to children before they reach puberty since a transsexual diagnosis cannot be made before a kid reaches puberty. According to research by the Endocrine Society, 75–80% of kids identified with gender dysphoria before puberty did not continue to experience the issue.

For male-to-female conversions, cyproterone acetate, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, and flutamide amongst others and are used to suppress the original sex characteristics. Male hormone release is suppressed by LHRH. The important female hormones that support breast development, greater body fat, wider hips, less musculature, less facial and body hair, and a feminine body shape are Ethinyl estradiol (0.1-0.5 mg/d) and conjugated oestrogen (7.5–10 mg/d).

The male hormone testosterone cypionate (200 mg IM every two weeks) is administered for female-to-male transformations. It causes increased face and body hair, a bigger clitoris, smaller breasts, the cessation of menstruation, a rise in sexual drive, and the growth of muscles. The voice may become slightly deeper, and the baldness may take on a more masculine pattern.

Although it is a mental condition, gender dysphoria is not a mental disorder. However, serious impairment of social, vocational, and other functions may also be present. Additionally, there can be psychological problems, including sadness, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. In these circumstances, counseling and treatment may be required.

What Are Some of the Breakthrough Transgender Research Studies?

 - Transgender people frequently undergo hormone treatment that promotes the physical traits of the experiencing gender. While trans men frequently get testosterone to promote masculinization, trans women frequently receive oestrogen with or without anti-androgen treatment to produce feminization. 

Hormone treatment also alters body composition and metabolism in addition to physical traits like hair and breast development. According to data from a meta-analysis of changes in body composition in transgender people found that total body fat increased by 28% in trans women over the first year of hormone therapy, whereas it reduced by 10% in trans males.

 - 35 transgender people had dysmenorrhea, according to the diagnosis. The average age was 14.9 +/- 1.9 years. A diagnosis was made following a social change in 29 cases (82.9%). Twenty-three of 35 (65.7%) people received combination oral contraceptives as their first treatment, but 14/23 (61%) stopped using them or switched to different forms of treatment. Four out of the twelve patients (33.3%) who started testosterone therapy for dysmenorrhea alone did so. 

Laparoscopic testing for endometriosis was performed on seven of 35 individuals with dysmenorrhea (20.0%), and it was found in all seven of them. The illness was at stage I in six, and stage II in one. One of the seven cases (20 months after starting testosterone therapy) was one of the three (42.9%) detected following a social change. Four of the patients had poor results, whether treated only with danazol, progestins, or combined oral contraceptives for their endometriosis. Although testosterone therapy can help some people with their symptoms, others might need more suppression. Even while utilizing testosterone, transmasculine individuals with symptoms should be evaluated for endometriosis.

 - Although gender-affirming hormone treatment is an essential component of normal clinical care for transgender people, little is known about its side effects. Gender-affirming hormone treatment may have significant implications on cardiovascular risk and bone health in transgender people, according to some evidence. The goal of this review article is to provide an overview of the research on the cardiovascular consequences of gender-affirming hormone treatment in transgender men and transgender women, including stroke and heart disease, as well as the impact on bone metabolism.

To treat transgender patients getting GAHT in accordance with current recommendations, lifestyle programs and the best preventative medical care should be used. The psychological health of transgender people should also be addressed, with any necessary referrals to mental health specialists. In order to understand the mechanisms and effects of GAHT on skeletal health and cardiovascular health, prospective randomized controlled trials are required.

Who Are the Key Opinion Leaders/Researchers/Institutions on Transgender Research Studies?

 - The Center for Applied Transgender Studies offers a preeminent academic journal on the social, cultural, and political concerns confronting transgender populations worldwide, published by the Center for Applied Transgender Studies. The journal provides a forum for research toward the improvement and analysis of the material conditions of transgender life. By coming together outside the academic silos that characterize academia, the Fellows who make up the Center aspire to produce fresh insights and ideas that will benefit society. Each Fellow conducts field-defining research with significant practical ramifications. Their work is more relevant due to the diversity of their Fellows and the variations in their academic backgrounds, life experiences, and cultural heritages. They are dedicated to ensuring that their work supports the needs of all transgender persons and that the research our Center sponsored is made available and free to the audiences they serve.

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