Effects of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy Among Transgender Women

May 14, 2025 updated by: Mabel Toribio, Massachusetts General Hospital
In this study, investigators plan to evaluate the cardiometabolic effects of initiating gender-affirming hormone therapy among transgender women with and without HIV. As part of this study, participants will undergo cardiovascular and metabolic phenotyping within 3 months of starting and after 12 months of gender-affirming hormone therapy. Cardiovascular phenotyping will include cardiac MRI/MRS imaging to evaluate cardiac function and structure. Metabolic phenotyping will include oral glucose tolerance testing, abdominal MR imaging to evaluate visceral adiposity, and whole body, lumbar, and hip DEXA imaging to evaluate fat and lean body mass as well as bone mineral density, respectively. Traditional markers of CVD risk as well as immune, hormonal, and coagulation parameters will also be assessed longitudinally.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
33

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years to 99 years (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Probability Sample

Study Population

Transgender Women and Non-Binary Individuals

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • transgender women or non-binary individual
  • age ≥16
  • For women with HIV only: on ART therapy for ≥3 months
  • initiation of testosterone suppression with spironolactone or leuprolide and estrogen therapy with oral 17-β estradiol, transdermal 17β estradiol, sublingual estradiol, intramuscular estradiol, or subcutaneous estradiol by medical provider

Exclusion Criteria:

  • For women with HIV only: CD4 count<50
  • history of CAD, ACS, ASCVD risk score ≥ 7.5%, LDL-C ≥ 190, or angina (e.g. current indication for statin use)
  • history of heart failure
  • history of diabetes
  • eGFR < 30 ml/min/1.73m2
  • standard contraindication to MRI, including history of severe allergy to gadolinium or Dotarem
  • prior orchiectomy
  • gender-affirming hormone therapy for greater than 5 months directly prior to enrollment
  • current or past anti-platelet therapy or anti-coagulant therapy within the last 6 months •current or past statin therapy within the last 6 months
  • concurrent enrollment in conflicting research study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Transgender women and non-binary individuals without HIV
Other: Abdominal MR Imaging
Imaging to evaluate visceral adipose tissue and hepatic lipid content
Other: Cardiac MRI/MRS
Imaging to evaluate cardiac function and structure
Other: Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing
Blood testing to evaluate changes in glucose and insulin in response to oral glucose load
Other: Whole Body, Lumbar Spine, and Hip DEXA Imaging
Imaging to evaluate fat and lean body mass as well as bone mineral density
Transgender women and non-binary individuals with HIV
Other: Abdominal MR Imaging
Imaging to evaluate visceral adipose tissue and hepatic lipid content
Other: Cardiac MRI/MRS
Imaging to evaluate cardiac function and structure
Other: Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing
Blood testing to evaluate changes in glucose and insulin in response to oral glucose load
Other: Whole Body, Lumbar Spine, and Hip DEXA Imaging
Imaging to evaluate fat and lean body mass as well as bone mineral density

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Visceral Adipose Tissue
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Time Frame
Change in Intramyocardial Triglyceride Content on Cardiac MRS
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in Diastolic Function on Cardiac MRI
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in Myocardial Fibrosis on Cardiac MRI
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in Glucose and Insulin Parameters on Oral Glucose Tolerance Testing
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in Bone Density
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in Hormonal Parameters
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in Coagulation Parameters
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months
Change in hepatic lipid content
Time Frame: Baseline and 12 months
Baseline and 12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Massachusetts General Hospital

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
American Heart Association
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
March 28, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
March 28, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 14, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 14, 2019

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 16, 2019

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 18, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 14, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2019P001962
  • 1K23HL147799-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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