Fracture Risk in Trans Women and Trans Men Using Long‐Term Gender‐Affirming Hormonal Treatment: A Nationwide Cohort Study

ABSTRACT

Concerns about bone health in transgender people using gender‐affirming hormonal treatment (HT) exist, but the fracture risk is not known. In this nationwide cohort study, we aimed to compare the fracture incidence in transgender people using long‐term HT with an age‐matched reference population. All adult transgender people who started HT before 2016 at our gender‐identity clinic were included and were linked to a random population‐based sample of 5 age‐matched reference men and 5 age‐matched reference women per person. Fracture incidence was determined using diagnoses from visits to hospital emergency rooms nationwide between 2013 and 2015. A total of 1089 trans women aged <50 years (mean 38 ± 9 years) and 934 trans women aged ≥50 years (mean 60 ± 8 years) using HT for median 8 (interquartile range [IQR] 3–16) and 19 (IQR 11–29) years, respectively, were included. A total of 2.4% of the trans women aged <50 years had a fracture, whereas 3.0% of the age‐matched reference men (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51–1.19) and 1.6% of the age‐matched reference women (OR = 1.49, 95% CI 0.96–2.32) experienced a fracture. In trans women aged ≥50 years, 4.4% experienced a fracture compared with 2.4% of the age‐matched reference men (OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.32–2.74) and 4.2% of the age‐matched reference women (OR = 1.05, 95% CI 0.75–1.49). A total of 1036 trans men (40 ± 14 years) using HT for median 9 (IQR 2–22) years were included. Fractures occurred in 1.7% of the trans men, 3.0% of the age‐matched reference men (OR = 0.57, 95% CI 0.35–0.94), and 2.2% of the age‐matched reference women (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.48–1.30). In conclusion, fracture risk was higher in older trans women compared with age‐matched reference men. In young trans women, fracture risk tended to be increased compared with age‐matched reference women. Fracture risk was not increased in young trans men. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.