017 Introduction in gender dysphoria and cycle suppression

Abstract

Gender dysphoria refers to the distress experienced by people with an incongruence between their sex assigned at birth and their gender identity. People assigned female at birth with a male gender identity are referred to as trans(gender) men, whereas people assigned female at birth with a female gender identity are referred to as cis(gender) female. Many trans men seek medical treatment to avoid further feminization and induce masculinization, and hereby align their physical characteristics with the identified gender. The preferred treatment protocol depends on the person’s age at time of diagnosis with gender dysphoria. For adolescents (<18 years), treatment can be initiated when a person reaches puberty (Tanner stage 2 or higher, determined by the development of secondary sex characteristics), and aims to suppress pubertal development by administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) which reversibly inhibit the production of sex hormones.