Cardiometabolic Changes During The Hormonal Transition Of A Male-to-female Athlete

Abstract

PURPOSE: To assess the cardiovascular changes during estrogen treatment for gender reassignment in an aerobically trained, male-to-female transgender athlete. METHODS: Subject is a biologically male distance runner (age 27) that initiated gender reassignment. Social male-to-female transition was completed prior to testing. The following assessments were performed: anthropometry, DXA (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) scan (1st, 3rd, and 4th visit only), resting echocardiogram, treadmill-based VO2peak, resting carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), resting peripheral/central blood pressures and augmentation index (normalized at heart rate of 75 bpm; [email protected]). Baseline assessments were made during two separate visits completed prior to estrogen treatment (visits were averaged). Subsequent assessments were made at 2 and 6 weeks following the initiation of the estrogen treatment (10 mg estradiol valerate s.c. once per week). RESULTS:Table: No title available.RHR: Resting heart rate; SBP: Systolic blood pressure; DBP: Diastolic blood pressure; cSBP: Central systolic blood pressure; cDBP: central diastolic blood pressure; cf-PWV: carotid femoral pulse wave velocity; [email protected]: Augmentation index normalized at a heart rate of 75Table: No title available.EF: Ejection fraction; SV: Stroke volume; LVESV: Left Ventricular End Systolic Volume; LVEDV: Left Ventricular End Diastolic Volume; LVSD: Left Ventricular systolic diameter;LVDD: Left Ventricular diastolic diameter. CONCLUSIONS: : Body composition and cardiorespiratory physiology are altered during the immediate weeks of male- to-female estrogen therapy