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Updated: Aug 8, 2026
Establishment of Rat Models Mimicking Gender-affirming Hormone Therapies
Published on: January 10, 2025
Female-to-male transgender quality of life
Emily Newfield1, Stacey Hart, Suzanne Dibble
1School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA. emily.newfield@gmail.com
Objectives:
We evaluated health-related quality of life in female-to-male (FTM) transgender individuals, using the Short-Form 36-Question Health Survey version 2 (SF-36v2).
Methods:
Using email, Internet bulletin boards, and postcards, we recruited individuals to an Internet site (http://www.transurvey.org), which contained a demographic survey and the SF36v2. We enrolled 446 FTM transgender and FTM transsexual participants, of which 384 were from the US.
Results:
Analysis of quality of life health concepts demonstrated statistically significant (p<0.01) diminished quality of life among the FTM transgender participants as compared to the US male and female population, particularly in regard to mental health. FTM transgender participants who received testosterone (67%) reported statistically significant higher quality of life scores (p<0.01) than those who had not received hormone therapy.
Conclusions:
FTM transgender participants reported significantly reduced mental health-related quality of life and require additional focus to determine the cause of this distress. Providing this community with the hormonal care they request is associated with improved quality of life.