Treating a transgender patient: overview of the guidelines

Transgenderism and gender dysphoria are becoming more prevalent diagnoses and the patient population is increasing. Primary care practitioners, endocrinologists, and mental health professionals are all part of the medical care team that treats these patients, but family and internal medicine physicians continue to deliver the care in the long term. Transgender medicine is not a strong part of the medical curriculum, and recent studies have shown there is anxiety in new physicians in taking care of these patients. There are many aspects to transgender care that involve different specialities, including, but not limited to, mental health, primary care, endocrinology, surgery, and obstetrics and gynecology. This article gives an overview of the current guidelines for standards of care of transgender patients as delineated by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society.