Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
07:20
Dried Blood Spot Collection of Health Biomarkers to Maximize Participation in Population Studies
Published on: January 28, 2014
37.2K
Bone Health in the Transgender Population
Micol S Rothman1, Sean J Iwamoto1,2
1Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism & Diabetes, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Mail Stop: 8106, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism
|August 28, 2019
Summary
Sex steroids significantly impact bone density. While estrogen therapy can improve bone density in transgender women, testosterone therapy shows minimal direct effects on bone density in transgender men, highlighting knowledge gaps in optimizing bone health for transgender adults.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Bone Metabolism
- Transgender Health
Background:
- Sex steroids, especially estrogen, are vital for peak bone density.
- Transgender women often present with low bone density before hormone therapy.
- Transgender men typically do not exhibit low bone density pre-therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy on bone density in transgender individuals.
- To identify current knowledge gaps in managing bone health for transgender adults.
- To discuss best practices for bone health optimization, DXA scan interpretation, and fracture risk assessment in this population.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on sex steroids and bone density.
- Analysis of bone density changes in transgender women undergoing estrogen therapy.
- Examination of bone density changes in transgender men undergoing testosterone therapy.
Main Results:
- Estrogen therapy is associated with improved bone density in transgender women.
- Testosterone therapy shows limited direct impact on bone density in transgender men.
- Androgens may influence bone health indirectly through body composition changes (fat and lean mass).
Conclusions:
- Further research is needed to establish optimal bone health management strategies for transgender adults.
- Understanding the nuances of hormone therapy effects on bone density is crucial for clinical practice.
- Standardized approaches to DXA interpretation and fracture risk assessment in transgender populations are required.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Essential Minerals for Bone Health
6.1K
The minerals contained in all of the food we consume are essential for our organ systems. However, certain essential minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and fluoride, largely affect bone health.
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...
6.1K
01:25Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health
5.1K
The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
5.1K
02:04Conservation of Small Populations
16.7K
Small population sizes put a species at extreme risk of extinction due to a lack of variation, and a consequent decrease in adaptability. This weakens the chances of survival under pressures such as climate change, competition from other species, or new diseases. Large populations are more likely to survive pressures such as these, as such populations are more likely to harbor individuals that have genetic variants that are adaptive under new stresses. Small populations are much less...
16.7K
01:25What is Population Genetics?
64.5K
A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.
64.5K
00:57Population Growth
27.9K
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
27.9K
00:30What are Populations and Communities?
37.2K
Overview
37.2K