Blood Pressure Monitoring Before and After Testosterone Therapy in Transgender Men

Objective: Testosterone therapy, doesn’t only effect gonads, hair growth, well-being, it also has an effect on cardiovascular system, and hence on blood pressure and pulse as well. Present evidence regarding effect of testosterone therapy on blood pressure, pulse and cardiovascular disease risk in transgender men is controversial. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) provides comprehensive assessment of various blood pressure parameters. We would like to investigate the fluctuations of blood pressure and pulse before and after the testosterone treatment in female-to-male transgender (FTM), in order to improve clinical management and reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications in FTM. Design and method: The FTM subjects were treated with testosterone depo a 250 mg every two weeks for one year. In 36 MTF (age 26 ± 5 y; BMI 23.4 ± 3.6 kg/m2) ABPM was performed before beginning with testosterone and one year after testosterone therapy. ABPM was conducted every 15 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes during the night over a 24-hour period using a validated A P value=0.03 for diastolic) after testosterone therapy. The pulse during the day was significantly higher (P value=0.001) after testosterone therapy. Systolic blood pressure during sleep showed no statistical significance (p value=0.673). There was no statistical significance in diastolic blood pressure during sleep (p value=0.4818). There was no statistical significance in pulse during the sleep (p value=0.7998). There was no statistical significance in dipper status during the sleep (p value=0.6932). Conclusions: We have found that Testosterone therapy affects systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate, throughout the day. Regular assessment of blood pressure in FTM subjects during the treatment with testosterone is very important in order to prevent cardiovascular complications.