Cross-sex hormone therapy for gender dysphoria

Gender identity is the sense one has of being male or female. Gender dysphoria (GD) refers to the distress caused by the incongruence between gender identity and biological sex in gender-nonconforming individuals. Cross-sex hormone therapy (CHT) aims at easing GD, improving well-being, and quality of life of gender-nonconforming individuals. This can be achieved by inducing and maintaining the desired-sex characteristics in accordance with the specific aspirations and expectations of each individual. Nevertheless, CHT can be associated with potentially serious long-term complications.