Dietary Habits, Physical Activity and Body Mass Index in Transgender and Gender Diverse Adults in Italy: A Voluntary Sampling Observational Study.

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals continue to experience harassment and discrimination across various aspects of life, significantly impacting their physical and mental health. The scarcity of data on their general health, particularly regarding dietary habits, remains a challenge in developing effective healthcare strategies for this population. To address this gap, we analyzed selected dietary habits, physical activity (PA), and body mass index (BMI) among Italian TGD adults compared to the Italian general population (IGP).

Sociodemographic profile, health-related behaviours and experiences of healthcare access in Italian transgender and gender diverse adult population.

Purpose: Information on the general health of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals continues to be lacking. To bridge this gap, the National Institute of Health in Italy together with the National Office against Racial Discriminations, clinical centres, and TGD organizations carried out a cross-sectional study to define the sociodemographic profile, health-related behaviours, and experiences of healthcare access in Italian TGD adult population.

Methods: A national survey was conducted by Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI) technique.

Estimate and needs of the transgender adult population: the SPoT study.

Background: Despite the increasing interest in transgender health research, to date little is known about the size of the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) population.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire survey was developed, including a collection of socio-demographic characteristics and disseminated online through social media. Gender incongruence was evaluated by using a 2-item approach assessing gender recorded at birth and gender identity.

Exploring Gender Diversity in Transgender and Non-Binary Adults Accessing a Specialized Service in Italy.

In Italy, studies investigating gender identity and expression in gender non-conforming adults are lacking, as well as data regarding the non-binary population. The present study aimed at dimensionally exploring how transgender and non-binary Italian adults identify and express their gender. The Gender Diversity Questionnaire (GDQ) was administered to a sample of 112 adult subjects aged 18-60 years accessing a gender-specialized service in Rome.

Internalized transphobia predicts worse longitudinal trend of body uneasiness in transgender persons treated with gender affirming hormone therapy: a 1-year follow-up study.

Background: Given the relationship between interiorized stigma and body image, it could be hypothesized that high levels of internalized transphobia (IT) might predict higher levels of body uneasiness in subjects with gender dysphoria (GD) and worse improvement of body image after gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT).

Aim: We sought to evaluate the relationship between IT and body uneasiness in subjects with GD and the role of IT in moderating the improvement of body image after GAHT.

Methods: In total, 200 individuals with GD performed the baseline assessment; 99 were re-evaluated 12 months after starting GAHT.

Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8.

Transgender healthcare is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field. In the last decade, there has been an unprecedented increase in the number and visibility of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people seeking support and gender-affirming medical treatment in parallel with a significant rise in the scientific literature in this area. The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) is an international, multidisciplinary, professional association whose mission is to promote evidence-based care, education, research, public policy, and respect in transgender health.

Prevalence and Correlates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Transgender People: An Italian Multicentric Cross-Sectional Study.

The burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the transgender population remains an underestimated issue. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the prevalence of either self-reported and serological STIs and to describe socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of transgender individuals with STIs. A consecutive series of 705 transgender individuals (assigned-male at birth, AMAB n = 377; assigned-female at birth, AFAB n = 328) referring to six Italian gender clinics were included.

A Novel Compound Heterozygous Mutation of HSD17B3 Gene Identified in a Patient With 46,XY Difference of Sexual Development.

Introduction: Deficiency of the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 3 (17 β-HSD3) is a rare autosomal recessive 46,XY Difference of sex development (DSD), resulting from pathogenetic variants in the HSD17B3 gene, which lead to absent or reduced ability to convert Δ4-androstenedione to testosterone in the fetal testes.

Aim: This study aimed to present the clinical and genetic characteristics of an Italian patient receiving a diagnosis of 17 β-HSD3 deficiency in adulthood. The patient was raised as female and underwent early surgical interventions to correct virilized genitalia, leading to a significant sexual distress.

The fMRI correlates of visuo-spatial abilities: sex differences and gender dysphoria.

The contribution of brain regions to visuospatial abilities according to sex differences and gender identity is inconsistently described. One potential explaining factor may be the different tasks employed requiring a variable load of working memory and other cognitive resources. Here we asked to 20 cis and 20 transgender participants to undergo functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging during performance of a judgement line of orientation test that was adapted to explore the basic visuospatial processing while minimizing the working memory load.

Gender Identity and Non-Binary Presentations in Adolescents Attending Two Specialized Services in Italy.

Background: Recently, the variability and heterogeneity of gender presentations in transgender youths have gained significant attention worldwide. Alongside this, specialized gender services have reported an increase in referrals of youths reporting non-binary identities. In Italy, studies investigating gender identity and expression in gender non-conforming youths are lacking, as are data regarding the non-binary population.

Psychological Wellbeing and Perceived Social Acceptance in Gender Diverse Individuals.

Background: Over the last few years, the gender binary has been questioned, highlighting the existence of gender diverse people, who identify as neither (exclusively) male nor female.

Aim: The present study evaluated the possible differences in terms of psychological wellbeing between binary and gender diverse individuals, as well as the role of perceived social acceptance and religious fundamentalism as possible mediators of psychopathology in gender diverse people. Furthermore, the diversity of gender-affirming hormonal treatment requests according to gender identification was investigated.

SIGIS-SIAMS-SIE position statement of gender affirming hormonal treatment in transgender and non-binary people.

Purpose: Gender Incongruence (GI) is a marked and persistent incongruence between an individual's experienced and the assigned gender at birth. In the recent years, there has been a considerable evolution and change in attitude as regards to gender nonconforming people.

Methods: According to the Italian Society of Gender, Identity and Health (SIGIS), the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (SIAMS) and the Italian Society of Endocrinology (SIE) rules, a team of experts on the topic has been nominated by a SIGIS-SIAMS-SIE Guideline Board on the basis of their recognized clinical and research expertise in the field, and coordinated by a senior author, has prepared this Position statement.

The Neuroanatomy of Transgender Identity: Mega-Analytic Findings From the ENIGMA Transgender Persons Working Group.

Background: In contrast to cisgender persons, transgender persons identify with a different gender than the one assigned at birth. Although research on the underlying neurobiology of transgender persons has been accumulating over the years, neuroimaging studies in this relatively rare population are often based on very small samples resulting in discrepant findings.

Aim: To examine the neurobiology of transgender persons in a large sample.

Neural Correlates of Gender Face Perception in Transgender People.

To date, MRI studies focused on brain sexual dimorphism have not explored the presence of specific neural patterns in gender dysphoria (GD) using gender discrimination tasks. Considering the central role of body image in GD, the present study aims to evaluate brain activation patterns with 3T-scanner functional MRI (fMRI) during gender face discrimination task in a sample of 20 hormone-naïve transgender and 20 cisgender individuals. Additionally, participants were asked to complete psychometric measures.

Hormonal Treatment Strategies Tailored to Non-Binary Transgender Individuals.

Introduction: To date no standardized hormonal treatment protocols for non-binary transgender individuals have been described in the literature and there is a lack of data regarding their efficacy and safety.

Objectives: To suggest possible treatment strategies for non-binary transgender individuals with non-standardized requests and to emphasize the importance of a personalized clinical approach.

Methods: A narrative review of pertinent literature on gender-affirming hormonal treatment in transgender persons was performed using PubMed.

Brain Sex Differences Related to Gender Identity Development: Genes or Hormones?

The complex process of sexual differentiation is known to be influenced by biological and environmental determinants. The present review has the aim of summarizing the most relevant studies on the biological basis of sexual development, and in particular, it focuses on the impact of sex hormones and genetic background on the development of sexual differentiation and gender identity. The authors conducted a search of published studies on Medline (from January 1948 to December 2019).

5α-Reductase-2 deficiency: is gender assignment recommended in infancy? Two case-reports and review of the literature.

Purpose: Gender assignment represents one of the most controversial aspects of the clinical management of individuals with Differences of Sex Development, including 5α-Reductase-2 deficiency (SRD5A2). Given the predominant female appearance of external genitalia in individuals with SRD5A2 deficiency, most of them were assigned to the female sex at birth. However, in the last years the high rate of gender role shift from female to male led to recommend a male gender assignment.

Hormonal Treatment Effect on Sexual Distress in Transgender Persons: 2-Year Follow-Up Data.

Introduction: As far as we know, no studies to date have investigated the psychobiological correlates of sexual distress (SD) nor the impact of hormonal treatment (HT) on SD in transgender persons.

Aim: To evaluate the psychobiological correlates of SD and assess the effects of HT on SD in transgender persons without gender-affirming surgery.

Methods: A consecutive series of 301 transgender persons (160 transwomen and 141 transmen) was considered for the cross-sectional study, and a subset of 72 subjects was studied in a 2-year follow-up.

Gender Dysphoria and Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms in Two Adolescents.

The co-occurrence of gender dysphoria and anorexia nervosa has been described in the scientific literature. This paper presents two adolescents with gender dysphoria and pathological eating behaviors and questions with longitudinal observations the clinical meaning of anorexia nervosa symptoms (e.g.