Examples Of Endocrine Society

The Endocrine Society’s

CLINICAL

GUIDELINES

Endocrine Treatment of Transsexual Persons:
An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

The Endocrine Society
8401 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 900
Chevy Chase, MD 20815
301.941.0200
www.endo-society.org

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Often this evidence comes from the unsystematic observations of the panelists and their values and preferences; therefore, these remarks should be considered suggestions. Some statements in this guideline (1.3. and 1.4.) are not graded. These are statements the task force felt necessary to make, and it considers them matters about which no sensible healthcare professional could possibly consider advocating the contrary (e.g., clinicians should conduct an adequate history taking and physical examination, clinicians should educate patients about

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their condition). These statements have not been subject to structured review of the evidence and are thus not graded.

INTRODUCTION

AN ENDOCRINE SOCIETY CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE

Men and women have experienced the confusion and anguish resulting from rigid, forced conformity to sexual dimorphism throughout recorded history.
Aspects of gender variance have been part of biological, psychological, and sociological debates among humans in modern history. The twentieth century marked the beginning of a social awakening for men and women “trapped” in the wrong body
What will be required is the careful assessment of 1) the effects of prolonged delay of puberty on bone growth and development among adolescents, 2) in adults, the effects on outcome of both endogenous and cross-sex hormone levels during treatment, 3) the requirement for and the effects of anti-androgens and progestins during treatment, and 4) long-term medical and psychological risks of sex reassignment. These needs can be met only by a commitment of mental health and endocrine investigators to collaborate in long-term, large-scale studies across countries that employ the same diagnostic and inclusion criteria, medications, assay methods, and response assessment tools.
Terminology and its use vary and continue to evolve.
Table 1 contains definitions of terms as they are used throughout the Guideline.
Etiology of Gender Identity Disorders
One’s self-awareness as male or female evolves gradually during infant life and childhood. This process of cognitive and affective learning happens in interaction with parents, peers, and environment, and a fairly accurate timetable exists of the steps in this process (4). Normative psychological literature, however, does not address when gender