When asked about their most important medical needs during transition, transgender and non-binary people regularly mention hormone therapy, a survey by researchers at Université de Montréal has found.
Of the more than 220 people polled online in the spring of 2023 – ranging from 26 to 40 years old and identifying as either transmasculine, transfeminine or non-binary – hormone therapy was cited as the top need across all age groups and gender identities.
Overall, more than 95 per cent of respondents cited hormone therapy as their first priority, ahead of facial, upper body, lower body and genital procedures. For those other procedures, needs varied greatly according to gender, personal history and social perception.
Published last month, the study was conducted by Geneviève Fortin, a PhD candidate in public health, with Claude Amiot, a "citizen researcher," and Annie Pullen Sansfaçon, a professor in the School of Social Work.
“This consensus is not so surprising,” said Pullen Sansfaçon, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Partnership Research and Empowerment of Vulnerable Youth.
“Hormone therapy is generally considered less invasive than surgery, more gradual and partially reversible. It is often seen as an important first step in medical transition.”
