Connect
MJA
MJA

The prevalence of sexually transmissible infections in transgender people

Joshua D Safer
Med J Aust 2019; 211 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.50369
Published online: 4 November 2019

Transgender people may have a higher burden of both medical and mental health problems

The rates of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in transgender people are reported to be far higher than for cisgender individuals,1,2,3 but the factors underlying the higher numbers are not known. Possibilities include lack of access to quality health care4 and greater assumption of risk by transgender people because of their relatively precarious life circumstances.5


  • Mount Sinai Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, New York, New York, United States of America


Correspondence: joshua.safer@mssm.edu

Competing interests:

I served on an advisory panel for Endo Pharmaceuticals in June 2018.

  • 1. Nuttbrock L, Hwahng S, Bockting W, et al. Lifetime risk factors for HIV/sexually transmitted infections among male‐to‐female transgender persons. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2009; 52: 417–421.
  • 2. Baral SD, Poteat T, Strömdahl S, et al. Worldwide burden of HIV in transgender women: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Lancet Infect Dis 2013; 13: 214–222.
  • 3. Reisner SL, Poteat T, Keatley J, et al. Global health burden and needs of transgender populations: a review. Lancet 2016; 388: 412–436.
  • 4. Safer JD, Coleman E, Feldman J, et al. Barriers to healthcare for transgender individuals. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes 2016; 23: 168–171.
  • 5. Feldman J, Romine RS, Bockting WO. HIV risk behaviors in the US transgender population: prevalence and predictors in a large internet sample. J Homosex 2014; 61: 1558–1588.
  • 6. Callander D, Cook T, Read T, et al. Sexually transmissible infections among transgender men and women attending Australian sexual health clinics. Med J Aust 2019; 211: 406–411.
  • 7. Safer JD. Tangpricha V. Care of the transgender patient. Ann Intern Med 2019; 17: ITC1–ITC16.
  • 8. Leinung MC, Urizar MF, Patel N, Sood SC. Endocrine treatment of transsexual persons: extensive personal experience. Endocr Pract 2013; 19: 644–650.

Author

remove_circle_outline Delete Author
add_circle_outline Add Author

Comment
Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

I/we agree to assign copyright to the Medical Journal of Australia and agree to the Conditions of publication *
I/we agree to the Terms of use of the Medical Journal of Australia *
Email me when people comment on this article

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.