We must not forget transgender patients' physiology if we are to prescribe safely

摘要

The government estimates that around 200,000-500,000 people identify as transgender in the UK, while Stonewall - the charity campaigning for equality of LGBT people - suggests there could be as many as 600,000, including those who identify as non-binary (a spectrum of identities neither exclusively male or female)1-2. Gender is a societal construct, dependent for its expression on the environment and culture in which the person lives3. Gender stereotypes may give visual clues to a person's sex, but not reliably. Some people may have gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person feels discomfort because their biological sex does not match their gender identity - these people may identify as transgender, and may or may not choose to transition.