One year of cross sex hormone therapy causes robust increases in muscle mass and strength in transmen (females) but modest changes in transwomen (males)

Thigh muscle volume increased 15% in transmen, which was paralleled by increased quadriceps cross-sectional area (CSA) (15%) and radiological density 6%. In transwomen, the corresponding parameters decreased by –5% (muscle volume) and –4% (CSA), while density remained unaltered. The transmen increased strength over the assessment period, while the transwomen generally maintained their strength levels¹:

1. Wiik, A., Lundberg, T. R., Rullman, E., Andersson, D. P., Holmberg, et al. (2019). Muscle strength, size, and composition following 12 months of gender-affirming treatment in transgender individuals. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 105(3). [Link] ↩︎