Sexual-risk Related Practices and Health-care Utilization of a Sample of Self-identified Male-to-Female Transgender Individuals in Shanghai, China Open Access
Sheng, Xi (2017)
Abstract
Importance: The majority of research on transgender (TG) individuals are conducted in Western countries, however, little is known about the lives of TG individuals in developing countries.
Objective: To characterize sexual-risk related practices and health-care utilization of self-identified male-to-female (MTF) TG individuals in Shanghai, China.
Design: Using Respondent-driven Sampling methodology, data for this brief report were drawn from a study on TG health in Shanghai, China.
Setting: The study was sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Participants: All participants (N = 81) completed a tablet-administered survey. All were tested for HIV and syphilis.
Results: Only 17 (21%) out of the 81 TG individuals had some form of sex re-assignment surgery (12 breast augmentation only and 5 breast augmentation and vaginoplasty construction). Little differences between individuals with or without sex re-assignment were observed on most socio-demographic characteristics and sexual-risk related practices. All but one of the surgeries were performed in government-owned clinics in China, and were paid by out-of-pocket expenses. Hormone use was extremely low - only 4 of 17 (24%) used hormones prescribed by their doctors before surgeries, and only 2 out of 17 used hormones without a prescription before surgery. Of the 64 individuals who did not have sex re-assignment surgery, 6 planned to have some form of surgery done in the next 12 months. Seven 7 (8.6%) and 9 (11.1%) individuals, respectively, out of 81 tested positive for HIV (8.6%) and syphilis (11.1%). Six of the 7 no-sex re-assignment individuals had dual infections. Preventive health practices such as yearly check-up was alarming low (18.5% only would visit a doctor when having an illness).
Conclusions and Relevance: There is a surprising lack of hormone therapy given its importance as part of the physical transition process. Therefore, it is of great urgency that the Chinese government makes a concerted effort to update national sex re-assignment guidelines to align with international best practices, including putting in place a realistic regulatory system to monitor development and implementation of hormone therapy.
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1
METHODS ........................................................................................................................ 2
RESULTS .......................................................................................................................... 3
DISCUSSION .................................................................................................................... 4
REFERENCE..................................................................................................................... 6
TABLES .............................................................................................................................. 8
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