Blood pressure dynamics after pubertal suppression with gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs followed by estradiol treatment in transgender female adolescents: A pilot study

Objectives: The benefits of gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa) in the treatment of central precocious puberty are well established, and their use is regarded as both safe and effective. Possible adverse effects on blood pressure (BP) and cardiac outcomes, body composition, bone health and brain development, however, continue to be of some concern. The aim of this study was to analyze BP changes in transgender female adolescents before and after receiving GnRHa and after adding estrogen treatment. Methods: This was a retrospective pilot study. We analyzed systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) before and after GnRHa initiation and after adding estrogen. Results: Nineteen transgender female adolescents received GnRHa and 15 continued to estrogen treatment. Their baseline SBP and DBP percentiles did not change significantly after either GnRHa or the addition of estrogen treatment. Conclusions: Blood pressure is apparently not affected by GnRHa or GnRHa + estrogen treatment in transgender female adolescents. Further larger studies are indicated to confirm these findings.