School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Sestre Milosrdnice UHC, Vinogradska Cesta 29, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
Arch Sex Behav. 2024 Jun;53(6):2045-2052. doi: 10.1007/s10508-024-02867-9. Epub 2024 Apr 30.
A network of healthcare professionals specializing in transgender care was established in Croatia in 2011, and legal advancements were subsequently made in 2014. Both achievements made gender transition more transparent and thus more attainable in Croatia. This observational study was conducted to assess the number of transgender individuals initiating gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) in Croatia and describes trends in age and sex assigned at birth. Between 2011 and 2022, a total of 111 transgender individuals initiated GAHT. Within the cohort, 52 were assigned male at birth (AMAB) and 59 were assigned female at birth (AFAB). The overall annual incidence rate of transgender individuals initiating GAHT was 0.52 per 100,000 age-adjusted individuals. There was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.01) in transgender individuals commencing GAHT before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, a rising trend toward masculinizing rather than feminizing treatment was identified (p < 0.05), particularly among younger transgender individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted these trends in 2020, except for the trend of initiating therapy at a younger age (p < 0.01). The annual incidence and age distribution trends of transgender individuals initiating GAHT in Croatia closely mirrored those in other European countries, with a higher prevalence of individuals assigned female at birth. The study underscores a significant rise in the number of individuals initiating gender-affirming hormone treatment, emphasizing the need for proper legal regulation and healthcare system response.
一个专门从事跨性别护理的医疗保健专业人员网络于 2011 年在克罗地亚成立,随后在 2014 年取得了法律进展。这两个成就使性别转变在克罗地亚更加透明,从而更容易实现。本观察性研究旨在评估在克罗地亚开始性别肯定激素治疗(GAHT)的跨性别个体数量,并描述出生时性别分配的年龄趋势。在 2011 年至 2022 年期间,共有 111 名跨性别个体开始接受 GAHT。在队列中,52 人被分配为男性(AMAB),59 人被分配为女性(AFAB)。开始 GAHT 的跨性别个体的总体年发病率为每 10 万年龄调整个体 0.52 例。在 COVID-19 大流行之前开始接受 GAHT 的跨性别个体数量呈统计学显著增加(p<0.01)。此外,确定了向男性化而不是女性化治疗的上升趋势(p<0.05),特别是在年轻的跨性别个体中。COVID-19 大流行在 2020 年中断了这些趋势,除了开始治疗的年龄较小的趋势(p<0.01)。在克罗地亚开始 GAHT 的跨性别个体的年发病率和年龄分布趋势与其他欧洲国家非常相似,出生时被分配为女性的个体比例较高。该研究强调了开始性别肯定激素治疗的个体数量的显著增加,强调了适当的法律监管和医疗保健系统应对的必要性。