The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is using a women’s health grant to fund a study on how testicle removal affects the long-term cardiovascular health of men as young as 18 years old.
The study, which began on March 22, 2021, is set to be completed by March 2024. The first study cohort comprises biological males aged 18 to 44 who are in the process of “transitioning” to female and have been taking estrogen and spironlactone for at least a year. The second cohort consists of biological males aged 45 and older who are also taking estrogen and spironolactone. Both cohorts have not undergone but desire to undergo orchiectomy, the removal of testicles. (RELATED: New Bill Won’t Require Parental Notification For Runaway Minors Receiving ‘Gender Affirming Treatment’)
“The global aim of this study is to characterize cardiometabolic risk (measured by vascular, metabolic and biochemical factors-which have not been extensively studied prospectively) in trans women before and after orchiectomy,” the study description reads. “Trans women appear to be at greater risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and blood clots compared to non-trans adults.”
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 8: (L-R) Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health Lawrence Tabak, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle Walensky and Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Robert Califf are sworn in during a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the Subcommittee on Health hearing about the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic on Capitol Hill February 8, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“The effect of orchiectomy on CVD risk among trans women is unknown, but orchiectomy may change blood vessel function and metabolic health,” the description continues. “The investigators will examine blood vessel function and metabolic profiles of trans women before and at several timepoints after orchiectomy to identify age-related differences in CVD risk factors. This knowledge may lead to new approaches to prevent CVD in trans women as well as all people regardless of gender identity.”
The study compares the effects of testicle removal on younger versus older biological men who are transitioning to present as female. The University of Colorado, Denver, along with the NIH, are listed as sponsors of the study. The study’s principal investigator is Dr. Sean Iwamoto, a professor at the university.
Specifically, the study’s page on clinicaltrials.gov lists the NIH’s Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH, pronounced “birch”) program as a source of funding. BIRCWH “is a mentored career-development program designed to connect junior faculty, known as BIRCWH Scholars, to senior faculty with shared interest in women’s health and sex differences research,” according to the program website.