The gender affirmation process and health impacts of transgender people

Objective: Analyze the impact of the gender affirmation process on the health of the transgender population. Method: Transversal and quantitative study, conducted with transsexual individuals from Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil, between January and September 2023, using sociodemographic and health instruments. The analysis was done using Principal Component Analysis and descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 58 participants, 51.7% had side effects during hormone therapy, highlighting headache and elevated blood pressure. About 41.0% performed hormone therapy without the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. Transsexuals and non-binaries were 16 times (p=0.0002) more likely not to perform the cytopathological examination. These data reinforce the vulnerability scenario of the population in the health context. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that institutional barriers drive the transgender population away from health services, generating limitations in access to preventive care with an emphasis on hormone therapy.