Transgender men suffer from ‘postmenopausal’ bladder and bowel symptoms like incontinence in their 20s because of taking testosterone, study finds

Transgender men suffer from ‘postmenopausal bladder and bowel symptoms because of taking testosterone, a study has found.

Researchers found that of the 68 transgender men who participated in the study, 95 per cent developed pelvic floor dysfunction after taking the hormone to transition from female to male, the Telegraph reports.

The study identified bladder and bowel problems like incontinence in the participants as young as 18 and with an average age of 28. Doctors would usually expect such symptoms in a ‘postmenopausal’ woman.

Urinary incontinence, having to go to the toilet often as well as bed-wetting affected 87 per cent of the participants, while bowel issues like constipation affected 74 per cent.

Around one in four of the transgender men suffered from incontinence – which is three times higher than the rate in women.

Other bladder and bowel issues the trans men in the study experienced included often having to urinate during the night, struggling to pass stool as well as burning when passing urine.

Sexual dysfunction affected 53 per cent of participants and nearly half of them also experienced pain during sex.

The effect of sex-changing drugs on bodily functions was ‘under-researched and under-reported’, as experts warned that sex changing drugs could put young people on ‘exactly the same trajectory’ as those in menopause, according to the Telegraph.

Pelvic health physiotherapist Elaine Miller told the newspaper that women often ‘start to get leaky’ in menopause and that female people who take testosterone could find themselves with the same issues.

She urged that there should be more research as it impacts many people, who she said were impacted in their professional and personal lives because of wetting themselves. 

‘The impact a bit of leaking has on these young people’s lives is huge,’ she told the Telegraph.

‘It really needs to be properly discussed within gender clinics because I would expect that almost 100 per cent of female people that take cross-sex hormones will end up with these problems.’

The menopause causes those going through it to lose muscle mass and body strength, which in turn can weaken their pelvic floor and cause incontinence.

Testosterone can potentially accelerate the menopause by stopping the ovaries  from functioning. The ovaries produce oestrogen, which can help the prevention of health conditions like dementia, osteoporosis and coronary heart disease.

While testosterone has been linked to hair and muscle mass loss, its impact on the pelvic floor and incontinence has not been widely researched.

The researchers behind the study, from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, said the results showed that participants frequently had at least one of the pelvic floor dysfunction symptoms.