Sources

A detailed practical handbook covering hormone therapy, mental health, preventive screening, surgery, fertility, HIV and sexually transmitted infections. The current edition dates from June 2016, although UCSF has published some interim updates and states that a revised edition is forthcoming in 2026. Older chapters should therefore be cross-checked against more recent guidelines and regulatory information.

A practical primary care resource from Sherbourne Health and Rainbow Health Ontario. It includes assessment, hormone therapy, monitoring, preventive care and referral pathways. The fourth edition was published in 2019, with subsequent medication amendments issued in 2023 and 2026. The amendments should be consulted wherever medication recommendations differ from the main document.

Primary care guidelines released in March 2023. They support the initiation and management of gender-affirming care for adults, including an informed-consent approach, and have been endorsed by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners.

Australian standards and supporting resources for gender-affirming healthcare. The 2022 adult standards emphasise informed consent, individualised treatment and multidisciplinary care. The page also provides separate resources relating to children and adolescents.

A practical clinical handbook published in 2021. It provides an accessible overview of primary care, hormone therapy, preventive screening, sexual health and common clinical questions. Because it predates several newer guidelines, medication and monitoring recommendations should be checked against current sources.

A practical discussion of individualised care for non-binary and gender-nonconforming people, including partial hormone regimens, alternative treatment goals and selected surgical options. This is an older UCSF chapter and should be interpreted alongside WPATH SOC8 and newer guidance.

A practical framework for assessment, informed consent and initiation of gender-affirming hormone therapy. It discusses readiness, expectations, fertility, risk assessment and follow-up. As a 2016 UCSF chapter, it should be cross-checked against newer standards and current product information.

Detailed clinical information on oestrogen therapy, androgen suppression, expected effects, dosing, laboratory monitoring and risk management. Recommendations should be interpreted in the context of the patient's age, comorbidities, route of administration and treatment goals, and cross-checked against newer guidance.

A practical guide to testosterone therapy, including formulations, dosing, expected changes, laboratory monitoring, adverse effects and management of persistent menstruation. This older chapter should be used alongside current guidelines and product information.

A 2021 American Heart Association scientific statement examining cardiovascular disparities, conventional risk factors, the potential cardiovascular effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy and gaps in the evidence. It also discusses ways to improve cardiovascular prevention and care.

Official International Society for Clinical Densitometry positions from 2019 on indications for bone mineral density testing and interpretation of DXA results. Particularly relevant where there are additional osteoporosis risk factors, prolonged hypogonadism or interruption of hormone therapy.

An official European Medicines Agency safety communication concerning the association between cyproterone and meningioma. It is important when considering dose, cumulative exposure, alternative treatments and the overall risk–benefit balance.

Official US prescribing information for spironolactone, revised in November 2025. It covers approved indications, dosing, hyperkalaemia, renal function, blood pressure and drug interactions. It is not specific to gender-affirming treatment.

APA practice guidelines published in 2015. They address affirming communication, the effects of stigma and discrimination, family and relationship contexts, and culturally responsive psychological care. They remain useful for psychological practice but should be read alongside WPATH SOC8 and newer guidance.

A 2017 introductory guide for psychiatrists covering terminology, gender dysphoria, affirming psychotherapy, letters of support and an overview of medical and surgical interventions. It is not official APA policy and is based largely on WPATH SOC7, so it is best used as background rather than as current clinical guidance.

A practical overview of minority stress, discrimination, trauma, co-occurring mental health conditions and support during transition. It distinguishes mental health needs related to gender affirmation from unrelated psychiatric conditions. This is an older UCSF chapter and should be cross-checked against newer standards.

A 2024 policy statement supporting access to multidisciplinary, evidence-based and individualised gender-affirming healthcare for young people. It also opposes legal restrictions that interfere with access to appropriate clinical care.

A policy statement rejecting interventions intended to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. It distinguishes these practices from open-ended, developmentally appropriate exploration provided without a predetermined outcome.

A 2018 policy statement describing a gender-affirmative, family-centred approach to paediatric care. It addresses social support, mental health, family engagement, clinical services and the role of paediatric professionals.

A clinical overview of vaginoplasty techniques, immediate postoperative care, dilation, expected recovery and potential complications. It is useful for clinicians providing postoperative or urgent care outside the surgical centre, but local surgical protocols should take precedence.

An overview of surgical options, staged procedures, urethral reconstruction, implants and common postoperative complications. The operating surgeon's instructions and procedure-specific protocols remain the primary source for individual aftercare.

A practical summary of breast augmentation considerations, implant selection, perioperative issues and possible complications. It can support primary and postoperative care but does not replace surgeon-specific guidance.

An overview of voice assessment, behavioural voice therapy and selected surgical options. It highlights the importance of individual communication goals and collaboration with appropriately trained speech and language professionals.

A current committee opinion on fertility preservation, assisted reproduction and family-building options. It is particularly useful for counselling before medical or surgical interventions that may affect fertility.

A practical introduction to fertility counselling and preservation options, including sperm, oocyte and embryo cryopreservation. This older chapter should be supplemented with current reproductive medicine guidance and local eligibility and storage requirements.

Clinical guidance on sexual history, anatomically appropriate screening, HIV and STI prevention, diagnostic testing and treatment considerations. Screening should be based on sexual practices, sites of exposure, anatomy and individual risk rather than identity alone.

A general framework for cancer screening based on the organs present, individual risk and medical, surgical and hormone history. The page links to organ-specific guidance. Screening intervals should be checked against current national screening programmes and specialist recommendations.

An anatomical and trauma-informed approach to pelvic pain and persistent bleeding in transmasculine people. It covers infection, testosterone-associated vaginal atrophy, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal causes, and symptoms after hysterectomy. The chapter is older and should be cross-checked against newer guidelines and reviews.

Evidence-based UK guidance on a broad range of conditions, treatments, procedures and health services. NICE recommendations are commonly supported by formal evidence reviews, with the evidence and reasoning made available in the accompanying documents.

Concise, practical summaries for primary care, including assessment, differential diagnosis, prescribing and referral. Access to some content may depend on location.

Official WHO guidelines and recommendations on public health, clinical care and health systems. Particularly helpful when an international or resource-sensitive perspective is required.

Evidence-based US guidance on STI prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The main guideline edition was published in 2021; clinicians should also check subsequent CDC notices and operational updates.

Specialist evidence-based guidelines covering infectious disease diagnosis, antimicrobial treatment and prevention.

European guidelines covering cardiovascular prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The site also provides related tools, summaries and implementation materials.

US cardiovascular clinical guidelines, scientific statements and related professional resources.

Specialist guidelines on liver disease, including viral hepatitis, metabolic liver disease, cirrhosis and other hepatological conditions. Useful where comorbid liver disease or potential drug-induced liver injury affects treatment decisions.

Evidence-based specialist guidance covering urological conditions, surgery, infections and reproductive or sexual health topics.

European recommendations for the diagnosis and management of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.

Current global strategy documents for asthma diagnosis, assessment and management. GINA reports are regularly revised, so the latest edition should be used.

Current global strategy documents for the diagnosis, management and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. GOLD reports are updated regularly.

A point-of-care clinical reference covering assessment, differential diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Subscription or institutional access is generally required.

A frequently updated point-of-care reference covering a wide range of clinical specialties. Subscription or institutional access is required.

A freely accessible general medical reference with concise overviews of diseases, diagnosis and treatment.

The American Academy of Family Physicians' peer-reviewed clinical journal. It publishes practical reviews, diagnostic approaches and evidence summaries for primary care.

A major source of rigorously produced systematic reviews and other evidence syntheses. Abstracts and plain-language summaries are generally available, while access to full content varies.

The US National Library of Medicine's main search service for biomedical and life-sciences literature.

A free full-text archive of biomedical and life-sciences journal literature. Inclusion in the archive does not itself establish the quality of an individual study.

A clinical search tool that brings together guidelines, systematic reviews, evidence summaries and primary research. Coverage and access vary across sources.

A major public registry and results database maintained by the US National Library of Medicine. It includes studies conducted in the United States and many other countries. Registration does not mean that a study has been independently reviewed or approved by the database.

A biomedical literature database and archive combining abstracts, full-text articles, grant information, citation data and text-mining tools.

A citation-analysis service using "Smart Citations" to show whether later papers appear to support, mention or contrast with a cited study. It can help identify context, contested findings and retracted work, but its classifications are not a substitute for critical appraisal.

Secondary evidence summaries presenting treatment benefits and harms using measures such as number needed to treat and number needed to harm. Useful for communication and rapid orientation, but not a substitute for primary guidelines or systematic reviews.

Current recommendations developed with Canadian medical societies concerning tests and treatments that are commonly overused, unsupported in particular circumstances or potentially harmful.

Official information on medicines evaluated or authorised through central European procedures, including regulatory decisions and safety communications. It does not contain every medicine authorised nationally within the European Union, so national medicines registers may also be required.

A US National Library of Medicine database containing recent product labelling submitted to the FDA and currently in use. The information is supplied by manufacturers and does not constitute a complete listing of every FDA-regulated product.

A searchable repository of company-submitted drug labelling. The available text may not always be identical to the latest FDA-approved labelling or the labelling currently distributed with a product. Drugs@FDA and the relevant approval documents should be consulted when the regulatory status of a label matters.

A standard UK prescribing reference covering indications, doses, contraindications, cautions, adverse effects and interactions. Access may depend on location or institutional subscription.

A free National Institutes of Health resource on drug-induced liver injury. It provides clinical patterns, latency, severity, mechanisms and published case evidence for individual medicines and supplements.

A peer-reviewed database on medicines and other substances during breastfeeding. It covers levels in breast milk and infant blood, reported effects and possible alternatives.

A major European resource on rare diseases, including disease nomenclature, clinical descriptions, associated genes, orphan medicines and expert centres.

Expert-authored reviews of inherited disorders, covering diagnosis, management, surveillance, genetic counselling and testing strategies.

A collaborative radiology reference containing imaging cases and educational articles. It is useful for orientation and pattern recognition but should not replace formal radiology reporting or specialist consultation.

A comprehensive dermatology reference produced with specialist clinical input. It includes descriptions and images of skin conditions, investigations and treatment options.

A specialist pathology reference covering histopathology, immunohistochemistry, molecular findings and diagnostic differentials.

A widely used specialist reference for fracture management and orthopaedic surgical techniques. It includes operative approaches, fixation principles, aftercare and rehabilitation considerations.