Study: Scientists Find Transgender Women Retain Physical Benefits Long After Transitioning

by Swimming World Editorial Staff

04 October 2023, 06:38am

New Study: Scientists Find Transgender Women Retain Physical Benefits Long After Transitioning

A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, conducted by Brazilian scientists, states that transgender women maintain their strength and other cardio-pulmonary benefits from their male birth despite the use of hormone therapy such as testosterone suppression. The study indicated that even 14 years after transitioning, transgender women were, on average, 20 percent stronger and had 20 percent greater heart and lung capacity than females.

The topic of transgender participation in female sports has been discussed in a variety of sports over the past several years, primarily due to its effect on fairness. Researchers who conducted the study noted that estrogen use and testosterone suppression did not fully change trans women to the level of females.

“These findings add new insights to the sparse information available on a highly controversial topic about the participation of transgender women in physical activities,” said Professor Leonardo Alvares in the study. “It could inform policy and help in decisions about the participation of transgender women in sporting activities.”

World Aquatics, the world governing body for aquatic sports, ruled last June that any male who has undergone puberty will be ineligible to compete in the women’s classification. When World Aquatics made its decision, the vote on the matter arrived after weighing information from scientists, human-rights experts and athletes. World Aquatics said it would offer an open category in World Cup competition, but not athletes sought entry for the Berlin stop.

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