Expert Care of Adolescent Transgender and Gender-diverse Athletes.

Abstract

As a population, transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) adolescents face higher rates of discrimination than their cisgender peers, both in their personal lives and while seeking health care. Negative experiences with health care can be discouraging for minority populations and can result in poorer health maintenance and outcomes. As health care providers, it is imperative that we educate ourselves on providing culturally competent care for this community. This includes an understanding of gender identity, hormonal therapy, impact on athletics, musculoskeletal health, and surgical considerations in this population. In this article, we offer a perspective on providing expert care to TGD adolescent patients through the lens of sports medicine.