When people take testosterone as part of gender-affirming care, their blood can get a bit thicker from more red blood cells, but even at its highest, it’s still in a safe, normal range — so serious thickening of the blood is uncommon.

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Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

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Community contributions welcome

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Erythrocytosis Is Rare With Exogenous Testosterone in Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Cross-Sectional Study

Human

2024 Apr 19

This study looked at people taking testosterone for gender affirmation and found their blood cell levels went up a bit, but not enough to be dangerous — the highest level was still normal, and very few people had dangerously high levels.

Contradicting (0)

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No contradicting evidence found

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According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

Source Study

Erythrocytosis Is Rare With Exogenous Testosterone in Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy.

Score: 35

DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgad651

Similar Assertions

Among people taking testosterone as part of gender-affirming care, most don’t develop dangerously high red blood cell counts — only a small number go above normal levels, so it’s not a common problem.

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Giving someone testosterone can make their body produce more red blood cells, which thickens the blood; if the blood gets too thick, it might increase the chance of dangerous blood clots.

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