For transgender women taking estrogen pills, patches, or shots for about five years, their cholesterol and fat levels in the blood don’t seem to go up or down much — even though their estrogen goes up and testosterone goes down.

When transgender men take testosterone pills or shots for about four years, their cholesterol and fat levels in the blood don’t really change, even though their testosterone goes up a lot — so it seems like the hormone isn’t messing with their body’s fat and cholesterol balance.

Whether transgender women take estrogen as a pill, patch, or shot doesn’t seem to make a difference in how their cholesterol and fats in the blood change over time.

When transgender women take estrogen for a few years, their weight tends to go up a little, but when transgender men take testosterone, their weight usually stays about the same.

When transgender men take testosterone for several years, their bottom number (diastolic) blood pressure tends to go up a little, and when transgender women take estrogen for several years, their top number (systolic) blood pressure tends to go down a little.