JPAC Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee

Transgender Individuals

Definition

Cisgender (cis) describes someone whose gender identity is the same as the sex they were assigned at birth.

Transgender (trans) describes someone whose gender is not the same as, or does not sit comfortably with, the sex they were assigned at birth.

Obligatory

Assessment of the donor suitability should be according to the gender assigned at the time of donation. See ‘Additional Information’ section.

Discretionary

Accept

See if Relevant
Additional Information

Consideration should be given to the medications used during gender re-assignment. An individual risk assessment is required with regard to potential effects on the donor, donated material and any potential risk to the recipient.

Assessment of haemoglobin concentration should be according to the gender assigned. The higher haemoglobin concentration of men, compared to women, is related to testosterone levels. Testosterone levels will rise if a person who was assigned female at birth receives hormone therapy as part of transitioning. This will result in the haemoglobin concentration rising to the higher range seen in cis men. The opposite will be true if a person who was assigned male at birth transitions.

Reason for Change

This entry was revised to support the implementation of the FAIR III report; the additional information section has been revised to reflect the circumstances of tissue and cell donations.

Update Information

This entry was last updated in
TDSG-BM Edition 203, Release 52