A European network for the investigation of gender incongruence: The ENIGI initiative

Abstract

Studies on diagnostic subtypes of gender identity disorder (GID) or gender incongruence (GI), comorbidity and treatment outcome show considerable variability in results. Clinic/country specific factors may account for the contradictory results, but these factors have never been studied. This article is the first of a series reporting on a unique collaborative study of four European gender identity clinics (the European network for the investigation of gender incongruence [ENIGI]). Here, we present the diagnostic procedures of the four clinics (Amsterdam, Ghent, Hamburg, and Oslo), the standard battery of instruments, and the first results regarding applicants with GI who seek treatment. Applicants in the four clinics did not differ in living situation, employment status, sexual orientation, and age of onset of GI feelings. However, the Amsterdam and Ghent clinic were visited by a majority of natal males, whereas Hamburg and Oslo see more natal females. Male applicants were older than female applicants within each country, but female applicants in one country were sometimes older than male applicants in another country. Also, educational level differed between applicants of the four clinics. These data indicate that certain sociodemographic and/or cultural characteristics of applicants have to be taken into account in future studies.

Sociodemographic Variables, Clinical Features, and the Role of Preassessment Cross-Sex Hormones in Older Trans People

“…To our knowledge, this has not been documented formally in the empirical literature and is distinctly different from the sex ratios of trans adolescents and trans adults, which point toward near parity. 18,19,44,45 Whether trans people who transition later in life constitute a different group compared to their younger counterparts has been vociferously debated. 46,47 Trans people who transition later in life may have different psychosocial characteristics, but the exact etiology remains unclear.…”

Cancer in Transgender People: Evidence and Methodological Considerations

“…These limitations can be overcome by coordinating data collection across multiple clinical sites as was done recently through the establishment of the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENI-GI). The ENIGI collaboration started at 4 clinical centers in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Ghent, Belgium; Hamburg, Germany; and Oslo, Norway (125,126). More recently, ENIGI was expanded by including a fifth center in Florence, Italy (127).…”

Body composition, bone turnover, and bone mass in trans men during testosterone treatment: 1-year follow-up data from a prospective case–controlled study (ENIGI)

“…All were treated following the World Professional Association for Transgender Health standards of care (8). This research is part of the 'European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence' (ENIGI), a collaboration of four major West European gender identity clinics (Amsterdam, Ghent, Hamburg, and Oslo), a study group created to obtain more transparency in diagnostics and treatment of gender dysphoria (14).…”