Association of Documentation of Legal Residency Status with Nonprescribed Hormone Use Among Hispanic/Latina Trans Women in San Francisco

Undocumented immigrant trans Latinas face significant barriers to attaining gender-affirming health care and may use nonprescribed feminizing hormones. Without medical supervision, nonprescribed hormone use may lead to adverse health outcomes. This study aimed to determine if a history of being an undocumented immigrant was associated with nonprescribed hormone use among trans Latinas. We conducted a secondary analysis using baseline data from the 2016 Trans National study done in the San Francisco Bay Area. Two hundred five trans Latinas participated in the study, of whom 75 (37%) reported a history of being undocumented. We fitted a multivariable logistic regression model to determine whether having a history of being an undocumented immigrant was associated with nonprescribed hormone use while controlling for age, income, time living in San Francisco, history of sex work, and history of problems with accessing health care. The prevalence of nonprescribed hormone use was 55.9% among trans Latinas overall; however, for trans Latinas with a history of undocumented immigration status, the prevalence was 68%. There was a significant, independent association between nonprescribed hormone use and undocumented status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=3.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.47–6.97). We also found that having a history of sex work was associated with nonprescribed hormone use (aOR=5.72; 95% CI=2.69–12.18). The prevalence of nonprescribed hormone use among trans Latinas was high and is associated with a history of undocumented status and sex work. These associations may indicate health care avoidance related to concerns of being criminalized due to their documentation status or source of income (i.e., sex work) among trans Latinas. These findings underscore the need to reduce barriers in gender-affirming care to increase access to medically supervised hormone use, particularly among individuals with a history of undocumented status and engaged in sex work.