A new study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that transgender women maintain physical advantages in strength and heart and lung capacity years after transitioning.

The Brazilian study enrolled 15 transgender women, 14 female control participants, and 13 male control participants. The transgender female participants were an average of 14 years post-transition; all had undergone male puberty and had been taking estrogen long-term. Four had undergone a gonadectomy (removal of the testes). The female and male control participants were similar to the transgender participants in age and body mass index, which helped to strengthen the meaningfulness of comparison among the groups.