National Health Service England stops prescribing puberty blockers, citing 'not enough evidence'

Kinsey Crowley
USA Today
Wed, 13 Mar 2024 10:58 UTC

© mermaidsuk.org.uk

The National Health Service England announced Tuesday it will not routinely prescribe puberty blockers for children and young people experiencing gender dysphoria.

The decision posted online referenced research collected by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2020 that raised concerns of uncertainty in the treatment's efficacy and potential side effects.

The publication by NHS England stated:

"We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of (puberty suppressing hormones) to make the treatment routinely available at this time."

Fewer than 100 kids and teens in England are on puberty blockers, they will be allowed to continue their treatment, and some youth may still be able to access the treatment as part of a clinical trial, the BBC reported.

U.K. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Victoria Atkins was supportive of the NHS England move:

"I welcome NHS England's decision today to end the routine prescription of puberty blockers to children."

LGBTQ+ activist organization Stonewall echoed Atkins' sentiment that research is important for trans people, but raised further concerns:

"Ultimately what matters is that trans and gender diverse young people have the best possible care, and we welcome any research that will lead to that outcome. However, we are concerned that NHS England will be putting new prescriptions on hold until a research protocol is up and running."

Stonewall also said there are 8,000 young people who have been waiting for years to be referred to hormone care. NHS England did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for confirmation.

Puberty blockers stop the body's natural puberty process to give young people who want to explore their gender identity more time.

Puberty causes irreversible changes in the body, but puberty blockers are temporary and reversible. Hormone therapy can later include testosterone or estrogen.

Legislation looking to restrict gender affirming care for minors, including puberty blockers, has swept across the U.S. in recent years. But research from LGBTQ organizations shows it can lower the odds of depression and suicide for trans and nonbinary youth.

Comment: High Court case has changed the rules:

NHS: England has updated its guidelines to fall into line with the law. Here's what's changed and what it means for trans youth:

• Broadly, this is a positive step forward so long as you have the support from home. For these people, it means 'best interest orders' are not mandatory if the young person has consent from their parents and a clinical recommendation.
• The 'Review Group' is essentially a new part of the process that will have an independent panel decide whether a clinical decision around puberty blockers is correct and to ensure everyone is in agreement.
• "The review group's role is not to endorse or refuse treatment - it is there to ensure appropriate decision-making processes have been followed, particularly with regard to assessing and supporting consent to treatment."
• Should the review group have 'any doubts' about whether the decision-making process was robust a best interest order application may be applied for.
• This is an interim position - may review it again following the Cass Review and the Bell Appeal, which we hear will be heard this summer.