"Challenges and Controversies in Youth Gender Care Across the UK"
A review commissioned by England's National Health Service found that the medical evidence underlying gender care for adolescents is "remarkably weak," leading to little clarity on long-term outcomes. The report emphasizes the need for better care for young people with gender dysphoria but highlights the lack of good evidence on how best to provide it. The review urges extreme caution around providing hormones before the age of 18 and emphasizes the lack of evidence on the impact of social transitioning. The NHS has announced that puberty-blocking drugs in England will only be available for young people in the context of a clinical trial, and plans to widen access to gender care are underway, although there is a significant backlog of cases.