Non-binary and transgender under 18-year-olds in the UK will be banned from accessing puberty blockers, which temporarily stop or delay sexual development.
The decision by the UK Government follows safety concerns raised in the findings of two recent inquiries.
However, the change will not impact access to the medication for young people who are currently taking it.
In Australia, puberty blockers can be prescribed to under 18-year-olds with parental or guardian consent.
Puberty blockers
Puberty blockers stop or delay hormonal changes that occur during adolescence. They are a type of gender-affirming care most commonly prescribed to young people.
The medication works by blocking the body’s production of testosterone or estrogen. This can prevent changes like periods, breast development, voice deepening, and facial hair growth.
It delays puberty, but doesn’t cause permanent change.
UK ban
This week, the UK Department of Health issued a ban on the sale and supply of puberty blockers to children under 18.
The measure was recommended by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) after it identified “an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children.”
Further, the Government said its decision to restrict access to the medication followed “targeted consultation” with independent experts, including the CHM. It’s expected to update legislation “to make the order indefinite”. The ban will be reviewed in 2027.
Cass Review
The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) paused young people’s access to puberty blockers in March. It followed advice from an independent review of gender identity services for young people — the Cass review.
Its final report noted a “lack of evidence on the long-term impact of taking hormones from an early age”.
The review called for an NHS puberty blocker trial before the treatment is prescribed further. It also recommended a broad research program to examine “all potential interventions” to support young people.
Review Chair Dr Hilary Cass noted concerns that a “focus” on the use of puberty blockers, “has overshadowed the possibility that other evidence-based treatments may be more effective.”
She said young people seeking gender identity support deserve the same standards of care as any other young person, but that “essential safeguards are not being provided”.
“Research has let us all down,” Cass said.
The week’s decision means the NHS ban on puberty blockers will become permanent. Private health providers will also now be banned from prescribing the treatment to young people.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said lawmakers needed to act “with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice.”
The NHS acknowledged this “will be a difficult time” for some and said it would offer targeted mental health support to young people and families impacted by the ban.
However, NHS patients currently taking puberty blockers, “can continue to access them,” it said.
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