In a recent development, England's National Health Service (NHS) has imposed a ban on the use of puberty blockers for children seeking treatment for gender dysphoria. The decision comes as the NHS cited limited research and insufficient evidence of safety and clinical effectiveness of these medications. Puberty blockers, also known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues (GnRHa), are drugs that suppress sex hormones in adolescents by continuously stimulating the pituitary gland.

Under the new guidelines, puberty blockers will only be available to children and young people in limited ways, such as through participation in clinical trials. The decision to restrict access is a result of concerns over the safety and potential impact on mental health among trans kids. Previous research has indicated a link between the use of puberty blockers and poor mental health outcomes.

A study conducted by the NHS's Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at Tavistock and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in 2021 analyzed 44 children between the ages of 12 and 15 who had been prescribed puberty-blocking drugs. Initially, the researchers found no impact on the mental health of these children during the 36-month follow-up period. However, a subsequent analysis of the same study revealed that 34% of the trans youth experienced a decline in mental health while taking puberty blockers, while 37% reported no change and 29% noticed an improvement.

The concerns regarding the use of puberty blockers have extended beyond England, with some European countries, including Finland, Norway, and Sweden exercising increased caution in administering pharmaceutical interventions to children diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Swedish doctors from the Karolinska Institute published a systemic review of available medical literature, suggesting that the use of puberty blockers for treating gender dysphoria should be considered "experimental." They discovered that these blockers could delay bone maturation and mineral deposits, which may only be partially restored by age 22 when cross-sex hormones are initiated.

Pediatric endocrinologist and researcher Ricard Nergårdh, affiliated with the Karolinska Institute, expressed concerns about the potential risks of long-term GnRHa treatment. He emphasized the importance of informing patients and their families about the possible unintended and undesirable effects on mental health. Nergårdh voiced his worries regarding the use of GnRHa in children, referring to it as chemical castration due to its similarities in mode of action to treatments used for prostate cancer.

As a result of these concerns and limited research, the NHS has taken a cautious approach by limiting access to puberty blockers only to certain circumstances like clinical trials. The aim is to obtain more conclusive evidence regarding the safety and clinical effectiveness of these medications in order to ensure the well-being of children and young people seeking treatment for gender dysphoria.

It is evident that further research and a comprehensive understanding of the long-term effects of puberty blockers are necessary to guide informed decisions and provide appropriate care for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria.