England pauses ‘gender transition’ hormones for minors, citing safety concerns

England’s National Health Service is temporarily pausing “gender transition” hormones for minors over concerns about their safety.

The 90-day pause, announced in a statement March 10 from Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, is intended to allow time for an independent review of evidence related to a proposal to restrict the hormones from 16- and 17-year-olds, who currently receive them “only in very limited circumstances.”

Streeting said the move was “in line with the Cass Review” and a 2021 independent study that found “very limited evidence about the safety, risks, benefits and outcomes” of prescribing sex-altering hormones for minors.

“The evidence reviews found very limited and weak evidence to support the continued access to (masculinizing and feminizing) hormones by children and young people under the age of 18 years,” he said. “After careful consideration, NHS England has concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety and clinical effectiveness of MAF hormones to make the treatment routinely available.”

The government is also examining their prescription by the private sector and will reissue guidance from last year advising NHS doctors not to partner in care with providers who prescribe the hormones to children.

The move is part of governments and health organizations walking back their previous allegiance to sex-rejecting treatments and procedures.

In 2024, the governments of England and Scotland announced emergency bans on puberty blockers for minors after the release of the Cass report.

In the United States, two major medical societies removed their support of child sex-change surgeries after a New York jury awarded a detransitioner $2 million in damages in January.

Streeting said the NHS is committed to providing “high-quality care for those with gender incongruence or dysphoria,” but that “the safety and wellbeing of children and young people is paramount.”

“Children’s health care must always be led by evidence and expert scientific and clinical advice,” he said.