Gender Dysphoria

Multiple studies have found that gender-affirming surgeries have low regret rates compared to other procedures, and gender transition reduces the rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in transgender youth.\n The White House has ordered the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study \"regret\" among transgender people who have transitioned, according to multiple reports.The decision was first reported by Nature based on statements from anonymous NIH employees.According to Nature, Matthew Memoli, M.D., who was serving as acting director of the NIH at the time, sent a memo to staff several weeks ago saying that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “has been directed to fund research on a few specific areas” related to supposed “chemical and surgical mutilation” of children and adults.Memoli was referring to gender-affirming hormone treatments and surgeries, which are both safe and effective treatments for gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is an intense feeling of distress that occurs when a person’s gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.The White House, HHS and NIH did not respond to requests for comment from Fierce Biotech.\"What they\'re looking for is a political answer, not a scientific one,\" Adrian Shanker, who served as deputy assistant secretary for health policy at HHS under President Joe Biden, told NPR. \"That should be an alarm for everyone who cares about the scientific integrity of the National Institutes of Health.\" A 2021 review of multiple studies that included nearly 8,000 people found that regret rates for gender-affirming surgeries are around 1%, lower than the respective 17.1% and 4.8% found in patients who received knee and hip replacements.In fact, a 2022 study found that transgender youth who receive gender-affirming treatments like puberty blockers and hormones report significantly lower rates of depression and suicidal thoughts.Numerous professional societies, including the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support the use of gender-affirming care in children and adolescents.The NIH is also mandating more research on \"detransitioning,\" which is when someone stops or reverses the transition process, for which data is much sparser. A 2025 survey (PDF) of 25 teenagers and young adults who halted a social or medical gender transition concluded that those surveyed feel lonely, alienated from the LGBTQ community and used by opponents of gender transition.“There are people who try to use detransitioners as pawns against transition,” one participant told the researchers. “It makes me feel bad because, like, that\'s not what I believe and it\'s not my motive.”Since his inauguration, President Donald Trump and his administration have supported an unscientific view regarding sex and gender. The administration has stated that it is “immutable biological reality” that there are two sexes—male and female—and that the administration “rejects gender ideology.” People with intersex traits that don’t fit the typical male/female binary make up almost 2% of the population. Gender is not biological, but a social construct that has always differed across time and cultures.In March, Trump rescinded a Biden-era memo on \"Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Persons Around the World.\" The HHS under Trump also recently announced that patients with gender dysphoria will no longer be able to access federal disability protections.The move comes as the NIH terminates research grants studying topics related to LGBTQ+ health and diversity. More broadly, the government has aimed to slash $4 billion in federal research costs by implementing indirect cost caps on grants, a move that was prohibited by a federal judge. The HHS plans to appeal the decision.

TUESDAY, March 18, 2025 -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced it will no longer provide hormone therapy to veterans newly diagnosed with gender dysphoria . The decision follows an executive order from President Donald Trump that directs federal agencies to recognize only two sexes, male and female, which “are not changeable,” The New York Times reported. The VA will continue hormone treatments for vets who were already receiving them before the policy change. That's because stopping treatment suddenly could harm a person's health. “I mean no disrespect to anyone, but V.A. should not be focused on helping veterans attempt to change their sex,” said Doug Collins , secretary of veterans affairs. Transgender vets will continue to be welcome at the VA, Collins added, “but if veterans want to attempt to change their sex, they can do so on their own dime.” Since 2011, the VA has provided gender-affirming care, including mental health services, preoperative evaluations and letters supporting procedures, as well as postoperative and long-term care, The Times reported. While the VA has never covered surgeries, it has offered support services like fertility treatments, voice coaching and prosthetic devices. Some VA mental health providers were ordered to remove LGBTQ+ support materials, including rainbow flags and posters stating “All are welcome here.” Mary Brinkmeyer , a psychologist who worked with LGBTQ+ vets at the Hampton VA Medical Center in Virginia, resigned after refusing to take down informational materials. “Our code of ethics is, ‘First do no harm,’ and if you’re caught between an institutional demand and your ethical code, you have to resolve it in favor of the ethics code,” Brinkmeyer said. "The cessation of hormone treatment, along with the recent designation of V.A. bathrooms and inpatient rooms by biological sex, will have a real chilling effect on veterans’ willingness to seek care for gender dysphoria ,” she added. The Times noted that studies suggest that gender dysphoria — a mismatch between a person's biological sex and their gender identity — is more common among vets than the general population. Veterans with gender dysphoria are also up to 20 times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts or events than other VA patients. Brinkmeyer worries that limiting care could put lives at risk. “If veterans don’t have other health insurance -- and many transgender veterans are homeless or underemployed -- will they not seek care if they’re suicidal rather than go to the VA?” Brinkmeyer asked. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

There were protests in London earlier this year following the temporary ban against puberty blockers, which has now been made indefinite. Image credit: Getty / Carl Court / Staff. Puberty blockers for people aged under 18 years with gender dysphoria will be indefinitely banned by the UK Government following expert advice on medication’s safety. The Commission of Human Medicines (CHM) provided an independent report on the continued prescribing of puberty blockers in children to the government, concluding there is “currently an unacceptable safety risk”. Upon the commission’s recommendation of “indefinite restrictions”, the Government will continue with existing emergency measures banning the sale and supply of puberty-suppressing hormones that came into force in May this year. The updated ban will apply to the private and public sectors and cover England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The medicine, most often gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues, is typically given as an injection either monthly or every three or six months. It can also be administered as an implant placed under the skin of the upper arm, usually lasting around a year. UK Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Children’s healthcare must always be evidence-led. The independent expert CHM found that the current prescribing and care pathway for gender dysphoria and incongruence presents an unacceptable safety risk for children and young people.” Streeting also highlighted the landmark Cass review into gender identity services that triggered the initial ban. The review, published in April, outlined “safety concerns around the lack of evidence for these medical treatments”, according to the health secretary. The government updated the legislation yesterday (11 December) with the indefinite extension, although a review will take place in 2027. Streeting added: “We are working with NHS England to open new gender identity services, so people can access holistic health and wellbeing support they need.” The new laws will allow certain groups to keep taking the medication. Those already on the drugs for gender incongruence or gender dysphoria will have access channels kept open, as will patients receiving puberty blockers for other uses. Streeting said the government is also setting up a clinical trial next year to investigate the use of puberty blockers in under-18s and establish a “clear evidence base” of the medication. Those who participate in the trial, therefore, will also be able to take puberty blockers. A committee of experts on sexual orientation, gender identity, expression and sex characteristics convened by the Council of Europe released a report earlier this month questioning research set against the backdrop of a medication ban, stating that a puberty blocker trial may breach “the fundamental ethical principles governing research”. TransActual, a UK organisation that provides information about trans rights and health matters, said in a statement reacting to the ban: “Banning medicines with no evidence of serious harm, only for trans people, using powers designed for contaminated and life-threatening drugs, is discrimination plain and simple.”