NHS Stops Puberty Blockers, Citing Lack of Safety Evidence

Children in England with gender dysphoria will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers, the NHS has confirmed. NHS England confirmed on Tuesday that the health service would no longer prescribe puberty suppressing hormones (PSH), which pause the physical changes of puberty, to children. The drugs would now only remain available as part of clinical research trials. In guidance published following a public consultation, NHS England said, “We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of PSH to make the treatment routinely available at this time.” The decision came after NHS England commissioned an independent review in 2020 of gender identity services for minors, following a sharp increase in referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service (Gids) run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in North London which specialised in working with children and young people with gender dysphoria....