Gender-affirming care for teens is rare amid debate over access: Study
The use of gender-affirming medical care for trans teens was rare between 2018 to 2022, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Roughly 0.1% of gender non-conforming teens used puberty blockers and/or hormone therapy in an analysis of over 5 million medical claims during this time period, according to the report. No adolescents under age 12 received gender-affirming medications, according to the analysis of these claims.
Transgender youth make up 1.4% of the population between the ages of 13 to 17, according to research from UCLA.
This new research comes as some Republican lawmakers across the country attempt to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth, in part on the basis that the rates of gender-affirming care are too high or unfounded claims that young children are getting surgeries. In the 2024 legislative session, the ACLU recorded 79 efforts to restrict gender-affirming youth care.
A separate study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found little to no usage of gender-affirming surgeries by transgender and gender-diverse minors in the U.S., instead finding that cisgender minors and adults had substantially higher utilization of such gender-affirming surgeries than their transgender counterparts.
Of the 5,155,282 medical claims records analyzed, 21 per 100,000 adolescents assigned female at birth and 15 per 100,000 adolescents assigned male at birth received puberty blockers.
The report found that 50 per 100,000 in adolescents assigned female at birth and 25 per 100,000 in adolescents assigned male at birth received hormones.
Medical organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and others say gender-affirming care is safe, effective, beneficial, and may be medically necessary for some transgender youth.
Puberty blockers are used to delay the development of certain physical characteristics, such as the growth of breasts and facial hair. Experts say this allows children to explore their gender and determine the appropriate course of action. It is often used on cisgender children who experience puberty earlier than what is typical, according to health professionals.
Once blockers are stopped, puberty continues with little to no proven side effects, according to health professionals.
Researchers also told ABC News that hormone therapies are given to older patients who, based on WPATH standards, have gone through a thorough list of evaluations, discussions and approvals before receiving such care.
"Despite its safety and effectiveness, gender-affirming medical care for adolescents who identify as [transgender and gender diverse] is a polarizing topic, with nearly half of US states enacting laws to limit access," read the report.
Some advocates in favor of care restrictions argue there needs to be more research on these practices, or that transgender patients should wait until they're older to access such care.
LGBTQ advocates against these laws argue they are concerned about the impact such bans can have on the mental and physical well-being of transgender youth, who they claim already disproportionately face discrimination and violence.
