United Kingdom Bans Sex Hormones for Children

Testosterone or estrogen for people under 18 who believe themselves to be of the opposite sex will be banned within the National Health Service (NHS) — the UK’s publicly funded healthcare system. The ban follows a review of healthcare that has concluded that “available evidence does not support continued use” of these medications.

So-called gender-affirming hormones are sometimes given to people who believe they are transgender. The new ban means that patients already taking these hormones may continue, but no new referrals will be accepted. However, the ban does not cover private healthcare providers.

According to Professor James Palmer, National Medical Director for NHS England, the healthcare system had commissioned an in-depth review of all available clinical evidence for using estrogen or testosterone to treat gender incongruence and dysphoria.

– This review has determined that the available evidence does not support the continued use of masculinizing or feminizing hormones to treat gender incongruence or dysphoria in youth under 18 years of age, he said.

– We are now launching a public consultation on a revised policy that means the NHS will remove this treatment as a routine intervention for youth under 18.

Photo: Myosotis Scorpioides, CC BY-SA 4.0

Puberty Blockers

Dr. Hilary Cass, whose review of gender-related services for children led to a ban on puberty blockers, called for “extreme caution” regarding the use of cross-sex medications. She found that nearly all children who receive puberty blockers go on to take cross-sex hormones.

While puberty blockers suppress hormones that support a child’s body and brain development, hormone drugs help someone change their physical appearance, for example by growing hair or breasts.

These medications have been available for people 16 years or older ever since Dr. Cass published her review in 2024, where she stated that a “clear clinical justification for giving hormones at this stage rather than waiting until the person turns 18” was necessary.

Long-term Negative Effects

Dr. Alice Hodkinson, founder of the campaign group Biology in Medicine, welcomed the decision and said that it has long been known that sex hormones are harmful to all children up to 18 years of age.

– However, sex hormones do not become less harmful on a patient’s 18th birthday. There is growing evidence of long-term negative effects, including heart disease, stroke, and early mortality.

– For all age groups, there are significant concerns about access to illegal drugs privately and through loopholes in the EU, where patients access prescription hormones from Spain and Ireland in particular, as well as the use of illegal anabolic steroids directly from websites.

– We hope the government will take action against all these sources of hormones to protect vulnerable groups of children and young adults from malicious actors.