HHS Evidence Review

Provide accurate information on the current evidence for treating gender dysphoria in children and adolescents, assess the state of medical practice in the U.S., and explore the ethical issues related to these treatments.

• A lack of evidence demonstrating medical and surgical treatments for gender dysphoria in children improve mental health or reduce gender dysphoria effectively.
• Puberty blockers and hormones of the opposite sex can cause significant harms, such as infertility, making the risk/benefit balance unfavorable.
• Weak evidence calls for cautious guidelines and policies, emphasizing ongoing evaluation and improved data collection.
• Patients and families are not provided clear information on the benefits, risks, and uncertainties of treatments due to inadequate informed consent.