Transgender youth who receive hormone therapy are less suicidal: study

"Transgender youth who are able to access hormone replacement therapy are less likely to be suicidal, according to a report recently published in The Journal of Pediatrics. Researchers surveyed 432 patients ages 12 to 20 over 679 days, finding that "suicidality significantly declined from pretreatment to post-treatment" across all sexes, ages, and treatment durations. "HT was associated with clinically meaningful reductions in suicidality over time, extending prior findings with a larger sample and longer follow-up,""

"Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which falls under gender-affirming care, involves a patient taking either feminizing (estrogen) or masculinizing (testosterone) hormones for the purpose of altering their appearance to better reflect their gender identity, typically in the form of an injection. Gender-affirming care for prepubescent youth primarily focuses on socially transitioning - changing their hair, clothing, or potentially going by a new name and pronouns."

A survey of 432 transgender patients ages 12 to 20 over 679 days found suicidality declined significantly from pretreatment to post-treatment across sexes, ages, and treatment durations. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) — taking feminizing (estrogen) or masculinizing (testosterone) hormones, often by injection — was associated with clinically meaningful reductions in suicidality over time. Gender-affirming care for prepubescent youth focuses on social transitioning such as hair, clothing, names, and pronouns. Pubescent youth demonstrating gender dysphoria may receive puberty blockers after months of evaluation, and typically by ages 16 to 17 can be prescribed hormones to replace those produced by their body. Major medical organizations and global health bodies endorse gender-affirming care.

Read at Advocate.com