NHS England bans puberty blockers: What this means, explained 

The National Health Services, or NHS England, recently announced a ban on the use of puberty blockers across the nation for transitioning youngsters. This means that no gender identity clinics can routinely prescribe them any longer, as mentioned on the NHS website.

In June 2023, NHS England proposed a public consultation on the ban on puberty blockers and requested NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for a review. The latest move is a response to the same.

A spokesperson for NHS told ABC:

“We have concluded that there is not enough evidence to support the safety or clinical effectiveness of puberty-suppressing hormones to make the treatment routinely available at this time.”

In the wake of this development, England’s health minister Maria Caulfield said that the government “welcomed this landmark decision” as it was “in the best interests of children.”

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Exploring the meaning of NHS England banning puberty blockers in the country

Gender dysphoric children who previously used puberty blockers will no longer be able to do so in England, according to NHS’ latest update. The National Health Services of England based their decision upon the lack of sufficient evidence about the safety and clinical effectiveness of these “puberty-suppressing hormones.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, puberty blockers delay the physical and hormonal changes in a minor’s body that occur during puberty. These changes include getting facial hair and growing breasts. The blockers are generally used by gender-diverse youngsters.

NHS England’s latest move thus indicates that children who wish to transition can no longer do so in the country for as long as they are under 18 years of age. It also means that centers supporting and caring for gender dysphoric kids will not be able to use/prescribe puberty blockers anymore.

Young people can only get their hands on them if they are taking part in a research trial, as per the National Health Services of England. A trial is scheduled to begin later this year but no other details, such as eligibility criteria, are available at this point.

In 2020, NHS England asked Dr. Hillary Cass, the former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to conduct an independent review on gender identity services, including the use of puberty blockers in underaged kids with gender dysphoria.

Last year, Dr. Cass, following her medical investigation, warned against the routine prescription of puberty blockers in her interim report that is due to be published later this month. Following this, NHS asked NICE for another set of reviews.

Now, after this series of evaluations, the organization has banned the use of puberty blockers, effective immediately.

However, NHS reports suggest that less than a hundred young people are presently using puberty blockers and will be allowed to continue with their course. By making use of the NHS England's Individual Funding Request process, clinics will also be able to obtain this treatment for those who require it.

In the wake of this, NHS England is opening multiple centers to provide gender identity development. London’s Great Ormond Street and Liverpool’s Alder Hey are slated to launch two of them in April, while the organization aims to create seven to eight of those in the future.

Stonewall, a nonprofit advocating for the LGBTQ+ community took to X on March 12 to share their concern about NHS’ decision in an article headlined, "All trans young people deserve access to high quality, timely healthcare.”

“For some, an important part of this care comes in the form of puberty blockers, a reversible treatment that delays the onset of puberty, prescribed by expert endocrinologists, giving the young person extra time to evaluate their next steps,” they added.

Stonewall further continued by saying how they are worried that NHS England “will be putting new prescriptions on hold until a research protocol is up and running,” which is scheduled to happen by the end of this year.