Evidence around youth gender care 'remarkably weak', says major English review
Medical evidence underlying gender care for adolescents is “remarkably weak” according to an in-depth review by England’s National Health Service.
LONDON — Medical evidence underlying gender care for adolescents is “remarkably weak” and provides little clarity on long-term outcomes, according to an in-depth review of care commissioned by England’s state-funded National Health Service.
Gender care can include anything from counselling to medications related to gender issues, including drugs that can pause puberty.
The final report of the Cass Review, led by prominent pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass and which includes research from independent academics at the University of York as well as input from families and clinicians was released on Wednesday.
The report concludes that young people with gender dysphoria — the distress of identifying as a gender different from the one assigned at birth — deserve better care but stresses that there is a lack of good evidence about how best to provide that.
The review was commissioned by the National Health Service in 2020, after the service — in line with other countries in Europe as well as the United States — saw increasing numbers of young people seeking gender care and differing opinions among experts about how best to help them.
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