Care Pathways of Children and Adolescents Referred to Specialist Gender Services: A Systematic Review
April 2024
in “
Archives of disease in childhood
”
TLDR Many children and teens referred to gender services receive hormone treatments, but more research is needed on their long-term care and outcomes.
This systematic review examined the care pathways of 6133 children and adolescents (median age 14-16) referred to specialist gender services across 23 studies from nine countries. It found that 36% received puberty suppression, 51% received masculinising or feminising hormones, 68% received either or both treatments, and 16% underwent surgery. The review highlighted a lack of systematic reporting on the full care pathways and psychological care, with insufficient or unclear follow-up in many studies. It emphasized the need for prospective studies with long-term follow-up to better understand the outcomes and psychological care provided to this population.
