A clinical trial of puberty suppressing hormones for children with gender incongruence will proceed after the High Court dismissed a legal challenge against it.
The British Medical Journal reported that the trial, which had faced a court challenge, has been cleared to continue following the High Court’s decision to throw out the legal action. The ruling means the research can now move forward.
Puberty suppressing hormones — sometimes called puberty blockers — are medicines that temporarily pause the physical changes of puberty, such as breast development or voice deepening. Their use in children and young people with gender incongruence (a mismatch between a person’s experienced gender and the sex they were assigned at birth) has been the subject of significant clinical and legal debate in the UK.
The trial had been blocked pending the outcome of the legal challenge. With that challenge now dismissed by the High Court, the clinical research can proceed as planned.
No further details about the trial’s structure, the number of participants, the lead research institution, or the timeline were included in the BMJ’s report of the ruling.
Anyone with questions about gender incongruence services or treatment options for young people should speak to their GP in the first instance, or contact NHS 111 for guidance on accessing appropriate care.
Source: @bmj_latest
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