The agency is now instructing healthcare providers to no longer rely on previous “unreliable guidelines” regarding childhood gender discomfort.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has directed health care providers, risk managers and state health boards to immediately update treatment protocols for minors with gender discomfort.
In a letter on May 28, the agency said it hopes federally funded healthcare groups will follow a review that outlines the most recent science to guide policies for pediatric gender discomfort treatment. Its comprehensive review was published earlier this month and found ample international evidence that adolescent blockers, crosshormones, and surgery pose serious risks, including irreversible sterilization.
