The Endocrine Society published a clinical practice guideline on ‘Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons’ in 2017, an updated version of its guidance from 2009. A group of concerned endocrinologists have expressed their dissent to this guideline in a Letter to the Editor of the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Laidlaw et al. warn of the serious dangers of puberty-blocking medications and cross-sex hormones in treatment of child and adolescent gender dysphoria, ‘…which can lead to increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, life-threatening blood clots, permanent sterility and sexual dysfunction, among other problems’. The group add that there are as yet no objective tests to diagnose a ‘true transgender’ child or adolescent, and they are concerned that children may be misdiagnosed. The authors wish to open a dialogue about the real medical and scientific consequences of hormonal therapy. Given the widespread societal interest in this dialogue, this is surely a hot topic for the future.

Read the full article in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 104 686–687