New Zealand Study: “Dearth” of Evidence Supporting Use of Puberty Blockers

It is increasingly clear that there is little scientific basis for administering puberty blockers to gender-dysphoric youth. Consequently, many European countries have now effectively banned their use outside of official studies. Now, the New Zealand Ministry of Health has similarly found that there is a “dearth” of evidence supporting blocking normal adolescence in youngsters who feel that their gender is different from their sex.

The New Zealand study reviewed all the literature on the question published before September 30, 2023. In other words, it was a study of the findings of published studies.

First, it found that studies claiming that puberty blockers helped ease depression were of very poor quality. From “Impact of Puberty Blockers in Gender-Dysphoric Adolescents” (my emphasis):

Impact of puberty blockers on mental health and wellbeing outcomes: Six outcomes the review focused on were GD, depression, anxiety, self-harm, suicidality and quality of life. Current evidence indicates a significant improvement in depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation for individuals treated with puberty blockers. However, the quality of this evidence is low with a high risk of bias.

In other words, the studies showing benefit were not based on good science and were almost certainly infected by ideology.

And here’s the conclusion:

Evidence about the impact of GnRHa [a hormone blocker] on clinical and mental health and wellbeing outcomes is scarce, with available evidence largely of poor quality. While there are studies on non-medical interventions that show improvements in the mental health and wellbeing of gender-dysphoric adolescents, these generally rely on small, localised cohorts, making it difficult to extrapolate to other, larger cohorts.

The science is not settled!

In terms of clinical outcomes, bone health and metabolic parameters in particular need ongoing monitoring in gender-dysphoric adolescents prescribed GnRHa. . . . Given the dearth and poor quality of evidence, and New Zealand-specific evidence, there is an urgent need for high-quality, longitudinal data and research to help us understand the specific needs of gender-dysphoric adolescents in New Zealand.

This study adds heft to those who consider it scandalous that the Biden administration continues to push so-called “gender-affirming care” as if it were settled science and “medically essential.” In particular, Admiral Rachel Levine deserves scorn for pushing puberty blockers (and surgeries) without age restrictions.

Also, shame on the American Academy of Pediatrics for obstinately continuing to push “gender-affirming care,” the transgender-health organization WPATH for its part in jump-starting this agenda, and medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine for validating it. Shame also on the states that have passed laws allowing courts to deny custody to parents who won’t allow their children to be subjected to this medical experimentation.

The transgender moral panic may finally be in retreat, at least when it comes to (mal)treating children. Policy-makers need to keep up the pressure.