England’s National Health Service (NHS) has decided to temporarily pause referring minors for “gender transition” hormones while a consultation on the safety of the hormones for children takes place.
Wes Streeting, secretary of state for health and social care in the United Kingdom (UK), said in a March 10 statement that the pause is intended “to safeguard children and young people.”
He added that during the 90-day consultation, consultees will be asked to determine whether an independent review examined all relevant evidence surrounding a proposal that the “transition” hormones should no longer be routinely prescribed to 16- and 17-year-olds. NHS England will then make a decision on how to implement the consultation’s findings in health care going forward.
In the meantime, no prescriptions for gender transition hormones will be issued until a final policy is determined. Currently, the hormones can only be prescribed with “extreme caution” to UK minors in situations where “there is a strong clinical rationale for not waiting until age 18,” Streeting said.
“The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is paramount, and children’s healthcare must always be led by evidence and expert scientific and clinical advice,” he added.
Streeting explained that several reviews and studies led to the decision to issue a consultation. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence conducted an independent evidence review in 2021 and discovered “very limited evidence about the safety, risks, benefits and outcomes” surrounding the prescription of the hormones to minors.
A report known as the Cass Review, which Dr. Hilary Cass in 2024, drew on the 2021 review and influenced the NHS’ approach to “gender identity services” for minors, limiting access to the hormones to 16- and 17-year-olds.
Following Cass’ recommendation that NHS England review its policy on the hormones, the department began an examination in 2025 and commissioned a further independent review. According to Streeting, the reviews “found very limited and weak evidence to support the continued access” of the “transition” hormones to minors.