To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason Gonadotrophin-Releasing Hormone Analogues are permitted for treatment of precocious puberty but not gender incongruence.
Answered on
8 January 2025
Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone analogues, puberty suppressing hormones, have been licenced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of precocious puberty and certain types of cancer. In granting a licence for these purposes, the MHRA has made a robust assessment of safety and efficacy data for use in these specific indications.
The MHRA has not licenced these medications for use in gender incongruence. There is not enough evidence about the long-term effects of using puberty suppressing hormones to treat gender incongruence to know whether they are safe or beneficial.
This is why the Government is supporting NHS England to set up a study into the potential benefits and harms of puberty suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence. The trial aims to begin recruiting participants in spring 2025.