Against the backdrop of increasing political restrictions on trans people, the last two months have seen a flurry of new studies undermining a key argument of anti-trans activists. These campaigners have cast aspersions on the quality and necessity of trans health care, particularly for adolescents. Generally, these claims are not grounded in fact but rather use the presumed authority of research science to spread falsehoods.
In contrast, these new studies (all published in February and March 2026) point to robust health benefits of trans health care for adolescents with low rates of regret. This broad body of evidence in favor of trans health care is why groups like the American Medical Association continue to support access to transition care and have attempted to correct the record to reflect their steadfast position.
The first of these new articles is a synthesis of 21 studies since 2011 on the efficacy of transition care for adolescents, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. The authors break their analysis down by the type of care assessed (puberty blockers and hormone therapy) with a particular focus on changes in mental health after starting care.
The authors examined 7 studies which on the effect of puberty blockers, and 5 of those highlighted improvements in health outcomes. (Two showed no change.) These studies found that trans adolescents receiving puberty blockers are better able to manage daily life (termed “global functioning”) and are less likely to be depressed, anxious, and suicidal.
In this analysis, 14 studies examined the effect of hormone therapy on the mental health of trans adolescents, and here the positive benefits are even broader. As with puberty blockers, hormone therapy led to decreases in depression, anxiety, and suicidality. It was also associated with increases with general psychological wellbeing, life and social satisfaction, and body satisfaction. The authors note that higher comfort with one’s body is correlated with decreased depression and anxiety, highlighting how critical transition care is for those who want it.
This indispensable connection between health care, happiness within one’s body, and improved mental health is echoed in a new meta-analysis published in Body Image. This analysis was larger than the synthesis, covering 65 studies relating to effects of transition care on disordered eating and satisfaction in one’s body. This study incorporated data from all ages, including adolescents.
The meta-analysis found that hormone therapy and surgeries were each associated with improved body image and overall bodily satisfaction. These outcomes were observed in every study included in the analysis and across ages and gender expressions. Further, the authors identified additional interview studies that highlight how transition care enables healthier relationships with food. Overall, this analysis suggests that trans health care promotes greater comfort in one’s body and healthier eating habits.
The last two new studies were both published in the International Journal of Transgender Health and co-authored by researchers at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Notably, Seattle Children’s has been a target for the Trump administration in strong-arming hospital systems to cease transition care for adolescents, yet they continue to provide this care.
In one study, researchers examined satisfaction with chest surgeries in trans adolescents and young adults. All participants consented to the surgery and to participate in the study. For those under 18, parents/guardians also consented to the surgery and the study.
Researchers asked each participant to rate their satisfaction with the surgery on a scale of 0 - 100, with 0 being very satisfied and 100 being very dissatisfied. Of the 77 participants, the average score on this scale was 4.87. Trans young adults averaged 1.86, and trans adolescents averaged 7.38. Participants were overwhelmingly satisfied with their care.
The other study from Seattle Children’s took a unique approach to examining the long-term benefits of transition care in transfemmes. The study examined data from the Transgender Women’s Internet Survey and Testing (TWIST) study, an annual survey of transfemmes on risk behaviors for STIs. But, the Seattle Children’s researchers reanalyzed these data to examine the effects of transition care on mental health.
The researchers divided participants into four groups: those who started transition care as an adolescent, those who started it as an adult, those who wanted transition care but could not access it, and those who never desired trans care. The highest prevalence of depression symptoms was among those who wanted transition care but were denied. This result underscores the disastrous effects of longstanding medical gatekeeping and of political bans of transition care. We all likely know a trans sibling, including many QSL readers that I’ve heard from, whose wellbeing has been jeopardized by wanton cruelty from doctors and/or politicians.
The researchers also found that, for those who want to medically transition, access to care as an adolescent was associated with fewer symptoms of depression in adulthood. Importantly, this study was not designed to test what caused this difference, but it suggests that access to transition care as an adolescent may confer long-term mental health benefits for those with the social and medical support to access it. More research is needed to further validate this finding, but it nonetheless underscores how bans on health care for trans adolescents are destructive policies.
Combined, these four studies provide strong evidence that transition care broadly improves mental health and has very low rates of regret. These results are published as anti-trans pseudoscientists are continuing their quest to conjure data that invalidates trans identities, including a new Finnish study that has already been widely debunked elsewhere. A true reckoning with the available evidence leads to a conclusion so sound that even that state of Utah could not avoid it: transition care is safe and effective at any age.
from the archive
