Puberty blockers for gender dysphoria in youth: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AIM: Gender dysphoria (GD) refers to the psychological distress associated with the incongruence between one's sex and one's gender identity. To manage GD, individuals may delay the development of primary and secondary sex characteristics with the use of puberty blockers. In this systematic review, we assess and summarise the certainty of the evidence about the effects of puberty blockers in individuals experiencing GD. METHODS: We searched Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Social Sciences Abstracts, LGBTQ+ Source and Sociological Abstracts from inception to September 2023. We included observational studies comparing puberty blockers with no puberty blockers in individuals aged <26 years experiencing GD, as well as before-after and case series studies. Outcomes of interest included psychological and physical outcomes. Pairs of reviewers independently screened articles, abstracted data and assessed risk of bias. We performed a meta-analysis and assessed the certainty of a non-zero effect using the grading of recommendations assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE) approach. RESULTS: We included 10 studies. Comparative observational studies (n=3), comparing puberty blockers versus no puberty blockers, provided very low certainty of evidence on the outcomes of global function and depression. Before-after studies (n=7) provided very low certainty of evidence addressing gender dysphoria, global function, depression, and bone mineral density. CONCLUSIONS: There remains considerable uncertainty regarding the effects of puberty blockers in individuals experiencing GD. Methodologically rigorous prospective studies are needed to understand the effects of this intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42023452171.