Levels of Satisfaction and Regret With Gender-Affirming Medical Care in Adolescence

Abstract

ImportanceThere is a need to improve the evidence base for gender-affirming medical care provided to adolescents, including the experiences of those who have received this care.ObjectiveTo examine rates of satisfaction, regret, and continuity of care in adolescents who received puberty blockers and/or gender-affirming hormones as part of gender-affirming medical care.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis survey study used the 2023 online survey wave of an ongoing longitudinal study, the Trans Youth Project, among a community-based sample of transgender youth and their parents initially recruited throughout the US and Canada between 2013 and 2017. The satisfaction and regret data include responses from a youth or their parent representing 87% of the youth aged 12 years or older in the cohort who have received gender-affirming medical care (235 of 269 youths). Of these, 220 completed the 2023 survey (main sample); information about continuity of care was available for all youth. Data analysis was performed from April to August 2024.ExposureSatisfaction, regret, and continuity of care following puberty blockers or suppression and/or gender-affirming hormones.Main Outcomes and MeasuresSelf- or parent-reported satisfaction or regret with gender-affirming care and continuation of care.ResultsAmong the 220 youths in the main sample (mean [SD] age, 16.07 [2.40] years; 30 [14%] multiracial, non-Hispanic; 18 [8%] White, Hispanic; 155 [70%] White, non-Hispanic; 17 [8%] other race and ethnicity, including Asian, Black [Hispanic and non-Hispanic], Hispanic with unknown race, multiracial Hispanic, or Native American; gender at last interaction: 68 [31%] boys, 132 [60%] girls, 20 [9%] gender diverse, eg, nonbinary) and their parents, very high levels of satisfaction and low levels of regret with puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones as well as high levels of continuation of care were reported. Of these 220 respondents in the main sample, 9 were regretful of having received blockers (n = 8) and/or hormones (n = 3; 2 of these individuals reported regret with both), of whom 4 have stopped all gender-affirming medical care and 1 has continued to receive blockers but plans to stop. The 4 others have continued care, suggesting that regret is not synonymous with stopping care.Conclusions and RelevanceThe findings suggest that youth accessing puberty blockers and hormones as part of gender-affirming care tend to be satisfied with and not regretful of that care several years later. While regret was rare, these experiences need to be better understood.