Pediatrics ·
Youth Hormone Therapy Cohort Reports Low Regret and Perceived Harm
A single-clinic cohort study surveyed 376 people who began estrogen or testosterone therapy as youth. Among 372 with regret scores, mean decisional regret was low; 96.8% said treatment was the right decision, while 2.7% reported regret and 1.9% perceived harm.
- Mean decisional regret score was 4.3 of 100.
- 96.8% said hormone therapy was the right decision.
- Reported regret was 2.7%; perceived harm was 1.9%.
- Single-clinic, self-reported cohort; treatment duration varied.
Researchers surveyed former patients of a US multidisciplinary gender clinic who had started estrogen or testosterone therapy as youth. The cohort study collected self-reported data from October 2023 to October 2025. Participants were aged 14 to 28 years at survey, and the mean time since starting therapy was 4.9 years. Outcomes included Decision Regret Scale scores, reported satisfaction and harm, and current hormone-therapy status.
Of 376 participants, 372 had regret scores. The mean score was 4.3 on a 0-to-100 scale (median 0); 360 respondents (96.8%) said receiving hormone therapy was the right decision, 10 (2.7%) reported regret, and seven (1.9%) perceived harm. Sixty-five participants (17.3%) were no longer receiving therapy. Regret scores were higher among those no longer receiving therapy and among nonbinary participants. Current treatment status was not associated with age at initiation or prepubertal gender diversity.
The findings describe reported experiences in a cohort treated at one clinic and do not establish outcomes for all transgender and gender-diverse youth. The survey was self-reported, and time since treatment initiation varied widely. The study supports evidence on satisfaction in this setting but cannot by itself resolve questions about individual treatment decisions or broader access policies.
In practice
For clinicians caring for transgender and gender-diverse young people, this single-clinic cohort provides patient-reported context: most surveyed former patients who initiated estrogen or testosterone as youth endorsed the decision, while a small proportion reported regret or perceived harm. These findings may inform discussions about anticipated experiences, but they do not predict an individual’s outcome or establish the effects of treatment. Self-report, variable follow-up duration, and recruitment from one clinic limit generalizability; the study does not justify changing treatment decisions or access policies on its own.
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JAMA Pediatrics: Satisfaction, Regret, and Harm After Hormone Therapy in Youth From a Multidisciplinary Gender Clinic ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.