Most patients with gender dysphoria who commence gender-affirming therapy during adolescence continue treatment into adulthood, with data from a large cohort showing a discontinuation rate of just 2%.

Dutch clinicians say results from their study of more than 700 transgender individuals are “reassuring” given concerns about potential regret in those who have transitioned.

There has been increased public and professional scrutiny of gender-affirming treatment, sparked by the Keira Bell court case in the UK and the National Health Service’s decision to close the Tavistock gender identity clinic next year.

With increasing numbers of teenagers being referred to such clinics globally, researchers from the Amsterdam University Medical Centre in the Netherlands set out to assess the continuation rate among people diagnosed with gender dysphoria.