Transgender youth who receive puberty-blocking medicines may lower their suicide risk, a US study suggests.

Researchers examined survey data from 20,619 transgender adults, aged 18-36, who described their current mental health, as well as any interest in puberty suppression when they were younger.

About 75% of the transgender adults who wanted puberty blockers and received them when they were younger had a history of suicidal thoughts, compared with 90% of their counterparts who wanted the treatment but did not get it, the researchers reported in Pediatrics.

Similarly, about 42% of transgender adults who wanted and received puberty blockers had attempted suicide at some point in their lifetime, compared with 51% of their counterparts who did not get treatment.