If Stella O’Malley was a child today, she is sure she would have had gender reassignment treatment. The 43-year-old psychotherapist and presenter of a new Channel 4 documentary, Trans Kids: It’s Time To Talk, identified as a boy in the 1980s, long before gender dysphoria was a common part of medical and social parlance. Uncomfortable in her skin until she reached puberty, O’Malley says she “finally connected” with her biological identity when she had her first period.

Fast forward three decades and the NHS gender identity clinic at The Tavistock and Portman in London has seen referrals for gender dysphoria soar 2,500 per cent in nine years. Hundreds of children are being prescribed puberty blocking drugs to delay onset until they are 16 and old enough to opt for hormonal treatment. This week, 17 pupils at one school were reported to be taking blockers, some of whom may have encouraged by peers to do so. According to research, almost every single person who takes blockers will go on to transition their gender.

However, the number of those regretting changing gender and seeking to “detransition” is also a growing area – but rarely discussed. Professor Miroslav Djordjevic, a world-leading genital reconstructive surgeon, says almost 40 people have contacted him in the past year about reversal procedures. Little research has been done into the long term effects of hormonal and surgical treatments, as academics have found themselves shut down by a backlash from transgender activists.