NHS’s transgender puberty blocker study cleared of wrongdoing after BBC allegations The HRA praised the researchers for being ‘open and transparent’

A review into a puberty-blockers study carried out by a NHS transgender medical health service has cleared it of any wrongdoing following an independent investigation.

BBC current affairs programme Newsnight, which aired a segment in July criticising a study carried out by gender identity clinic (GIDS), announced the health service have been cleared of any wrongdoing after it suggested that puberty blockers lead to a concerning level of suicidal thoughts and mental health problems among patients who take the drug.

On the back of a study into the effect of puberty blockers, GIDS were allowed to lower the age of puberty blocker treatment to 11, the average age girls begin puberty, according to NHS guidelines.

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Since the programme aired, an independent investigation carried out by the Health Research Authority (HRA), cleared the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS)’s study into puberty blockers of any wrongdoing.

Puberty blockers are used to halt the onset of puberty for children and teenagers wishing to transition, so they can have more time to think about whether transitioning gender is the right decision for them.

The blockers stop the production of testosterone and oestrogen, the hormones responsible for hair growth, voice breaking and the start of periods, and are offered by the clinic to struggling children and teens for a two-year period.

If the drugs are taken, they can halt the onset of puberty, meaning a trans child can stop developing characteristics not true to their gender, which can lead to gender dysphoria and further mental health problems and more gender-altering surgeries later on in life.

In a news article addressing the the review, Newsnight wrote: “The HRA – who would not name the authors of the report – praised the researchers for being ‘open and transparent’.

However, Newsnight said “questions remain” over the use of puberty blockers, stating researchers failed to comply with HRA requirements to give them annual updates on the study.

Concerns raised over Newsnight segment

The BBC programme received criticism after airing the segment when it was discovered that an academic criticising trans people under a pseudonym was used as an expert in the segment.

Oxford University sociology professor Michael Biggs, using the Twitter handle @MrHenryWimbush in 2018, stated that transgender students “can’t actually change from a boy to a girl,” also tweeting transgender people are “five times more likely to be tweeting ‘choke on my ladydick, cuntwipe’”.

The academic is still employed by Oxford University.

But a spokesperson from the The Tavistock and Portman Trust, incorporating GIDS, has welcomed the news.

They said: “The early intervention study was undertaken after nearly a decade of consultation with international experts, was fully approved by a research ethics committee and has followed good research practice.”

Leo Telford, 15, who took puberty blockers for two years while he considered his transition, told i his time on the drugs was “important, but frustrating.”

“I was thankful, because the process was starting, but I was frustrated at times,” he said.

“And it’s not an easy ride, because you’re assessed by the clinic, and challenged on your ideas of who you are. But to be honest, I always find waiting difficult. I know those waiting times are important, and I know blockers can be great for the people who don’t know what they want.”

Leo’s mother, Gemma Telford, said her son would have been spared this ordeal if he was allowed to transition earlier.

She told i: “Leo would have avoided top surgery, he wouldn’t have started his periods either. But now he’s going to have to go through that because of the wait.”