A new study from The Journal of Pediatrics has found that trans youth who have access to hormone replacement therapies are less likely to be suicidal. The survey, published in advance of the journal’s February 2026 release, concluded that hormone therapy could be “associated with clinically meaningful reductions in suicidality over time, extending prior findings with a larger sample and longer follow-up.”
The study was conducted at a multidisciplinary gender health clinic in an urban Midwestern academic medical center, evaluating 432 patients with an average follow-up time of 679 days. The effectiveness of hormone therapies and other forms of gender-affirming care has been backed by various high ranking medical associations in recent years.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) stated that gender-affirming care is “age-appropriate care that is medically necessary for the well-being of many transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive people who experience symptoms of gender dysphoria or distress that result from having one’s gender identity not match their sex assigned at birth.”
Participants in the study were youth between the ages of 12 and 20 years old on average, all undergoing treatment for gender dysphoria. Clients received hormone therapy for a minimum of three months and evaluated for suicidality both prior to receiving treatment and after follow-up periods.
Medical associations that have voiced support for gender affirming care include the American Psychiatric Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, the World Medical Association, and the World Health Organization. All have supported these treatments as evidence-based and medically necessary for both adults and minors.
According to the HRC, 27 states in the U.S. have passed bans on gender-affirming care. And as of July 2025, 40.2% of the country’s trans youth population (around 120,400 people) are living in these states. A similar report from The Trevor Project last month revealed that trans and nonbinary youth between the ages of 13 and 24 are less likely to attempt suicide if their pronouns are respected. Those surveyed who had their pronouns respected were 31% less likely to attempt suicide. And around 23% who indicated that their community does not use their correct name or pronouns also indicated they attempted suicide in the past year.
Upholding access to gender affirming care for minors is essential to mental and physical health. National Health Law Program writes: “efforts to stop health care providers from delivering gender-affirming health care prioritizes fear-based misinformation and harmful narratives over scientific and evidence-based treatment.”
