Sweden's Karolinska Hospital Ends Puberty Blockers for Minors Outside Research
The Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm announced that its Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital would no longer prescribe puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to gender-dysphoric minors outside of ethically approved research settings. Karolinska became the first major hospital internationally to abandon the Dutch Protocol approach, citing the potential for irreversible adverse consequences and insufficient evidence of benefit.
Impact & Significance
Marked a pivotal turning point in European youth gender medicine, influencing Sweden's subsequent national policy change and contributing to the growing international reassessment of the Dutch Protocol.
Reference Record
- Date
- May 2021
- Era
- 2020-present
- Sources
- 1
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