In 2023, nearly 500 females under 19 years of age were prescribed testosterone, compared to just 20 in 2013. The fifty-fold increase over just a decade has coincided with a rise in young girls identifying as transgender.
According to National Health Service data cited by the Times, a total of 484 females under 19 were prescribed testosterone in Scotland. That number was less than half just a year earlier. The outlet reported that a number of doctors expressed concern over that figure, with some saying they witnessed girls of primary school age having their gender identity affirmed by healthcare professionals despite the presence of autism, toxic homes, and other signs that a more thorough investigation should have been done before jumping to hormone treatment.
During the same time period, 2013 to 2023, the number of women in their twenties being prescribed testosterone jumped from 47 to nearly 2,200. Likewise, among those between 50 and 59, there was an increase from 151 to 3,773. The bulk of those in the latter demographic sought the drug after the release of a Channel 4 documentary on the benefits of testosterone for aspects of life impacted by menopause.
Earlier this year, Scotland paused the prescription of puberty-blocking medication for anyone under 18 following a study by the National Health Service in England that prompted the nation to do the same. On July 5, the Chief Medical Officer issued a report offering a Scottish take on the English study. Prescriptions will remain paused pending a review of the recommendations set forth in the report and the government's response.
