The Olsen-Kennedy study is released - Mental and Emotional Health of Youth after 24 months of Gender-Affirming Medical Care Initiated with Pubertal Suppression

[Helleofabore]

The long awaited Johanna Olson-Kennedy study

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.14.25327614v1

Mental and Emotional Health of Youth after 24 months of Gender-Affirming Medical Care Initiated with Pubertal Suppression

Johanna Olson-Kennedy, Ramon Durazo-Arvizu, Liyuan Wang, Carolyn F. Wong, Diane Chen, Diane Ehrensaft, Marco A. Hidalgo, Yee-Ming Chan, Robert Garofalo, Asa E. Radix, Stephen M. Rosenthal

May 16, 2025

Abstract

Background and Objectives Medical interventions for youth with gender dysphoria can include the use of gonadotropin releasing hormone analogs (GnRHas) for suppression of endogenous puberty. This analysis aimed to understand the impact of medical intervention initiated with GnRHas on psychological well-being among youth with gender dysphoria over 24 months.

Methods
Participants were enrolled as part of the Trans Youth Care United States Study. Eligibility criteria for youth included a diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria and pubertal initiation. Youth with precocious puberty or pre-existing osteoporosis were ineligible. Youth reported on depressive symptoms, emotional health and suicidality at baseline, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after initiation of GnRHas. Parent/caretaker completed the Child Behavior Checklist at baseline, 12 and 24 months after initiation of GnRHas. Latent Growth-Curve Models analyzed trajectories of change over the 24-month period.

Results
Ninety-four youth aged 8-16 years (mean=11.2 y) were predominately Non-Hispanic White (56%), early pubertal (86%) and assigned male at birth (52%). Depression symptoms, emotional health and CBCL constructs did not change significantly over 24 months. At no time points were the means of depression, emotional health or CBCL constructs in a clinically concerning range.

Conclusion
Participants initiating medical interventions for gender dysphoria with GnRHas have self- and parent-reported psychological and emotional health comparable with the population of adolescents at large, which remains relatively stable over 24 months. Given that the mental health of youth with gender dysphoria who are older is often poor, it is likely that puberty blockers prevent the deterioration of mental health.

I will read through it later today.

They said they were collecting information on physical health as well in the protocol but they didn't report those in this study.

Data on anthropometric and physiologic parameters will be routinely collected through chart abstraction, questionnaires, and interviews throughout the study period. Items include lab results, height, weight, blood pressure, diagnoses, prescription medications, Tanner stage, physiologic changes, and bone mineral density as well as dietary calcium intake and weight-bearing exercise

They also have some info in the protocol about the age for cross sex hormones:

the minimum age in the inclusion criteria for the gender-affirming hormone cohort was decreased from 13 years (as stated in the original grant proposal) to 8 years in order to ensure that potential participants who might be eligible for hormones based on their Tanner stage would not be excluded due to age alone

Only 7 youths under the age of 13 years at the time of enrollment were enrolled into the cross-sex hormone cohort.

This only matters if you care about things like producing breast milk or women’s pleasure. If you only care about breasts as decoration, and TBF(er than I feel like being) they are a secondary sexual characteristic, none of their other purposes matter. We are trained to think of them as simply shiny baubles for men.

Adult women care about sensitivity (and therefore pleasure) and breast feeding. JOK clearly doesn’t.

On another thread but the NYT podcast "The Protocol" includes interviews with JO-K, Cass, Jamie Reed and lots of others. Really interesting background. Covers the context and basic facts & figures. Really does try to go middle of the road - which is probably why the TRAs are hating it. Really worth a listen.

The Dutch protocol which is referred to was originally (don't know about now) at least a year long programme of monthly therapy/assessment and 60-70% kids filtered away from puberty blockers. It was taken to the US by a young doctor who spent a week with the Dutch team before setting out a protocol for the practice where she worked - she only had 8 hours per patient and they came from across the US to see her. So she converted the dutch protocol into a "structured interview with questionnnaires that could be carried out in a day". Chilling moment - but JOK took it to a greater extreme and went fully with affirming care and seems to be the one who started claiming kids would die if they didn't get the drugs. Other providers interviewed seem more sensible. I came away thankful that we live in the UK and hopefully can find a moderate way through this. The US is a terrible example both medically and politically.

Bumping this Olsen-Kennedy thread with a (slightly late) update.

https://nitter.poast.org/benryanwriter/status/1973516281060917429#m

'NEWS: Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, the controversial leading figure in the pediatric gender medicine field, is no longer employed by Children's Hospital Los Angeles.'

Benjamin Ryan
@benryanwriter
Oct 1
'NEWS: Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, the controversial leading figure in the pediatric gender medicine field, is no longer employed by Children's Hospital Los Angeles. CHLA shuttered the pediatric gender clinic she ran in July in the face of threats from the Trump administration of withholding Medicaid payments to hospitals that provided gender-transition interventions to those under age 19.

An email sent to Dr. Olson-Kennedy's email account with CHLA prompts an auto reply that reads: "CHLA has closed the Center for Transyouth Health and Development as of July 22, 2025. I am no longer at CHLA."

CHLA had indicated that it would seek to reassign staffers impacted by the closing of the gender clinic.

A lightening rod in this field, Dr. Olson-Kennedy is known for her steadfast opposition to psychosocial assessments of minors before they are put on gender-transition drugs. She is particularly notorious for having said at a training she was providing to other care providers, in reference to people who regret having undergone a double mastectomy for a gender transition: “What we do know is that adolescents actually have the capacity to make a reasoned, logical decision. And here’s the other thing about chest surgery: If you want breasts at a later point in your life, you can go and get them.”

In December, Dr. Olson-Kennedy was sued by a detransitioner to whom she prescribed puberty blockers on her first visit at age 12, without conducting a psychosocial assessment. She then put the girl on testosterone at age 13 and then cleared her for a mastectomy at age 14.'

It is infuriating and upsetting that no one stopped medical ‘professionals’ like this woman who ruined children’s lives and provided the fodder for the likes of Trump to have a legitimate grievance. The left just handed political power over to the right by carrying on this insanity.