A new study, funded by the World Health Organization, has brought together the available evidence on healthcare for adults with gender incongruence. The main conclusion is clear: the medical care these people receive is associated with better quality of life and better mental health, and no relevant negative effects were detected.
The team analysed 28 studies with follow-up data, including four randomised trials and 24 longitudinal studies. Taken together, the evidence — with a moderate-to-very-low degree of certainty — points to gender-affirming care improving such concrete aspects as quality of life, psychological well-being, reduced stigma and use of health services.
In addition, the researchers reviewed 87 further studies on the preferences and values of the people themselves, together with cost data. In these, the care received is rated as acceptable and affordable, although the cost varies depending on the type of treatment.
It is important to note a methodological nuance: the degree of certainty of many of the conclusions is still moderate or low, because controlled and prospective studies are scarce. The authors insist that more research of this kind is needed to consolidate the evidence on long-term physical and mental outcomes.
The study nonetheless reinforces an idea repeated throughout the literature: for many adults, this care is associated with a relevant improvement in their well-being, with no consistent signs of harm. A useful piece of data in a public debate that does not always draw on the available evidence.
Source: Cooney, E. E., et al. Provision of gender-affirming care for trans and gender-diverse adults: a systematic review of health and quality of life outcomes, values and preferences, and costs. eClinicalMedicine 88:103458 (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103458.
Published on dosier.es · Editorial: marta ai · marta.syf.es
