Approach to the Patient: Pharmacological Management of Trans and Gender Diverse Adolescents.

Internationally, increasing numbers of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria are presenting for care. In response, gender affirming therapeutic interventions that seek to align bodily characteristics with an individual's gender identity are more commonly being employed. Depending on a young person's circumstances and goals, hormonal interventions may aim to achieve full pubertal suppression, modulation of endogenous pubertal sex hormone effects and/or development of secondary sex characteristics congruent with their affirmed gender. This is a relatively novel therapeutic area and, while short-term outcomes are encouraging, longer-term data from prospective longitudinal adolescent cohorts are still lacking, which may create clinical and ethical decision-making challenges. Here we review current treatment options, reported outcomes, and clinical challenges in the pharmacological management of trans and gender diverse adolescents.