Gender-affirming hormone and puberty blocker use increased in Norway from 2008 to 2022

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medRxiv Published April 14, 2026 Medically reviewed April 25, 2026 Study authors: Oyas, O.; Magnus, P.; Nyquist, C. B.; Pripp, A. H.; Steintorsdottir, S. D.; Waehre, A. DOI ↗ By Dr. Sofia Müller, MD · Lifespan & Whole-Person Care

Key Takeaway

Note increasing trends in gender-affirming hormone use and diagnoses in Norway since 2015.

This nationwide register-based study in Norway analyzed data from 2008 to 2022, focusing on individuals with known sex assigned at birth who were born between 1975 and 2017 and resident in Norway during the study period. The intervention or exposure was gender-affirming hormone and puberty blocker use, with no specific comparator reported. The primary outcome was annual age- and sex-specific prevalence of this use, while secondary outcomes included annual age- and sex-specific incidence of gender incongruence diagnoses.

Main results showed that the incidence of gender incongruence diagnoses increased among youth in Norway, most notably since 2015. The prevalence of feminizing and masculinizing hormone therapy also increased in the period since 2015. Additionally, the prevalence of puberty suppression was mostly low but increased since 2015, especially in recent years among teens assigned male at birth. Exact numbers, effect sizes, and p-values or confidence intervals were not reported for these outcomes.

Safety and tolerability data were not reported in the input. Key limitations were not specified in the provided JSON. In terms of practice relevance, this observational study highlights trends in gender-affirming care in Norway, but clinicians should note the lack of causal data and consider these findings as descriptive patterns rather than evidence of intervention effects.

Study Details

EvidenceLevel 5

PublishedApr 2026

View Original Abstract ↓

Introduction The aim of this study was to determine the annual age- and sex-specific prevalence of gender-affirming hormone and puberty blocker use among young people with a gender incongruence (GI) diagnosis in Norway. Methods We integrated data from multiple Norwegian national registers to perform a nationwide register-based study of individuals with known sex assigned at birth who were born in the period 1975-2017 and resident in Norway for all or part of the period 2008-2022. We first calculated the annual age- and sex-specific incidence of GI diagnoses in the population. Then, we calculated the annual age- and sex-specific prevalence of androgen, estrogen, and puberty blocker use among individuals with a GI diagnosis who were under age 25 (for androgens and estrogens) or 18 (for puberty blockers) in the year that they collected the prescription. Results The incidence of GI diagnoses has increased among youth in Norway, most notably since 2015 and with the largest increase among teens assigned female at birth. The prevalence of feminizing and masculinizing hormone therapy has increased in this period as well, but mainly among the oldest teens and young adults. The prevalence of puberty suppression is mostly low but has also increased since 2015, especially in recent years among teens assigned male at birth. Conclusion The prevalence of gender-affirming hormone and puberty blocker use has increased among transgender youth in Norway, concurrently with an increase in the incidence of GI diagnoses.