FTC launches probe into gender-affirming care – Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News

As more health systems suspend gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments for minors, the Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether gender-affirming care providers are violating consumer protection laws. 

The FTC hosted a workshop July 9 concerning unfair or deceptive trade practices in gender-affirming care for minors, according to a July 28 news release. The organization opened a 60-day portal for consumers to comment on the topic. 

“The FTC heard testimony from doctors, medical ethicists, whistleblowers, detransitioners and parents of detransitioners,” the release said. “That testimony indicated that practitioners of ‘gender-affirming care’ may be actively deceiving consumers.”

Detransition is the reversal of a gender transition. A 2015 survey asked 27,715 U.S. transgender adults if they ever detransitioned. Eight percent said yes, with the majority indicating a temporary detransition. Common reasons were pressure from a parent (36%), difficulty with transitioning (33%), harassment or discrimination (31%) and trouble attaining a job (29%). 

The detransition rate among children is unknown, largely due to the complexities of the definition, according to researchers. 

On Jan. 28, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing health insurers to exclude coverage for pediatric transgender surgeries and hormone treatments. 

Several national healthcare organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, have affirmed the medical necessity of treatments for gender dysphoria.