The mean age of gender dysphoria diagnosis is decreasing

Gender dysphoria (GD), or gender identity disorder, is defined as persistent distress stemming from the incongruence between one’s assigned sex at birth and gender identity. GD has traditionally been introduced as a rare condition predominant in assigned males at birth (AMABs). However, recent studies have shown an upward trend in assigned females at birth (AFABs) with a dramatic reversal of the AMAB:AFAB ratio. The actual AMAB:AFAB ratio varies by age group and study population. Questions have been raised concerning the increasing number of youth who seek professional care for GD, especially adolescent AFABs.

Current GD studies are significantly limited by small sample sizes, short follow-up periods, or out-of-date data sets. In this study, we analysed data from multiple healthcare organisations between 2017 and 2021. Our aims were to uniquely illustrate an updated epidemiological trend by providing an estimated prevalence of GD and explore how sex assigned at birth and age influence GD.