Evidence for an Altered Sex Ratio in Clinic‐Referred Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria. (22nd January 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aitken, Madison; Steensma, Thomas D.; Blanchard, Ray; VanderLaan, Doug P.; Wood, Hayley; Fuentes, Amanda; Spegg, Cathy; Wasserman, Lori; Ames, Megan; Fitzsimmons, C. Lindsay; Leef, Jonathan H.; Lishak, Victoria; Reim, Elyse; Takagi, Anna; Vinik, Julia; Wreford, Julia; Cohen‐Kettenis, Peggy T.; de Vries, Annelou L.C.; Kreukels, Baudewijntje P.C.; Zucker, Kenneth J.
• Is Part Of: Journal of sexual medicine. Volume 12:Number 3(2015:Mar.)
• Page Start: 756
• Page End: 763
• Publication Date: 2015-01-22
• Subjects: Sexual disorders -- Periodicals; Sex -- Periodicals; Sexual health -- Periodicals; 616.69005
• DOI: 10.1111/jsm.12817
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-6095

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="jsm12817-sec-0001" sec-type="section"> <title>Introduction</title> <p>The number of adolescents referred to specialized gender identity clinics for gender dysphoria appears to be increasing and there also appears to be a corresponding shift in the sex ratio, from one favoring natal males to one favoring natal females.</p> </sec> <sec id="jsm12817-sec-0002" sec-type="section"> <title>Aim</title> <p>We conducted two quantitative studies to ascertain whether there has been a recent inversion of the sex ratio of adolescents referred for gender dysphoria.</p> </sec> <sec id="jsm12817-sec-0003" sec-type="section"> <title>Methods</title> <p>The sex ratio of adolescents from two specialized gender identity clinics was examined as a function of two cohort periods (2006–2013 vs. prior years). Study 1 was conducted on patients from a clinic in Toronto, and Study 2 was conducted on patients from a clinic in Amsterdam.</p> </sec> <sec id="jsm12817-sec-0004" sec-type="section"> <title>Results</title> <p>Across both clinics, the total sample size was 748. In both clinics, there was a significant change in the sex ratio of referred adolescents between the two cohort periods: between 2006 and 2013, the sex ratio favored natal females, but in the prior years, the sex ratio favored natal males. In Study 1 from Toronto, there was no corresponding change in the sex ratio of 6, 592 adolescents referred for other clinical problems.</p> </sec> <sec id="jsm12817-sec-0005" sec-type="section"> <title>Conclusions</title> <p>Sociological and sociocultural explanations are offered to account for this recent inversion in the sex ratio of adolescents with gender dysphoria. <bold>Aitken M, Steensma TD, Blanchard R, VanderLaan DP, Wood H, Fuentes A, Spegg C, Wasserman L, Ames M, Fitzsimmons CL, Leef JH, Lishak V, Reim E, Takagi A, Vinik J, Wreford J, Cohen‐Kettenis PT, de Vries ALC, Kreukels BPC, and Zucker KJ. Evidence for an altered sex ratio in clinic‐referred adolescents with gender dysphoria. J Sex Med 2015;12:756–763.</bold></p> </sec> </abstract>