In the US State of Oregon, 1 in 240 Insured Teenage Girls Takes Testosterone

A new study published in the scientific journal Research Connections (Oxford University Press) has shown that the rate of medical transgender transitions among adolescents in the US state of Oregon exceeds the national average.

Researchers from Comagine and Oregon Health & Science University analyzed insurance data for 868,740 adolescents aged 8 to 17 between 2016 and 2023. This sample covers about 80% of all insured residents of the state in this age group.

According to the data, nearly 1% of adolescents were diagnosed with gender dysphoria, with the rate among girls reaching 1.5%. Of the adolescents with this diagnosis, 22% of girls and 28% of boys received puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones.

By age 17, approximately one in 240 insured girls in Oregon was taking testosterone, and one in 630 boys was taking estrogen. Experts note that these figures are several times higher than the national average. The study’s authors attribute these numbers to Oregon’s favorable legal and insurance environment, which provides broader access to gender-affirming care.

At the same time, some analysts point out that at the population level in the state, there is no corresponding decline in the number of suicides among adolescents.