The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom has determined that it is setting a minimum age requirement of 11 years for subjects to be given puberty blockers in the controversial ‘Pathways’ clinical trial.
The trial was suspended in February 2026, following concerns raised by MHRA over a lack of age limits for subjects taking puberty blockers. The agency’s original recommendation was 14 years for the age limit, but it was lowered to 11 in their final decision.
The study can now move forward and is scheduled to start in August 2026.
Puberty blockers for children under 18 were temporarily banned in the UK in May 2024 under a Conservative majority in Parliament. The ban was made permanent by a Labour majority in December 2024.
However, now a government-sponsored clinical trial in the country is examining the physical and mental impact of puberty blockers given to children questioning their gender identity, as part of an effort to potentially overturn the ban.
What Is the Pathways Trial?
The Pathways Trial is conducted by King’s College London and is co-sponsored by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Emily Simonoff is serving as the Chief Investigator of the study.
It was proposed in December 2024, following the permanent ban of puberty blockers for minors, and received the necessary regulatory and ethics approvals from the MHRA in November 2025.
According to a press release published on King’s College London’s website, the aim of the trial is ‘to understand how to best support young people with gender incongruence being treated in specialist NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Services’.
Parental consent will be required for all underage participants in the study.
Despite the parental consent requirement and the newly established age limit, the trial has triggered quite a controversy in the United Kingdom. In December 2025 protestors took to the streets in London, UK, in an effort to stop the clinical trial.
Many users on the social media platform X have criticized the low age limit for subjects in the Pathways trial following its announcement, with some contrasting it to the age limit of 16 that the UK has recently imposed on children to use social media.
Related articles:
At a time when public debate is increasingly polarized and superficial, Hungarian Conservative remains committed to depth, intellectual honesty, and independent conservative thought.
Producing high-quality journalism requires resources. Your contribution helps us expand our coverage, reach new audiences, and keep our content accessible.
Please consider supporting our mission.
