September 15, 2022

Contact: Cindi Creager, CreagerCole Communications (646) 279-4559, cindi@PROTECTED

World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Releases the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8

East Dundee, Illinois - Following five-years of rigorous scientific effort by more than 120 health care clinical and academic professionals across the globe, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) has released the Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8 (SOC8). Building upon the Standards of Care Version 7, which were released in 2012, the SOC8 provides clinical guidance for health care professionals to assist transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people with safe and effective pathways to achieve lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, and to maximize their overall health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment. This assistance may include primary care, hormonal or surgical treatments, gynecologic and urologic care, reproductive options, voice and communication therapy, and mental health services (e.g., counseling, psychotherapy), among others.

“The Standards of Care 8 represents the most comprehensive set of guidelines ever produced to assist health care professionals around the world in support of transgender and gender diverse adults, adolescents, and children who are taking steps to live their lives authentically,” said WPATH President Walter Bouman, MD, PhD, and WPATH President Elect Marci Bowers, MD. “Health care is a human right. All trans-identified people on this planet deserve the same opportunity to be their true selves and have access to the medically necessary affirming care that allows them to do just that. The field of transgender medicine is evolving rapidly, responsive foremost to the needs of patients and their families and guided by objectivity, compassion, and consensus. We are thrilled to provide this vital resource to support transgender and gender diverse people worldwide.”

The SOC8 guidelines committee consisted of multidisciplinary subject matter experts, health care professionals, researchers and stakeholders with diverse perspectives and global geographic representation. Consensus of final recommendations were based upon extensive reviews of the literature and were attained using an iterative Delphi process, which involved multiple rounds of revisions based upon careful review by the authorship team that included all members of the guidelines committee.

For the full press release, click here.