Glossary · Last reviewed 2026-05-16

Glossary

Clinical, methodological and institutional terms used on this site. Each definition refers to the dossier where the term is treated in most depth.

Term	Definition	Dossier
Adolescent-onset	Gender dysphoria first appearing around or after puberty, without a clear history in childhood.	inclusion criteria
AHCA	Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.	Florida review
AWMF	Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften (Germany).	Germany
Bell v Tavistock	English court case (2020/2021) on the competence of minors to consent to GnRHa treatment.	legal cases
Cass Review	British independent evaluation of adolescent gender care, final report 2024.	Cass Review
CBCL / YSR	Child Behavior Checklist / Youth Self-Report — standardised questionnaires for behavioural and emotional problems.	follow-up
COHERE	Finnish Council for Choices in Health Care.	COHERE 2020
CSH	Cross-sex hormones — oestrogens or testosterone as gender transition treatment.	the three phases
Desistance	The fading of cross-gender identification in children before or during puberty.	desistance research
Detransition	The discontinuation of medical gender transition and (whether or not) return to identification with birth sex.	detransition research
DSM-5	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition. Contains the diagnosis "Gender Dysphoria".	definition
FtM	Female-to-male — biological female transitioning as male.	methodological criticism
GIDS	Gender Identity Development Service — former British adolescent gender service (Tavistock).	UK
GnRH agonist (GnRHa)	Drug that mimics gonadotrophin-releasing hormone and suppresses endogenous puberty.	the three phases
GRADE	Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation — standard methodology for evidence grading.	methodological criticism
HTA	Health Technology Assessment — systematic evaluation of medical technology.	SBU 2022
Informed consent / assent	Consent based on adequate information. Assent refers to agreement by minors who are not independently competent.	informed consent
Karolinska policy	Policy of Karolinska Sjukhuset (Stockholm) from 2021 to prescribe puberty blockers only in research settings.	Karolinska 2021
Quality Standard	Formally adopted Dutch guideline (FMS, ZINL).	guidelines NL
MtF	Male-to-female — biological male transitioning as female.	methodological criticism
NICE	National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK).	UK
Persistence	The continuation of cross-gender identification into adolescence and adulthood.	desistance research
ROGD	Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria — hypothesis on suddenly emerging dysphoria in adolescence, contested term.	methodological criticism
SBU	Statens beredning för medicinsk och social utvärdering (Sweden).	SBU 2022
SOC	Standards of Care — WPATH guideline series.	WPATH SOC and DP
Skrmetti	United States v Skrmetti — US Supreme Court case (2024–2025) on state laws banning hormone treatment of minors.	legal cases
Tanner stage	Five-point classification of pubertal development.	age criteria
Ukom	Statens undersøkelseskommisjon for helse- og omsorgstjenesten (Norway).	Norway
UGDS	Utrecht Gender Dysphoria Scale — twelve-item questionnaire for dysphoria intensity with separate MtF and FtM versions.	follow-up
Early-onset	Gender dysphoria present since early childhood.	inclusion criteria
VUmc	VU Medical Centre, part of Amsterdam UMC since 2018.	origins
WGBO	Wet op de geneeskundige behandelingsovereenkomst — Dutch legal framework for consent.	informed consent
WPATH	World Professional Association for Transgender Health.	WPATH SOC and DP
WPATH Files	Internal WPATH discussions leaked in 2024, published by Environmental Progress.	WPATH Files