Dysphoria News and Research

RSS

Progesterone levels linked to brain patterns underlying mood changes

The influence of the hormone progesterone on mood is well known. Now researchers from the University of Barcelona have shown how higher levels of progesterone during the menstrual cycle are linked to less distinct patterns of activity in areas of the brain involved in controlling emotions.

2 Sep 2026

Study links excessive smartphone use with poor body image and disordered eating

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London has found that excessive smartphone use is closely associated with disordered eating, including uncontrolled eating and emotional overeating, as well greater symptoms of food addiction in young people with no diagnosis of an eating disorder.

13 Mar 2026

Brain circuit links past experiences to appetite control

Our past experiences shape how much we eat and where and what we choose to eat. Using preclinical models, researchers from Mass General Brigham and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard have identified brain cells that translate contextual information into appetite control.

12 Feb 2026

After chiding democrats on transgender politics, Newsom vetoes a key health measure

California Gov. Gavin Newsom this week signed a suite of privacy protection bills for transgender patients amid continuing threats by the Trump administration.

17 Oct 2025

Feds investigate hospitals over religious exemptions from gender-affirming care

The Trump administration has launched investigations into health care organizations in an effort to allow providers to refuse care for transgender patients on religious or moral grounds.

1 Jul 2025

Her case changed trans care in prison. Now Trump aims to reverse course.

In 2019, Cristina Iglesias filed a lawsuit that changed the course of treatment for herself and other transgender inmates in federal custody.

18 Mar 2025

Progressives seek health privacy protections in California, but Newsom could balk

When patients walked into Planned Parenthood clinics, a consumer data company sold their precise locations to anti-abortion groups for targeted ads.

14 Mar 2025

Trump’s order on gender-affirming care escalates reversal of trans rights

President Donald Trump ratcheted up his administration's reversal of transgender rights on Tuesday with an executive order that seeks to intervene in parents' medical decisions by prohibiting government-funded insurance coverage of puberty blockers or surgery for people under 19.

31 Jan 2025

Uncertainty surrounds effects of puberty blockers and hormone therapy for gender dysphoria

Major uncertainties remain about the impact of puberty blockers and gender affirming hormone therapy on children and young people with gender related distress (gender dysphoria), making it impossible to determine conclusively whether they help or harm, find two pooled data analyses of the available evidence, published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

23 Jan 2025

Autistic transgender people report poorer healthcare experiences

Researchers at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University found that these individuals also report experiencing lower quality healthcare than both autistic and non-autistic people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth (cisgender).

20 Jan 2025

How measles, whooping cough, and worse could roar back on RFK Jr.’s watch

The availability of safe, effective covid vaccines less than a year into the pandemic marked a high point in the 300-year history of vaccination, seemingly heralding an age of protection against infectious diseases.

6 Dec 2024

Study reveals how sex hormones regulate immune system functions

Findings indicate that testosterone therapy in trans men alters immune system responses, suggesting implications for disease susceptibility and treatment.

6 Sep 2024

Gender nonconformity in 7-year-olds associated with behavioral difficulties and autistic traits

Gender nonconformity in 7-year-olds - as measured by levels of gender-conforming play - may be associated with autistic traits and behavioral difficulties in girls, and with peer relationship problems in boys, according to a new study published August 28, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Marlene Stratmann of Karlstad University, Sweden, and colleagues.

28 Aug 2024

Comprehensive peri-operative care guidelines address needs of transgender and gender-diverse patients

New guidance on peri-operative care of transgender and gender-diverse individuals is today published in Anaesthesia (the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists) to guide best practice to ensure the safety and dignity of transgender and gender-diverse people in the peri-operative period.

23 Jul 2024

The unregulated sale of Amanita muscaria mushrooms needs a public health response

The legal status, safety, and availability of Amanita muscaria.

12 Jun 2024

Understanding the long-term effects and safety of testosterone therapy in transgender men

Transgender individuals often face unique challenges in aligning their physical bodies with their true gender identity.

30 May 2024

Sign here? Financial agreements may leave doctors in the driver’s seat

Cass Smith-Collins jumped through hoops to get the surgery that would match his chest to his gender.

30 Apr 2024

Systematic reviews find inadequate evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones for gender distress

The evidence on the use of puberty blockers and hormones for children and young people experiencing gender related distress is wholly inadequate, making it impossible to gauge their effectiveness or their impact on mental and physical health, find two systematic reviews of the available research, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

10 Apr 2024

Association of estrogen-containing menopause hormonal therapy with COVID-19 mortality

Researchers evaluated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related mortality among perimenopausal women.

29 Feb 2024

Study reveals extent of mental health challenges for transgender and non-binary patients in England

Researchers assessed gender-related disparities in self-documented mental health disorders and support in England.

5 Feb 2024