Dr. Annelu de Vries

Dr. Annelu de Vries was one of the first people to join Peggy's new team at the Amsterdam Clinic. At the time, Peggy was still developing her set of rules for providing this new medical intervention to young people, what came to be known as the Dutch Protocol. Puberty blockers when puberty started, usually around 12, hormones as early as 16, and surgeries in adulthood.

Dr. Annelu de Vries was one of the first people to join Peggy's new team at the Amsterdam Clinic. At the time, Peggy was still developing her set of rules for providing this new medical intervention to young people, what came to be known as the Dutch Protocol. Puberty blockers when puberty started, usually around 12, hormones as early as 16, and surgeries in adulthood.

And critically, the mental health assessments that were designed to help figure out which kids should get medical intervention.

And critically, the mental health assessments that were designed to help figure out which kids should get medical intervention.

And how long typically would you say you spoke with them?

And how long typically would you say you spoke with them?

Analu started to study the kids they were treating.

Analu started to study the kids they were treating.

At that point, there wasn't any data to support using puberty blockers for kids with gender dysphoria. There was Peggy's case report on FG, but that was just an account of a single kid who had been given the blockers before the Dutch protocol even existed. There was no way to know how well they would work for other kids or what risks there might be.

At that point, there wasn't any data to support using puberty blockers for kids with gender dysphoria. There was Peggy's case report on FG, but that was just an account of a single kid who had been given the blockers before the Dutch protocol even existed. There was no way to know how well they would work for other kids or what risks there might be.

So Analu set out to look at a group of patients who were getting the treatment at the clinic. What ended up being 70 patients over the course of the study.

So Analu set out to look at a group of patients who were getting the treatment at the clinic. What ended up being 70 patients over the course of the study.

The idea was to see how the kids were doing psychologically before they started puberty blockers and follow up with them over time to see how the blockers and then hormones and surgeries impacted their well-being and whether the kids they thought would benefit from the treatment actually were doing better. And what Analu found launched the field of youth gender medicine.

The idea was to see how the kids were doing psychologically before they started puberty blockers and follow up with them over time to see how the blockers and then hormones and surgeries impacted their well-being and whether the kids they thought would benefit from the treatment actually were doing better. And what Analu found launched the field of youth gender medicine.

Analu got up and led us to her nearby office and dug around her shelves.

Analu got up and led us to her nearby office and dug around her shelves.

On the cover, it said, gender kinderen, gender kids.

On the cover, it said, gender kinderen, gender kids.

She flipped through. It was filled with full-page color photographs of some of the kids who took part in her research.

She flipped through. It was filled with full-page color photographs of some of the kids who took part in her research.