The United Kingdom on Wednesday became the latest European country to restrict some form of health care access for transgender youth after indefinitely banning the sale and supply of puberty blockers to minors.

The move – which covers Great Britain and Northern Ireland following an agreement with the latter, according to The Associated Press – comes after the publicly funded National Health Service decided earlier this year to temporarily stop prescribing puberty-suppressing treatments to minors with gender dysphoria following an independent review into gender identity services in the U.K. The latest order will be reviewed in 2027, a news release announcing it noted.

Gender dysphoria is the medical term for distress experienced by “people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify,” according to the American Psychiatric Association. Other nations have made similar moves to limit access to surgical or hormone medication treatments for the condition, and last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments related to a law in Tennessee that prohibits health care providers from performing or even offering to perform gender-affirming procedures on those under 18. At least 20 states have passed comparable legislation in recent years.

Some have expressed concern about a lack of data on the possible long-term consequences of gender-affirming medical treatment for minors, though guidelines from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health say evidence of regret about transitioning is scant, the AP has reported.

“We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice,” Wes Streeting, the British secretary of state for health and social care, said in a statement.

Here’s what else you should know about the U.K.’s ban and what other countries have done.

Why Did the U.K. Ban Puberty Blockers?

An independent commission advised that “there is currently an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children,” while recommending that restrictions continue indefinitely to ensure safety. The British government and public health authority will otherwise “continue to improve children’s gender services to provide all-round holistic support,” the news release reads.

The order also follows the release of the final report – commissioned by the National Health Service – authored earlier this year by Dr. Hilary Cass, the former president of Royal College of Paediatrics. Cass found there are “conflicting views about the clinical approach” to those with trans or gender diverse identities and that the use of hormones specifically “presents many unknowns, despite their longstanding use in the adult transgender population.”

Her report recommended that young people referred for gender-related evaluations “must receive a holistic assessment of their needs to inform an individualised care plan.” It also advised that hormone treatments for those over 16 be made available, but only through “extreme caution” and a “clear clinical rationale” for providing them.