American children may be able to purchase cross-sex hormones for “gender transition” online from foreign and domestic pharmacies without prescriptions, according to a new report from medical watchdog Do No Harm.
Online pharmacies have a remarkable lack of safeguards, according to the report, including not requiring age verification or a prescription before payment. The report noted it was unclear whether those items were required after the transaction had been completed. However, the report also notes an entire web of online forums and sites giving children step-by-step instructions for obtaining and self-administering the drugs.
“Our report reveals how online pharmacies may enable minors to obtain cross-sex hormones with alarming ease. From websites listing online vendors across the globe to marketplaces for ‘homebrewed’ hormones, we found a multitude of troubling pathways that appear to bypass basic safeguards and regulatory oversight,” Kurt Miceli, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Do No Harm, said. “Gender-confused kids should not be able to purchase potent, experimental medications with just a few simple clicks. These hormones carry significant risks, including effects that can be irreversible.”
DIYHRT.market (Do It Yourself Hormone Replacement Therapy), one of the websites highlighted by the report, hosts multiple “pharmacies and ‘homebrewers’ where one may be able to circumvent any age restrictions or prescription requirement to source cross-sex hormones like estradiol, which can be used in male-to-female transitions,” the report states.
One “homebrewer” hosted on the site, Open Gate Labs, which ships within the United States and is described by DIYHRT.market as “US-based,” sells estradiol in exchange exclusively for cryptocurrency, the report stated.
Minors are encouraged to pursue HRT on the website, which states that the medical intervention is “unquestionably beneficial” and “there is clear statistical evidence that there are overwhelmingly positive outcomes on mental health and an overall improvement in quality of life.”
HRT Cafe, another site, advertises “unregulated internet pharmacies” that “obtain medications prepared by actual, regulated pharmaceutical manufacturers and resell them without a prescription,” according to the report.
The Vanuatu-based Inhouse Pharmacy states that it is “permitted to process your order without a prescription,” though they “prefer your prescription.”
“Most countries we ship to including the USA, UK and Australia for example permit the importation of personal medications without the need for a prescription. As long as it is for a 90 day supply and for yourself or immediate family living with you,” Inhouse Pharmacy’s website states, according to the report.
Likewise, MedsMex, a Mexican pharmacy that ships into the United States, says that “No prescription to purchase any medicines in our pharmacy. By ordering from Medsmex you are agreeing that you are only purchasing for your own personal use,” according to the report.
Do No Harm is trying to get the federal government’s attention on the matter, with Miceli stating, “We urge the FDA and other federal agencies to investigate any potential unlawful sellers and, where appropriate, for states to do the same when their laws are being violated. Protecting minors from unsafe and unregulated access to powerful cross-sex hormones must remain a priority.”
Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
