Let\u2019s\ntalk about puberty blockers, an essential element of safe and successful\ngender-affirming care for transgender youth. Social media, politicians, and\nnews outlets have shared a great deal of misleading information about what\nthese drugs do, how they work, and whether they\u2019re dangerous or reversible.\nThis has even led some U.S. cities and regions to enact legislation against\ntheir use. Tragically, some localities have even established punitive measures\nagainst trans children and the parents who allow them this life-improving and\nsometimes even life-sustaining care. So let\u2019s take a look at what they really\nare, how they really work, and why they\u2019re such important mental and physical\nhealth tools for many trans kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Puberty-blocking\ndrugs don\u2019t stop puberty for all time; they just stop it for right now. Their\nresults are reversible. If kids stop using them, puberty resumes. There\nis no evidence that puberty blockers affect future fertility<\/a>, though taking\nestrogen or testosterone with them may impact the ability to have children\nlater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Puberty blockers were approved by the FDA in 1993. According to Cedars Sinai Medical Centers, they\u2019re considered very safe by the medical community<\/a>. They may possibly affect height (they may delay growth-plate closure, which can lead to taller adult height), and may slightly lower bone density for some. But so far, research shows the effects to be minimal. Doctors and hospitals are required to provide detailed information about risks and downsides to children and their families before providing them with these medications. People with severe gender dysphoria (i.e., who feel their genders to be different that the one assigned to them at birth) usually feel that living in a body that feels more like them is worth being a little taller, or worth taking bone-strengthening minerals and drugs to avoid osteoporosis later in life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When children feel strongly that their genders don\u2019t match the ones assigned to them at birth, going through puberty can feel crushing and tragic\u2014a permanent sign to the world to treat them as someone they know they\u2019re not. According to the Mayo Clinic, puberty blocking drugs keep kids from going through major changes<\/a> (some irreversible) like the development of breasts, body hair, and male genitalia; deepening of the voice; and menstruation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To\nget rid of those signs, many people go through painful, expensive, and\ndifficult surgery later. But there are certain things that happen to the body\nat puberty that may not be reversible even with surgery. Those who undergo\nsurgery later often experience complications, pain, great expense, and all the\nrisks that come with surgery and anesthesia. Yet they still don\u2019t have physical\noutcomes as successful as they might have if given puberty blockers at the\nfirst signs of puberty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many trans children who go through puberty and see their bodies undergoing distressing, permanent changes suffer severe depression and other negative mental health challenges<\/a>, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some engage in self-harm such as cutting, substance abuse, or suicide. If given access to puberty blockers, they can delay or stop many of those changes, buying them time until they\u2019re adults and can decide legally how they want to present and identify themselves. Puberty blockers have been shown to significantly reduce depression and suicidality in trans children<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Puberty\nblockers have led to improved mental health, better social interactions with\nother kids, and sometimes avoidance of future gender-confirmation surgeries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The physician information portal HCPLive<\/a> (which is part of the MJH Life Sciences<\/a> publishing company) writes, \u201cInvestigators said that previous data showed gender-affirming hormones (GAH), puberty blockers (PBs), and gender-affirming surgeries have been found to be independently associated with reduced depression, anxiety and additional adverse mental health outcomes. Puberty blockers administered during puberty can actually reduce suicide risk in this population. A decreased lifetime incidence of suicidal ideation was also found among adults who received access to puberty blockers during adolescence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nshort, puberty blockers improve and even save lives. They don\u2019t poison\nchildren, or take away their choices later. These drugs give children the\nfreedom to delay major health and life choices until adulthood. They align\nphysical and psychological health, and let children feel more like themselves. Providing\nthem to children whose lives could be immeasurably improved\u2014even saved\u2014by them makes\nthem an essential element of pediatric healthcare. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let\u2019s talk about puberty blockers, an essential element of safe and successful gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Social media, politicians, and news outlets have shared a great deal of misleading information about what these drugs do, how they work, and whether they\u2019re dangerous or reversible. This has even led some U.S. cities and regions to … Continue reading Why Puberty Blockers Are Essential Healthcare Tools<\/span>