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@GenderGP@mastodon.worldThe topic of puberty blockers is often rife with ill-informed arguments and misconceptions
We wanted to tackle that head-on and share some poignant information, from real sources. Let’s get away from the speculation, myths and falsities
Puberty blockers ARE safe, here’s why
To start off, what are puberty blockers?
Historically used to treat a range of things including precious puberty, they’ve been used for many years to suppress natural sex hormone production in trans youth and adults.
Puberty blockers can prevent hormones linked to the assigned gender at birth from being released during puberty, and thus pause the progression of specific characteristics linked with the wrong gender of a trans person.
Blockers can be used alongside HRT to create the effects of puberty linked to their correct gender, or on their own to pause the impact of puberty linked to your AGAB.
A recent finding
This ability to ‘pause’ can allow trans youth a breath of fresh air and some time to consider their choices, or just focus on other things. Blockers can be a lifeline in this sense.
There’s one huge misconception that “puberty blockers lead you on to a life of hormones”, well… A recent published study has completely debunked this:
Are blockers 'experimental'?
Puberty blockers are often claimed to be “experimental”, that’s simply not true. The use of blockers has been known for decades, and even longer for precocious puberty.
Once again, a formal study has investigated and debunked this exact myth which you can see more on here:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26895269.2020.1747768
We also took our very own deep dive into whether puberty blockers are experimental. You can read a longer form piece on the topic here:
https://www.gendergp.com/puberty-blockers-experimental-or-safe/?th=1
So… Are puberty blockers effective?
Long story short, yes! Whilst there are still calls for more research to be done into the method of treatment, those who take blockers are overwhelmingly supportive.
They have proven effects of reducing the impacts of gender dysphoria and the rate of transition regret continues to be proven as extremely low.
Here, one literature review cites the efficacy of puberty blockers:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33320999/
While recent studies have shown the low regret rate of transition:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/tablet/2023/03/23/nov-10-dec-1-2022-washington-post-kff-trans-survey/
To follow this on, a 2022 study also highlighted how many trans youth continue to pursue gender-affirming care later in their lives after the use of puberty blockers, showcasing general happiness with their results:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(22)00254-1/fulltext
Similarly, this 2023 study has shown the stark impacts on trans teens and their improvements after 2 years on HRT:
So, are they reversible?
One of the biggest controversies around puberty blockers is ‘are they reversible?’, and in simple terms, yes.
One can stop taking blockers at any time, and their body will continue to produce the hormones related to their agab
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30112593/
We also took a look at this ourselves, which you can read more on here:
https://www.gendergp.com/are-puberty-blockers-reversible/?th=1
Misconceptions and myths
“Puberty blockers are harmful to bone growth”: The endocrine society questioned this and found intervention with puberty blockers to be safe and effective:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/842073
You can also get more on the topic of bone growth and puberty blockers here:
https://www.gendergp.com/puberty-blockers-bone-health-for-transgender-youth/?ma=1
"Puberty blockers are irreversible"
No, they are not irreversible and have even been cited as the perfect opportunity to ‘buy time’ to allow for an open exploration of a young person’s gender identity.
"The use of blockers is new/experimental"
Again, not true. Blockers have been used for decades to treat precocious puberty and even for interventions for gender dysphoria
One paper cites the efficacy of blockers for a child aged 6 for precocious puberty:
"Blockers stunt growth and make you sterile"
Blockers do not make you sterile, nor are known for causing particular growth issues
This report followed patients through precocious puberty and measured their growth and bone density, and found no anomalies
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/84/12/4583/2864749?login=false
"Taking blockers makes mental health worse"
There are countless studies, reports, and surveys showing the positive impacts of transition
Regret rates are extremely low, and satisfaction scores are among the highest in the medical field. Simply put, transition regret is very low
"It’s unethical to give out puberty blockers to children"
The very nature of puberty blockers is to block puberty, of which the onset occurs most of the time in under 18s. Puberty blockers have been given to cis children without questions of ethics. This paper even investigated this question, and came to the conclusion that not giving puberty blockers is there unethical action:
Recent NHS guidance
News broke just a few months ago that the NHS would be suspending puberty blockers outside of medical trials. This has meant that anyone trying to care through the NHS will be denied blockers unless they are included within one of the NHS’ trials.
This reduction in access can prove cataclysmic to trans youth as it removes hope for care through the nationalised system.
What’s next?
Puberty blockers are safe and effective. Until they are accessible for all, there is work to be done around education and their use.
Blockers are life-saving and have countless benefits for trans and gender-diverse people everywhere. They need to be available
@GenderGP Thank you! And yes, they are safe. They can also be prohibitively expensive, another reason to laugh about fears that people will use them gratuitously. My son’s were upwards of $2K a month.
@anneguisinherba Oh wow okay yeah that's a lot. They certainly aren't easily accessible through price across the pond either but they aren't that much