Summary Transgender Youth and Puberty Blockers: Cutting Through the Controversy | by Kaylin Hamilton | Prism & Pen | Aug, 2023 | Medium medium.com
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The controversial use of puberty blockers in transgender youth has resulted in bans in certain U.S. states, restrictions in Sweden, and is currently under review in the U.K.'s NHS gender services.
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Key Points
- Puberty blockers, also known as gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa), are used as part of gender-affirming care for transgender youth.
- There is controversy surrounding the use of puberty blockers, with some opposing their use and several U.S. states banning them.
- The U.K. is currently reviewing the use of puberty blockers in NHS gender clinics.
- Puberty blockers prevent the release of hormones that initiate puberty, and they have been used to treat central precocious puberty in cisgender children since the 1960s.
- Long-term studies have shown that puberty blockers have no lasting impact on fertility for both boys and girls.
Summaries
33 word summary
The use of puberty blockers in transgender youth is controversial and has led to bans in some U.S. states and restrictions in Sweden. The U.K. is currently reviewing their use in NHS gender.
43 word summary
The controversy surrounding the use of puberty blockers in transgender youth has garnered significant attention. Critics describe them as experimental and controversial, leading to bans in some U.S. states and restrictions in Sweden. The U.K. is currently reviewing their use in NHS gender
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Transgender Youth and Puberty Blockers:
Cutting Through the Controversy \| by Kaylin Hamilton \| Prism & Pen
\| Aug, 2023 \| Medium
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Transgender Youth and Puberty Blockers: Cutting Through the Controversy
What does the evidence tell us and what do transgender youth and their families say?
Kaylin Hamilton
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9 min read
3 days ago
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here is perhaps no aspect of gender-affirming care that garners more attention than the use of puberty blockers.
They are described as experimental and controversial by those opposed to their use.
Theyve been banned in several U.S. states, and their use
limited
to exceptional cases in Sweden. The U.K. is currently reviewing the use of puberty blockers in NHS gender clinics.
All of this is justified by the contention that the science on puberty blockers is uncertain, due to a lack of good evidence, or conversely because the evidence points to serious harms.
If we cut through all the controversy and media spin, what does the evidence actually say or not say about the use of puberty blockers as part of gender-affirming care for trans youth?
Blocking puberty
Puberty blockers otherwise known as gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) prevent the release of hormones by the pituitary gland, which then blocks the creation and release of testosterone or oestrogen by the testes or ovaries, respectively.
In adolescents, this process initiates the onset of puberty, and so GnRHa effectively block this process hence, puberty blockers.
GnRH agonists have been used to treat central precocious puberty the early onset of puberty in cisgender children since the 1960s. Theyre
described
as the gold-standard treatment of central precocious puberty (CPP) worldwide and have an enviable track record of safety and efficacy.
As with all medications, puberty blockers can have some negative effects, primarily issues with bone health, such as a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD), and stunted growth. However, long-term studies show that these problems
resolve
once puberty blockers are stopped and pubertal development resumes.
Long-term studies have also shown that the use of GnRHa in cisgender children has no lasting impact on fertility for either
boys
or
girls
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735
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735
735
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Written by
Kaylin Hamilton
903 Followers
Editor for
Prism & Pen
Queer politics, womens rights & social justice via intersectional feminism. PhD in Sociology & Social Policy. Queer/Transgender. ADHD/ASD. She/Her.
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