MicroWaveMar 13, 2024

Trans youth will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers, NHS England says

https://lemmy.world/post/13067428

Trans youth will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers, NHS England says - Lemmy.World

Trans youth will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers at NHS England gender identity clinics in a new “blow” to gender-affirming healthcare. Puberty blockers are a type of medicine that prevent puberty from starting by blocking the hormones – like testosterone and oestrogen – that lead to puberty-related changes in the body. In the case of trans youth, this can delay unwanted physical changes like menstruation, breast growth, voice changes or facial hair growth. On Tuesday (12 March), NHS England confirmed the medicine, which has been described as “life-saving” medical care for trans youth, will only be available to young people as part of clinical research trials. The government described the move as a “landmark decision”, Sky News reported. It believed such a move is in the “best interests of the child”.

Show threadMr_Smiley
Some good news for once.
Mar 13, 2024 at 9:00pmWeb
Show threadMetaCubedMar 13, 2024

I guess ill be the one to bite.

How do you consider this good news? All scientific literature indicates that prescribing puberty blockers to trans youth has a large benefit to the state of their current and future mental health, while also causing no harm as once they stop taking them, if they dont further transition, their regular puberty takes over with no decrease in how much they mentally and physically develop (dont forget, these are also regularly prescribed to cis kids too)

Show threadGiganMar 13, 2024
Please link to all relevant scientific literature. Otherwise I’m going to assume you’re just spouting talking points out of your ass because this stuff hasn’t been studied as extensively as you claim.
Show threadfrostysauceMar 14, 2024
Please do all the research for me…
Show threadTattorackMar 14, 2024

The person who makes the claim is responsible for backing it up. So yes, if you’re going to to make a going you’re going to do all the research.

Asking for the relevant scientific backing is a perfectly reasonable thing to ask.

Show threadfrostysauceMar 14, 2024
But they asked for all scientific research.
Show threadcrapwittynameMar 13, 2024
The second part of what you say (puberty takes over as soon as the blockers are stopped) is not, as far as I’m aware, established. There are huge questions over this. First off, if I decide to come off puberty blockers aged 30, will I then go through puberty? If so, how different will it be to a normal puberty? If not, how long do I take puberty blockers for until I’ve bypassed my puberty? Can we quantify or qualify the potential harms inherent in the treatment? There’re too many unknowns and not enough evidence to support this statement you’ve made. I’ve seen it made before which is why I looked into it.
I’m not trans myself, but some of the people I love are/were. I love them and I want them to thrive, which is why I’m concerned about the enthusiasm for a seemingly magic bullet which I think has the potential to do a lot of harm if applied without being properly understood.
Show threadthrowwyaccMar 13, 2024
I believe the idea of a puberty blocker is to block puberty until 18 pretty much, or early 20s. Then as that person is an adult they can choose to transition, by going through hrt, which is more effective as they haven’t experienced any puberty yet Or they can choose to stop taking the blockers and go through puberty as they would have before
Show threadcrapwittynameMar 14, 2024
Thanks for that.
Annoyingly though I’m getting down votes for stating a sincerely-held and reasonable viewpoint, so that prevents me from discussing it any further. This topic is unnecessarily toxic online.
Show threadthrowwyaccMar 14, 2024

I agree it’s a very charged topic. And tricky to talk about in a lot of circles without being hand waved as a bigot

It’s understandable though as there are genuinely some people that wouldn’t change their opinion regardless of the research, on both sides mind you

Show threadcrapwittynameMar 14, 2024
It’s been a while since I deep dived on this so I might go back and have a look when I have time.
Show threadAdanisiMar 14, 2024
Nobody is prescribing blockers for decades.
Show threadMetaCubedMar 14, 2024
What the other user said is correct. Generally puberty blocks are limited to use during adolescence, with use being discontinued in the very early 20’s at the latest. They are a measure to buy time for a person to meet an age of greater maturity so they can make the decision to further transition medically or hormonally. They are not intended to remove sex hormones from the body forever (much to my personal dismay)
Show threadcrapwittynameMar 14, 2024
Cheers. I’ll certainly look into that. I’ve not made up my mind (until the medical consensus does), and I’m coming at this from an angle of wanting trans people to have an equal quality of life (and average lifespan) with cis people. Believe it or not.
Show threadLaurentideMar 15, 2024

The medical consensus already exists. This isn’t some experimental drug; puberty blockers have been widely prescribed to children for decades. We know how they work, we know they are generally safe, and we know that blocking access to them will result in needless suffering and death.

Here are the “huge questions” you should really be asking:

If these drugs are so dangerous, why are people only bringing it up now and not sometime in the 40 years since they entered widespread usage?

Why are people suddenly claiming that a drug we’ve been using for decades has “too many unknowns” and “not enough evidence” for its safety?

If all of this controversy is really genuine, and not the result of a moral panic rooted in bigotry, then why is nobody proposing a ban on puberty blockers for cisgender children? How can they be “dangerous” and “untested” for one group of children but safe and effective for a different group of children when both groups are taking them for the same purpose (to delay puberty)?

If you really care about the welfare of trans people, then you should support giving us the healthcare that we and our doctors say we need.

Show threadcrapwittynameMar 15, 2024

If you really care about the welfare of trans people, then you should support giving us the healthcare that we and our doctors say we need.

I do. And with due respect, you’re just an anonymous poster on an internet forum.

Show threadShotgun_AliceMar 14, 2024
They’re a troll, I be seen their account in other threads. If you look at their account they have all down votes. Like they’re trying to collect as many downvotes as they can.
Show threadMr_SmileyMar 14, 2024

I’m not actually. And not all my comments have downvotes.

I’m centre right, while it seems the vast majority of users on Lemmy are extreme left and you all get antagonised very easily. tbh I think I’m going to abandon Lemmy which I’m sure you’ll be pleased to hear.

However, I do not believe for one second that giving children puberty blockers or hormones is safe or right. You’re all probably in your teens or very early 20s so don’t get it as you don’t even know yourselves yet. I know its hard to accept as you’re intelligent and educated and have very real feelings and life experiences but until you’re well into your 20s you havent really found yourself - as much as you think you have up to that point. Tis why often young marriages fail, people regret tattoos, general cringe looking back at your younger self. I am not saying anything controversial here.

People claiming that after you stop prescribing blockers that one can magically restart puberty and can continue as normal without any ill effects are spouting pure lies or are indoctrinated in to this peddled fantasy.

The changes are lasting and damaging. There are plenty of ex trans who have publicly spoken out about this - but maybe they’ve all been cancelled and bullied into submission by now.

Stasis isn’t real - it’s Sci fi.

Give children counselling to overcome their dysmorphia, and all the non body altering support they need. If they are certain by the time they’re into adulthood they need to transition then let them at it.

Children are not ready to make such a massive decision that has huge implications on them for the rest of their life. Lets be honest, puberty blockers are just the start too - it was that, then hormones and surgery, and lots of people have been damaged, for life.

Anyway, bring on the downvotes. I really don’t care. Just hope I might get through to at least someone reading this and make them stop and think.

Hey, you’re probably just gay, and that’s cool. Don’t fuck up your genitals so you can never even have an orgasm, or worse end up spending your whole life on drugs or seeing doctors.

Peace. :)