Children as guinea pigs

Good question

These are some of the side effects discussed in the study report

'2.5.1 Short-term side effects
.. These medicines may affect bone health by slowing down bone strength development. We do not know whether this persists after stopping puberty suppressing hormones. Very rarely, a condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension can occur, which causes severe headaches, vision problems, or ringing in the ears. There is a very small chance of changes in heart rhythm, especially if puberty suppressing hormones are taken alongside other medicines. The study will carefully monitor for common and more rare adverse effects.
2.5.2 Longer-term possible effects Some possible risks may not show up until later in life. These include possible effects on: - Future fertility, especially if young people go on to cross sex hormones like testosterone or oestrogen - Bone health – increased risk of fractures - Sexual development and function - Memory and thinking skills There currently isn’t any evidence about how common these are or whether these effects are directly related to puberty suppressing hormones. This is because studies that exist look at people who choose further treatments such as cross-sex hormones. This means these effects have not yet been comprehensively studied for puberty suppressing hormones on their own. '

We know that almost 100% of kids on PBs go on to take cross sex hormones. How can they possibly consent to sterilisation and all the other long term side effects. Absolutely disgusting.

I am also the parent of a trans child who is now a trans adult.

It's so simplistic to blame the parents and accuse them of abuse. This is rarely the case.

We have children who are struggling through something we dont fully understand, there is no mental health help available. If you watch your child struggling for years, self harming, education suffering, possibly suicidal, eventually get an appointment with someone who should be able to help, and they offer you blockers, it would be very hard to refuse and allow your child to keep suffering in that way when a medical professional is there offering a solution.

Often the short term is so scary, we don't know if there will be a long term for our children and do what we can, and, unfortunately have to think about the consequences later once our child's mental health has stabilised a bit.

It's a balancing act for parents and we don't always make ideal choices.

I really don't think blockers, or this trial are ethical, but I absolutely get why parents do it.

Are there any other clinical trials for children that involve giving drugs to healthy children that could cause immense harm including sterility and loss of future sexual function.

Playing devil's advocate... PBs were used in a far less controlled way, both in the NHS and privately, prior to the ban and many opportunities to collect data were missed. There is almost no data on the benefits/ harms from this period, and lots of anecdotal stories with strong views on both sides.

This trial will only be offered to a v small number of severely dysphoric kids in NHS clinics and only after thorough screening and MH assessments which is a million times better than what was happening before the ban. Data collection and follow up (hopefully) will be meticulous.

Hormone blockers have been used widely in adults and in smaller numbers to children with precocious puberty, and off label in gender dysphoria enough to have a reasonable understanding of the potential risks. A robust clinical trial is what's needed to determine if these drugs have any place at all in managing severe gender dysphoria in adolescents.

I believe that the through systematic reviews that have been done, in here and in Finland, have demonstrated the opposite.

Who are the “some” who argue that PBs can help with mental health?

It sounds like there was some ethical controversy about this trial, but not in the way posters are assuming:
“Some argue that there is already evidence that puberty blockers can help with mental health, and that in light of this it would be unethical to perform a trial at all because this would mean some young people experiencing gender distress would not be given them.”

And why don’t you care? These drugs have been shown to cause harm to children. They are drugs used to castrate sex offenders FFS.

Every parent who does should be investigated.

Give us some examples please so that we can tell you.

I don’t know. Does it matter? These are banned drugs shown to have no benefit from the systematic reviews that have already been done.

But again I ask: where is the outrage for all the other clinical trials involving children

There's a difference between trials of treatment for leukaemia or epilepsy or genetic disorders, which may be life threatening or severely disabling, and trials of medication on children who are not ill but who may be left with lifelong consequences.

What other clinical trials are carried out on healthy children, which may have a negative impact on their long term health?

Why would I start another thread? I'm asking why is it only this clinical trial which causes such a reaction?

State-sanctioned child abuse

Couldn’t agree more. Which parent is going to “offer up” their child to be experimented on?

I don't particularly care if it's talked about but again I would ask why all the other clinical trials involving children aren't talked about?

But this is the first thread not siloed off in FWR, I believe.

Do some MNers not want this more widely talked about?