Changes to NHS gender dysphoria website page re puberty blockers

[rogdmum]

Am hoping this means the NHS is waking up ...

twitter.com/bayswatersg/status/1268227291970224131?s=21

Text from tweets:

“ The NHS website has updated its info on gender dysphoria & puberty blockers:

Old version: "The effects of treatment with GnRH analogues are considered to be fully reversible so treatment can usually be stopped at any time after a discussion between you, your child & your MDT” >>

New version: "Little is known about the long-term side effects of hormone or puberty blockers in children with gender dysphoria.

Although the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) advises this is a physically reversible treatment if stopped, it is not known what the… >>

...psychological effects may be.
It's also not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children's bones.”

Website here: www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/

That's a positive step!

Let's hope they dont cave back. Healthcare should be evidence based not a result of bullying tactics from people most if which probably havent even taken them

Oh this is good to hear.

Wow. That's good news

Man things are getting done around here. This is great news indeed. Keep on pulling people, we will stop this madness.

Makes my Tweeting a lot easier when coming up against the “completely safe, fully reversible” arguments.

It's very good indeed.

I had a TRA - "You're killing trans children for being against blockers which are perfectly harmless and completely reversible" argument quite recently.

Disappointed that the guidance still says "GIDS advises this is a physically reversible treatment if stopped" because TRA will simply pick that bit out and ignore the rest.

HOWEVER. Interesting changes happening. UK feminists really are making it happen.

That is really fantastic news and quite unexpected. What a find OP!

Well, thank fuck for small mercies. Let's celebrate the NHS actually having factual information on the matter. It's absurd that it's come to this.

Well that's cheered me up a bit after other things that have been happening.

Call me a cynic, but I bet they did that to head off future litigation and compensation claims, rather than because they’ve had a change of heart about damaging children.
However, it’s at least a step in the right direction.

"It's also not known whether hormone blockers affect the development of the teenage brain or children's bones.”

The reduced brain and bone development that results from prolonged use of Lupron and other puberty blockers has been thoroughly documented.

@Babdoc

Call me a cynic, but I bet they did that to head off future litigation and compensation claims, rather than because they’ve had a change of heart about damaging children. However, it’s at least a step in the right direction.

Questions of liability are the driver for most of the doctors who are rethinking a position they took without research.

Yep, these drugs are prescribed off label - all the profits & none of the liability for the drug companies

Very interesting, I guess we do not know what prompted this?

Maybe the recent Swedish turnaround had an impact, too.

Very interesting. From a legal perspective, I wonder how they’re addressing all of those children who are on puberty blockers and did so based on the good faith of the “fully reversible” myth?

Does look like arse-covering, though it's a step in the right direction in terms of the notion of "informed consent".

Which was the Swedish turnaround? I think I missed that.

MrGHardy As far as I am aware, this was a regular review of the pages that the NHS are required to carry out so not prompted by anything specific, but the content now reflects the gradually changing environment (compared to when the pages were last updated several years ago).

Tyro, covered here: www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/22/ssweden-teenage-transgender-row-dysphoria-diagnoses-soar

Sweden thread here re children and surgery www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3907069-Good-news-from-Sweden

Whatever anyone's personal stance on trans issues, the NHS needs to be transparent about the reality of using these medicines.

The "reversible" thing always confused me. It was my understanding that male children who took blockers could end up with essentially a micropenis. Surely that is not reversible?
I'll admit I dont know much about it so I'm not gonna pretend to be an authority.

All I know is virtually no medicine has no side effects and no risks for taking it long term.

Thanks Scrimp & pope, will add those to the ever-growing pile of open tabs.

Definitely good news.
Would love to know the process/trigger!

Excellent news.

I wonder if there are any NHS plans to contact the hundreds of children currently taking blockers and their parents?

It would be very worrying, having been assured it's all fine and reversible, to read this and be left alone to deal with it.

They'll probably just be gaslit and told they gave fully informed consent :(

Tara Hewitt of Teli is tweeting that the updated information makes adult men (aka trans women) working in the NHS, feel unsafe.....which sums up perfectly the reality that mens feelings are much more important than potentially sterilising pre pubescent children. Their position is appalling