Impact of hormone blockers

[Sparklybutold]

Does anyone have any research available I can use on the impact of utilising hormone blockers. I'm talking with someone who states that they are not harmful and are reversible once stopping.

Just grabbed this from the stats for gender website. Might be a good starting point.

www.statsforgender.org/puberty-blockers/

cass.independent-review.uk/publications/interim-report/ the interim Cass Report might be a useful thing to point to - it basically says the evidence is poor quality

This site segm.org/segm-summary-sweden-prioritizes-therapy-curbs-hormones-for-gender-dysphoric-youth has links to work published by Sweden's Karolinska Institute (use Google Translate for the original material)

www.bbc.com/news/health-51806962

'Recently updated NHS guidance on puberty blockers acknowledges that little is known about their long-term effects, or what impact they might have on children's brains and bones'

www.transgendertrend.com/puberty-blockers/

Links to various studies/research here.

Florida Health Department www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2022/04/20220420-gender-dysphoria-guidance.pr.html

www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-transyouth-care/

www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/fda-issues-warning-on-puberty-blockers-some-ala-lawmakers-support-findings/ar-AA102Ha6

'The FDA identified six cases of females who were taking a puberty blocker and suffered from brain swelling and vision los'

@InterestingUsernameTBC

Sent - thanks. A depressing read for me later too.

@Fenlandia

Cheers and sent. Also a depressing read for me tomorrow!

@ArabellaScott

I found this too and thought it was interesting. I'm actually surprised my educated and articulate friend has queried the article by Suzanne on another thread that I sent her as hormone blockers are not harmful and are reversible!

But I'm also aware she has a trans brother - so this is very fucking personal

I've sent her lots of articles, black and white. UK, Sweden, Florida all withdrawing puberty blockers for kids. I feel it's in black and white in terms of actual harm. And I can sense an anger from her to me. She's already started how she is genuinely concerned for my future potential work with queer/trans folk...

I'm trying to point out how her views are directly causing harm, not only to trans folk but to women in general.

She's yet to send any articles supporting her claims.

I wonder whether I've cause irreversible harm to our friendship 😔

It's also worth discussing not just the reversibility (or lack thereof) of puberty blockers but also the immediate side effects.

The one I find most concerning is that Depression is listed as a common side effect. When you're dealing with children/teens who are dysphoric and/or have disclosed a risk of suicide, why would you give a medication that has depression as a common side effect?

www.rxlist.com/lupron-side-effects-drug-center.htm

New drugs aren't deemed fine until proven otherwise. They have to be proven to be safe before use. Puberty blockers have never been proven to have no untoward effects and the evidence is mounting to suggest they are harmful. Puberty is essential for brain development to become an adult. Without it, male or female, that person is likely to remain in a junior state, physically and mentally, forever.

Oddly enough I've just found this article on the Guardian about the placebo effect. Although it doesn't mention trans medicine I think the relevance is obvious. I didn't think it warranted its own thread so, if it's okay, I'm putting it here:

www.theguardian.com/science/2022/oct/08/placebos-expert-kathryn-t-hall-effect-painkillers-interview

As Helen Joyce says "you can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themself into". I find it much better to ask questions than present facts. Gender identity theory isn't based on facts, it's based on feelings so you coming at it with facts may not work.

As for puberty blockers specifically, what does your friend think are the benefits of stopping a child developing - physically, psychologically and emotionally - to maturity?

We are usually told that giving children off-label drugs which stop their bodies and minds developing simply gives the child time to devide what they want to do. But this doesn't stack up. These drugs stop the brain from maturing which means that they will not develop the capacity to make the decisions that are supposedly being put on hold.

This on bone density.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33894110/

as I said on another thread, there is another study that activists have posted. It says that males tend to recover there bone density on I estrogen more than females on testosterone. However, there are detransitioner males who have reported issues with bone density. If I find the study I will add it here. It could be the one though that Michael Biggs discusses here though, I have not got time to check.

Then again, I daresay your friend is past appreciating the information you are giving her by the sounds of it.

I am plonking this here as well for anyone interested in some points to start to consider when reading some evidence that sometimes appears to get posted.

www.realityslaststand.com/p/the-distortions-in-jack-turbans-psychology

These are drugs used to chemically castrate paedophiles. How could anyone of sound mind think they are in any way 'safe'?

@AlisonDonut

I agree. Although mentioning trans people and paedophiles in the same sentence is never going to help me put my argument across.

I almost feel a little gaslit from her as I'm presenting the evidence, countries literally stopping treatment and trans clinics closing, yet it just goes straight bag to my being a trabsphobe and how there's no way I could work with this community (may be part of my Job in the future)

I think I've seen you talking about this on another thread? What strikes me is that you seem to be doing all the work here. Has she presented you with any evidence yet? I think that, when a drug is relatively untested (or has previously been mostly used to treat other conditions) then the onus should be on the people promoting it to prove that it's safe, not the other way round.

@Floisme

It's felt that she has resorted to calling me transphobic and then queried my capability professionally.

She still hasn't sent anything

Tbh it's really unsettled me

Then I think if I were in your shoes I'd say something along the lines of 'You still haven't presented me with any evidence that they're not harmful and I'd like to see some before I discuss this any further'. And then I'd disengage until she does it.

Also I think JacquelinePot makes a very good point: she's emotionally very close to this because of her brother and so reason and evidence might not be the way forward.