A UK forum is encouraging a desperate parent of a trans identified male to seek out DIY hormones, without consulting health care professionals, how is this dangerous advice legal?

[SingleSexSpacesInSchools]

OP "If anyone could help me to understand, I would be extremely grateful. I just want my daughter to be alive and happy in her own skin as much as possible ."

Responses: "diy is reliable and safe, there are communities that will be able to help, and really all it is getting a blood test every now and then to check how low or high a couple numbers are and adjusting accordingly."

Full details here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/transgenderUK/comments/1rw0bac/please_help_parent_to_a_16_year_old/

How is this even slightly legal? The pro anorexia sites were shut down right? The pro suicide?

I've never had a testosterone blocker in my life, I don't know why you are trying to invent some weird drug fantasy in response to my post.

As per this has been hijacked by somebody with their own agenda.

It’s pretty much what they do in political parties. A mish mash of pseudo science, self importance and boring the heck out of everyone else in the room.

It doesn’t make the right. It’s just part of the playbook.

However, it is unethical and harmful to torture a child by withholding treatment in the name of double blind science when the treatment has been successfully delivered to thousands of other children before

Do you understand that the evidence base for 'the treatment has successfully been delivered to thousands of other children before' is extremely poor? We're not talking 'just short of gold standard' but 'really poor quality and can't be trusted'?

References to 'torturing children by withholding medical treatment' is merely hyperbole when you don't have a clear evidence base that suggests that the benefits outweigh the risks. And the risks of giving cross-sex hormones to children for gender dysphoria are high while the benefits are poorly documented. How is that for ethical?

The Dutch were the first to start experimenting on children (in the 1990s), because they thought the poor outcomes for male transsexuals were due to them not 'passing' as women. They thought that if they could stop them from going through puberty, they might 'pass' better, and be happier as adults.

Nobody knows what the outcomes actually were, because people who do these experiments on children never keep proper records. What we do know is that one of the victims died as a result of complications following surgery.

GIDS did a similar experiment on children starting in about 2010. They didn't keep proper records either. I don't think it's accurate to say this treatment for children is 'decades old' in the UK.

Clinicians would be best placed to be the judge of a successful treatment. Not a Tuesday meeting of committed writers of Letters to Editors

No, they're not. Do you understand anything about statistical data collection and analysis?

I would also add parents are a really good judge of their child's happiness as well. My mother used to say she had never seen someone express true contentment until she saw me in the recovery room before I woke up from my surgery. She has no time for sex realists, surprisingly.

Nope.

Do you understand anything about statistical data collection and analysis?

If your goal is to generate data, run a study. If your goal is medical treatment of children using a widely accepted protocol successfully applied in your practice for decades, treat children.

The vast majority of medical professionals support trans treatment.

You need to post some evidence of this.

I think the last time I heard the 'off-label' argument I learned the majority of paediatric drugs are delivered 'off-label.

The majority of children given medication, off-label or otherwise, have medical conditions that require medication. Children who are confused about gender are not physically ill, so don't require medication.

She has no time for sex realists, surprisingly.

It's surprising you were born at all in that case.

You literally put forward 'My mum says the treatment made me happy' as evidence that it works. I really don't think your analysis of the situation is particularly valid here.

The evidence base for its use in treating gender dysphoria is poor. Regardless of your mum wading in on the matter.

How does a widely accepted protocol become widely accepted?

Is it just from someone deciding on a treatment (with no evidence) then everyone else blindly following? This seems to be what's happened with gender 'treatment'.

Can you not see any flaws in this model?

However, it is unethical and harmful to torture a child by withholding treatment

Seriously? You had to resort to using the word torture? Now you are going into silliness. It is unethical and harmful to give drugs to children when they haven't been tested properly, or indeed found if necessary to use.

Cross sex hormones are proving to be harmful long term.

Trans people require medical support.

You sound exactly like a person back in the day who would have worked very hard to prevent a confused child from growing up to be gay or lesbian.

Jesus wept.

What medical treatment do people require if they're gay or lesbian? Other than the same medical treatment needed by everyone else?

ouch. You need to back that personal attack up.

BTW therapy is considered to be medical support too.

I agree. Sex realist rule 1 is "Never trust a trans person. Ever."

I didn't say she adjudicated success, I said parents know a happy adjusted child when they see one. Well, unless they've chased their child off.

When you have no argument or evidence, throw out a random insult about homophobia.

In the 80s? They would be sent away to 'camp' until they 'got better.'

That's you isn't it?

If you want to stop a child growing up to be gay or lesbian, you can just trans away the gay.

No they weren't. Not in the UK which is the country we are talking about🙄

The exact 'confused child' statement was used universally by parents and community members when commenting on proto-queer children. Trans people are not confused about gender or sex.

Oh, are you talking about YOU by any chance?

Mumsnet is free therapy. Even to those who profess to hate it. Yet can't leave it alone.