Puberty blockers for an eight-year-old with early puberty and short stature?

[Cattenberg]

This isn’t about gender, but as you collectively seem to know a lot about puberty blockers, I thought you might give me some things to think about before I take DD to a GP appointment next week.

DD is eight and is already showing some early signs of puberty. She is also very short for her age (a family trait) and sometimes complains about being the shortest in her class and the second shortest in her year group.

I understand that starting puberty at eight isn’t classed as precocious puberty, but that it would be if she were seven. And I know that everyone develops at their own rate, but my concern is that by starting puberty early, DD won’t reach her full potential height (which would be short, anyway).

I don’t know if taking puberty blockers for a year or two would be an option in DD’s case, but I’d like to know more about the benefits and drawbacks.

Despite getting the totally unbiased advice of Mouldemort as well to "balance" things?

My surprise was not that someone did this; I was stating that I cannot understand why anyone would be so mean-spirited.

Now you have taken the trouble over several posts to dig yourself a deeper hole (and incidentally insult me deliberately as well as the rest of it) I understand that if there is an agenda here, it is obvious whose it is, and what it is. So thank you for making your position clear.

Ah, c'mon; women who have personal experience if the OP's problem are going to be dismissed as biased GC et ceteras, and people with no experience of it whatever are going to heckle and get antsy and difficult if people's lived experience doesn't suit their agenda.

It’s not to be mean spirited. From my point of view, the OP is asking advice about her child’s healthcare in an unsafe place to seek advice about young people’s access to medical care.

I’m sorry if you feel personally insulted, as that wasn’t my intention. But you are also not my priority here.

I think people who know from their own experience what they are talking about AND ADVISE THE OP TO CONSULT A GP AND TRY TO SEE A SPECIALIST ABOUT IT should not be dismissed as you have done.

Neb out, you are redundant.

What is ‘unsafe’ about it?

The good advice is being given by the wrong people, I suspect. And given by them before someone without their experience arrived to tell them off.

Because some gender critical feminists have campaigned to restrict trans people’s access to medical care. Evidence of puberty blockers being safely used for other health care reasons doesn’t serve their narrative, and so the views on it are unlikely to be unbiased.

I’m not claiming my views are NOT biased. Probably neither side of this debate in this particular online space are the right people to advise the OP.

Tbh I was surprised when I first read this on MN.

it’s not true at all in our family. I started at 14, but didn’t reach my adult height until 18, with most of that being in the last year.

both my DD’s also reached adult height at around 18, with one starting at 12, the other at 15.

so it hadn’t even occurred to me adult height would be dictated by menarche, like I said.

i have no idea what epidemiological studies say though.

Again. The mistaken belief that the calls for ‘restrictions’ are rooted in feelings about transpeople rather than in concerns about unnecessarily medicating children. Are you suggesting that the parents who have talked about drs exercising caution in relation to prescribing puberty blockers to their children are lying? Or maybe you think drs only advise caution if the parents are GC?

Or do you maybe think the parents are irresponsible because they didn’t respond to drs caution by going online to self-prescribe puberty blockers?

Of course I don’t think being cautious or considering all the risks is ever a bad thing, whatever the reason for puberty blockers. I’m sure a qualified medical professional will talk the OP through all the risks. But I just don’t think people in this space are best placed to do that.

I think the other dangerous thing about this space, to be honest, is that so many people on here think their gender critical peers are absolute experts. Someone has already claimed the depth of knowledge the OP would find here is ‘second to none’. That is simply not the case.

@Cattenberg, ignore the fact that a nerk has advised seeing a GP and a specialist, and remember that a large number of sensible people who have had a similar experience to yours have given you that same advice, to consult specialists in the subject, and don't have a blatant agenda.

I hope all goes well and your daughter is fine, and any worry you may be feeling turns out not really to have been needed.

(For what it's worth, it seems to be quite widely claimed that properly-used puberty blockers have no long-term effect on the eventual height of a child, but that of course is completely impossible for you to establish, since there is only the one child involved here and she cannot both take and not-take puberty blockers to find out.)

Unfortunately, you may need to pay for a specialist if you want her seen quickly - waits for any consultant appointments run into many months.

I have no idea if blockers may help her, bearing in mind a lot of girls and trans boys start periods etc at ten.

As the mum of a trans man, I can however say one thing with confidence: ask someone with a medical.background about them. There is a lot of malicious, untrue disinformation about blockers online. They are a treatment used successfully for generations, and only a medical professional can tell you whether your daughter would be suitable to take them.

I know a fair bit about them and am in favour of trans kids taking them where they can (nothing like all are suitable) but that's just my opinion. Please ask a doctor. Reduxx is not a medical publication, it's far-right transphobia. Way too many myths, fallacies and cherry-picking to take even slightly seriously. Only a proper doctor can advise you - not me, not anyone else.

If her adult height is likely to class her as disabled, then she may get help.

I have a friend who is four-foot nothing, but she has never cared about it because her parents always told her she was amazing. She's never let it hold her back. Be careful of fretting too much about her future height in front of your daughter - focus on building her confidence (as I'm sure you do) and making sure she knows she's brilliant. With you by her side, she can do anything.

No medication is ever safe, it is always about balancing risks of benefits and harms. So even where puberty blockers may be considered ‘safe to use’ - for the treatment of terminal prostate cancer - there are still harms associated with it. And the more you move away from using it to treat those who are dying the more those harms matter.

As the mum of a trans man, I can however say one thing with confidence: ask someone with a medical.background about them. There is a lot of malicious, untrue disinformation about blockers online. They are a treatment used successfully for generations, and only a medical professional can tell you whether your daughter would be suitable to take them.

A reminder that they are banned in the UK for children like your daughter.

Sure. Did you read my following post: Of course I don’t think being cautious or considering all the risks is ever a bad thing, whatever the reason for puberty blockers. I’m sure a qualified medical professional will talk the OP through all the risks. But I just don’t think people in this space are best placed to do that

Do you actually believe any area of mumsnet ( or social media in general ) is “safe “ to ask medical advice? There was a recent thread in general chat or somewhere about “things you only learnt as an adult” and quite a number of women confessed to thinking that women wee out of their vaginas. I have seen posts from women distraught about their kids potentially having cancer because they don’t understand that girls develop breast buds at primary age , sometimes only 1 side initially . At least on a feminism board I suspect a greater percentage of women have a basic idea about female biology. The likelihood of an 8 year old with common early physical signs of puberty being considered for puberty blockers is infinitesimal , that’s going to be the view in many quarters whether you are gender critical or not.

OPs DD is approaching puberty at an age when numerous other pp DD approached puberty - of course their lived experience is valuable. Not least it should reassure her that it is not unusual and what the course of medical monitoring involves.

Is it only puberty blockers you don’t want discussed? Are women, in your view, allowed to compared notes on menopause or endometriosis?

Not quite that straightforwardly. This is what I mean by misinformation - you’ll say anything to further a narrative that you’ve ‘won’ in some way.

NHS patients who were already receiving these specific medications for gender dysphoria before the restrictions came into effect are permitted to continue their access.

They may also be accessed by young people participating in approved formal NHS research trials studying the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.

You also don’t know how old this poster’s son is.

I hoped you enjoyed your little bit of cruelty referring to the poster’s ‘daughter’ there. I’m sure lots of transphobes are very impressed by you 👏

Why wouldn’t I want women to discuss endometriosis? I’ve been very clear why I specifically think this isn’t a helpful place so come specifically for reliable contributions about puberty blockers. Why don’t you read my posts? You don’t have to agree with me, but my position is clear.

PP is talking about their daughter and this is vital information when it comes to health care. It is cruel to tell a child they can’t change sex or that the rest of the world will pretend they have. And it is emotional blackmail to tell me that it is cruel to tell the truth.

Trials are carried out specifically because it is NOT known how safe something is. But medical consensus is they until proven otherwise they are not safe and therefore illegal.

I’ve said at least once I don’t think any online chat forum is a particularly helpful place to go for complex medical advice. But whereas you think mn sex and gender might be a bit better than other places, I think it’s likely to be significantly worse. You won’t change my mind on that 🤷‍♀️

Though I would say any drug that is prescribed in a manner that sterilises a child is clearly unsafe.

Do you lecture women on MN discussing other health issues? Menopause? TTC? Lifelimiting conditions? Child health? I presume you are on all those boards telling people not to discuss their lived experience?

For that matter, I presume you also tell those who identify as trans to seek proper medical advice and not discuss their identity online?

You’ve already made this (not very insightful) point once, and I’ve responded to you.