Are Puberty Blockers for Trans Kids a Permanent Change to Their Body or Not?

Gender hormones and puberty blockers are two distinct concepts. It's important to clarify that even organizations like Planned Parenthood only recommend puberty blockers for 12-17 year olds with parental consent. Therefore, by ‘child,’ we refer to teenagers.

What are Puberty Blockers for Trans Children?

Puberty blockers are designed to prevent the onset of physical changes that occur during puberty. These blockers can potentially lead to permanent changes in a child's body, which is why the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) guidelines recommend waiting until age 14. If the child chooses to discontinue the blockers, the changes can be reversed. However, it is advised that they take Vitamin D and Calcium since the medications can deplete these essential minerals from their bodies. The benefit of puberty blockers is that they give children more time to figure out their gender identity, potentially reducing gender dysphoria and allowing them to live more comfortably with their assigned gender at birth. This can be lifesaving for some children.

Gender Hormones or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

HRT is the part of the treatment that can lead to more permanent changes. For instance, once a transgender girl grows breast tissue, it is challenging to remove it without surgery. However, many transgender girls find that after stopping HRT, some changes can reverse partially. This includes facial hair, a deeper voice, and male pattern baldness. These changes can be a nightmare for transgender girls. While HRT does not guarantee a full reversal, it can significantly reduce gender dysphoria, allowing the individual to live a much more normal life, even conforming to the gender assigned at birth.

The Role of Puberty Blockers and Their Effects

Puberty blockers were initially developed to treat precocious puberty in children who experience early-onset physical changes. These blockers can lead to an increase in overall height, as they reduce exposure to either estrogen or testosterone. The bone plates, responsible for determining a person’s height, are influenced by estrogen in both males and females. Females typically stop growing earlier due to higher estrogen levels, while males have higher testosterone levels, which break down into estrogen through a process called aromatase.

For transgender girls, puberty blockers can be emotionally harmful due to increased height. However, for trans boys transitioning to men (FTM), HRT can cause more permanent changes, including thickening of vocal cords, facial hair growth, and a deeper voice. It does not affect reproductive capabilities. For transgender girls transitioning to women (MTF), HRT can slow down, and in some cases, stop irreversible changes caused by male puberty. This includes changes to male facial and bone structures and can sometimes cause gynecomastia (enlarged male breast tissue).

It's important to note that both puberty blockers and HRT can prevent the need for surgical interventions, which are permanent.