Puberty blockers do not alleviate negative thoughts in children with gender dysphoria, finds study

[Es_]

Puberty blockers do not alleviate negative thoughts in children with gender dysphoria, finds study

Puberty blockers used to treat children aged 12 to 15 who have severe and persistent gender dysphoria had no significant effect on their psychological function, thoughts of self-harm, or body image, a study has found.1 However, as expected, the children experienced reduced growth in height and...

www.bmj.com

Puberty blockers used to treat children aged 12 to 15 who have severe and persistent gender dysphoria had no significant effect on their psychological function, thoughts of self-harm, or body image, a study has found.1

However, as expected, the children experienced reduced growth in height and bone strength by the time they finished their treatment at age 16.

The findings, from a study of 44 children treated by the Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London, have emerged as the trust prepares to appeal against a High Court ruling that led NHS England to pause referrals of under 16s for puberty blockers.2

 

[jane]

hilarious that you can find this right under responses:

Spoiler

Dear Editor

On reading the study mentioned in the first paragraph an excerpt in the discussion reads as follows:

"Participant experience of treatment as reported in interviews was positive for the majority, particularly relating to feeling happier, feeling more comfortable, better relationships with family and peers and positive changes in gender role."

This does not match the claim made in the title. If the majority of participants expressed more positive emotions, then it is counter-intuitive to say that it has no affect on negative thoughts.

Further explanation from the authors discusses the difficulties in evaluating the sole affect of puberty blockers on mood, since the social environment and relationships participants form with others is a significant factor in mood. This complexity makes it difficult to ascertain the actual impact of puberty blockers on psychological wellbeing.

On discussing the limitations of the study, the authors explored the qualitative aspects of their findings:

"A more detailed qualitative evaluation of participant experience was not possible due to lack of interviewer time, and reporting of interview data was restricted to perceptions of positive or negative change and the giving of examples."

It highlights the importance of qualitative data to build on this study and optimise patient experience in the future. Moreover, it recognises that the differences between changes in mood and psychological well-being in patients isn't universal. These participants have family with different opinions, different relationships with gender and different aims from transitioning.

It is difficult to apply a one shoe fits all heuristic, to claim that if psychological well-being improves on an aggregate or deteriorates on an aggregate, then it is best practice for all situations.

It's important to recognise the impact of headlines, even if the content of the article is an update on the legal situation. Since very few people read the study, interpretation of studies in mainstream news plays a significant role in swaying public opinion.

bogus study.

 

[Nep Nep]

I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt for this source OP but kindly don't make a habit out of it.

 

[sir_fire]

Aren't hormone blockers insanely dangerous? I heard that it fucks with the pancreas and liver.

 

[Nep Nep]

Aren't hormone blockers insanely dangerous? I heard that it fucks with the pancreas and liver.

Gonna need a source. We really have to stop with people just making claims regardless of what side their argument is on.

 

[sir_fire]

Gonna need a source. We really have to stop with people just making claims regardless of what side their argument is on.

Low testosterone levels are common and associated with insulin resistance in men with diabetes - PubMed

Testosterone deficiency is common in men with diabetes, regardless of the type. Testosterone levels are partly influenced by insulin resistance, which may represent an important avenue for intervention, whereas the utility of testosterone replacement remains to be established in prospective trials.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diabetes and Low Testosterone​

A link between diabetes and low testosterone is well established. Men with diabetes are more likely to have low testosterone. And men with low testosterone are more likely to later develop diabetes. Testosterone helps the body's tissues take up more blood sugar in response to insulin. Men with low testosterone more often have insulin resistance: they need to produce more insulin to keep blood sugar normal.

Low Testosterone and Your Health

Low testosterone is associated with other medical conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, depression, and erectile dysfunction. Find out more from WebMD about the link and the questions that remain.

www.webmd.com

Relevance of low testosterone to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition where there is excess accumulation of triglycerides in the liver in the absence of excess alcohol consumption. It ranges from simple steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which can ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Possible mechanisms underlying the association of low testosterone to NAFLD​

Several different mechanisms could explain the observed association between low testosterone and NAFLD in males. For instance, low testosterone leads to accumulation of VAT, which can cause insulin resistance and increased exposure of the liver to free fatty acids. Moreover, low serum testosterone is associated with increased inflammation.[51] Testosterone may also influence microRNAs in the liver or the activity of hepatic lipase as seen in male rats.[52] Since testosterone can be converted to DHT and E2 by the enzymes 5α-reductase and aromatase respectively, DHT and E2 may play a part in linking low testosterone and NAFLD in men. The deficiency or inhibition of 5α-reductase triggers the development of hepatic steatosis in male mice,[53; 54] suggesting low DHT levels may contribute to NAFLD. As DHT can initiate cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in androgen-sensitive liver cells by the PKR/eIF2a signaling cascade,[55] low levels of DHT may increase HCC risk and possibly have a role in the pathogenesis of NAFLD. Further, low testosterone is associated with elevated E2 in men and this could be due to greater conversion of testosterone to E2. E2 has been found to reduce lipogenesis in male rats by decreasing fatty acid synthase and the phosphorylation of acetyl coenzyme A [56], and thus, could affect testosterone's association with NAFLD.

And what do MTF hormone blockers do?

 

[Example]

Does this article apply mostly to MtF transitions, FtM transitions, or both?

The problem with having low testosterone should be discussed alongside this topic as well because if you're transitioning from a man to a woman, you bet that you'll have to pretty much sacrifice every amount of test that you got in your body.

Symptoms of low T aren't...great btw. Just getting that out now.

 

[The Immortal WatchDog]

I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt for this source OP but kindly don't make a habit out of it.

Why not? All institutions are corrupt, a Replication Crisis is occurring and Academia is worthless. The era of "peer reviewed, accredited sources" has been over since the mid 90's and I think we're all just now catching onto that and its kinda scary that it's taken us that long.

Does this article apply mostly to MtF transitions, FtM transitions, or both?

All hormone therapy of any sort, for any reason is extremely risky. There's a reason why Endo's don't just put fat asses on Testosterone and tell them to go hit the gym for example (Though they should absolutely tell them to hit the gym, just not to juice first and lift later ). But chemically neutering the natural neuro-chemical and hormonal development of anyone on the cusp of puberty is going to cause even more issues and what is alarming is the experts who've claimed the drop in IQ and correlation between trans people and autism is a result of brain damage done via hormone suppression..And then you have skeletal issues and the like.

Tldr: Do this shit as an adult and pay for it your own damn self, my tax dollars go to give little Timmy a new liver and they go nowhere else. I don't even like druggies and alchies getting medical care on the state's dime. Trans people have every right to be trans, but the line must be drawn at "Mutilating children" and "rationing medicade for poor kids so some thirty year old NEET with assburgers can get top surgery"

Aren't hormone blockers insanely dangerous? I heard that it fucks with the pancreas and liver.

Among other things.

bogus study.

Considering the suicide rates, this sounds like cope from a groomer.

Mind ye, I'm not against dismissing this study, I'm all for the abject dismissal of all academic papers published since the 1980's.

 

[jane]

i'm a groomer because i think this study sucks? i didn't even say what my stance is on puberty blockers.

i think everyone can agree that suicide rates are high among trans people. this isn't the the only factor in play but it certainly doesn't help that so many people still liken trans people to degenerates, rapists, pedophiles, predators, etc, something which you have done. governments still pushing for anti-trans bills, transphobic ghouls in positions of power. being threatened, harassed, assaulted all for simply existing. not ever feeling safe unless you surround yourself with other trans people or at the very least, like-minded people. why the fuck wouldn't someone be suicidal under these conditions?

and for the record i'm very ok with admitting that what i'm saying has nothing to do with the topic of puberty blockers and everything to do with the fact that i think your posts are vile and reading them makes bile creep up my throat. you lose all credibility to me when your go-to example of a trans person is calling them a NEET with assburgers. get real.

 

[The Immortal WatchDog]

i'm a groomer because i think this study sucks? i didn't even say what my stance is on puberty blockers.

No not you, the person who wrote that response to the editor. I wasn't attacking you at all, my bad if it seemed like that

Edit as to the trans being maligned as pedos thing. The numbers don't lie, they're the only group in the LGBT community besides non binaries that have 80% figures and are frequently and openly advocating for the normalization of pedophilia.

So I don't particularly care if you get naueseus reading my posts. This is a human rights issue and you guys were protected from genuine debate in the Cafe by abusive and corrupt mods and that doesn't exist here.

You will be challenged and you may not like how you're challenged.

The people doing it will not care, but maybe they'll pull their punches out of courtesy.

 

[jane]

LOL

edit in response to the rest. post these sources as you have made this claim before. for the record i should clarify that i don't really care about debating or winning an argument because i think that's all a load of horseshit. people can think they're driven by fact and objectivity but based off what i personally see, it's always their own values and ideologies.

 

[The Immortal WatchDog]

LOL

edit in response to the rest. post these sources as you have made this claim before. for the record i should clarify that i don't really care about debating or winning an argument because i think that's all a load of horseshit. people can think they're driven by fact and objectivity but based off what i personally see, it's always their own values and ideologies.

It's like that no matter what side you're on, yeah. The trick is hoping you have enough self awareness to argue with facts and conviction or failing that not to do so at all until you figure out how.

 

[Nep Nep]

Why not? All institutions are corrupt, a Replication Crisis is occurring and Academia is worthless. The era of "peer reviewed, accredited sources" has been over since the mid 90's and I think we're all just now catching onto that and its kinda scary that it's taken us that long.

Then we might as well close the section cause it's just gonna be us old fucks flinging our cynical opinions around.

When you're going to make statements about ANY group of people I expect evidence to come along with that.

 

[Es_]

Gonna need a source. We really have to stop with people just making claims regardless of what side their argument is on.

Drug used to halt puberty in children may cause lasting health problems

A number of women attribute their chronic health problems — including brittle bones and faulty joints — to use of Lupron while they were children.

www.statnews.com

 

[Odd]

Ideally you want to swap the puberty out not block it

 

[Tobidara]

Why would you give kids hormone blockers, like wtf?!

 

[jane]

precocious puberty is a thing. also, because helping trans teens transition earlier in life could potentially be beneficial to their well being - though the validity of that as well as the safety of puberty blockers is what's being called into question.

 

[The Immortal WatchDog]

Ideally you want to swap the puberty out not block it

If that were achievable without the consequences usually associated with messing around with people's biochemistry yeah.

We would still have to be diligent though, detransitioning rates are getting extensively larger.

Then we might as well close the section cause it's just gonna be us old fucks flinging our cynical opinions around.

When you're going to make statements about ANY group of people I expect evidence to come along with that.

Rather, we can accept that a myriad of sources some of which we may find ideologically unpleasant are needed because when one cannot trust peer reviewed content one shouldn't exclude data solely because of a lack of expert support.

More not less approach?,

 

[Nep Nep]

If that were achievable without the consequences usually associated with messing around with people's biochemistry yeah.

We would still have to be diligent though, detransitioning rates are getting extensively larger.



Rather, we can accept that a myriad of sources some of which we may find ideologically unpleasant are needed because when one cannot trust peer reviewed content one shouldn't exclude data solely because of a lack of expert support.

More not less approach?,

I'm gonna make a thread about it tomorrow. I say if we can't trust peer review then we might as well wipe our ass with any data and admit that really we don't know what we're talking about.

This is a place for informed political discussion and we need a standard of evidence especially if we're going to be stating controversial points.

 

[jane]

it is true that i am a witch