A New Zealand researcher on sex and gender recently published an article giving reasons why it’s “very unwise” to prescribe puberty blockers to children. (read the NZHerald article here)
Alarmingly, the use of puberty blockers in New Zealand has been increasing rapidly, and our rates of puberty blocker use are already much higher than in countries such as the UK. Yet numerous overseas reviews have shown very little evidence in favour of the use of puberty blockers.
A review published in the British Medical Journal states that:
“The report found that there is insufficient evidence for the use of puberty blockers and cross sex hormone treatments in young people.”
The editor-in-chief of the British Medical Journal says “much of the guidance from medical associations proposes treatments that are not supported by evidence and that the risk of over-treatment is real.”
So clearly there is insufficient evidence to support the use of puberty blockers, and their use is certainly not something we want to lead the world in.
Sadly, New Zealand sets a very low bar in terms of diagnosis, in fact there is no requirement for diagnosis – each child is the expert of their own gender identity.
The “guidelines for gender-affirming healthcare for gender diverse and transgender children, young people and adults in Aotearoa, New Zealand” require no diagnosis. Rather, clinicians are advised they should “recognise that each individual is the expert of their own gender identity”. That is, each child, regardless of their age, and any other mental health issues, is to be treated as an expert.
Analysis of academic research has found that, after two years of use, puberty blockers were linked to abnormally low bone density in up to a third of young adolescents.
Even the pro-trans World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) has issued warnings. Dr Marci Bowers, president of WPATH has said that…
“any male child whose puberty is fully suppressed will never orgasm, and their penis will not grow to full size.”
Once a female child is taking puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones follow but testosterone frequently causes pelvic pain encouraging hysterectomy and pain from chest binders leads to a greater likelihood of mastectomy.
Children’s mental health does not improve after taking puberty blockers, in many cases it worsens considerably.
Read full article published in NZ Herald:
**This post was written by Family First staff writers.