Transsexual children should be given puberty-blockers from the age of twelve, say controversial draft guidelines from the International Endocrine Society. Preventing early pubertal changes would give children, who express a wish to change sex, time to make a decision.
The guidelines come amid news of the world's youngest person to undergo a successful sex change. Kim Petras began treatment (in Germany under national health insurance) with hormone replacement therapy at the age of twelve, completing it with gender reassignment surgery at the legal age of 16.
Puberty-blocking treatment for this indication has not been approved in the UK for under-16s, although it is offered by some clinics in Canada, Australia, Germany and the US. Some doctors believe that children do not have the emotional maturity or understanding to make such a permanent life changing decision. Also, little is known about the long term affects of puberty-blockers if patients were to change their mind about therapy. Some teenagers with such feelings may find puberty repellent if they believe they are becoming the wrong sex. However studies show that 80% of boys who experience transsexual feelings as children change their mind in adulthood.
- newscientist.com 2008; 10 December
- dailymail.co.uk 2009; 5 February
