Articles
Pubertal blockers for transgender and gender-diverse youth
Content
What do pubertal blockers do?
What are the benefits of use of pubertal blockers?
What are the criteria for use of pubertal blockers?
Are the changes permanent?
What is the typical treatment time frame?
How is the medication given?
What are the possible side effects and complications?
What other treatments are needed?
What do pubertal blockers do?
Puberty's physical changes can cause intense distress for many gender-nonconforming adolescents. When taken regularly, GnRH analogues suppress the body's release of sex hormones, including testosterone and estrogen, during puberty.
Sex hormones affect:
- Primary sex characteristics. These are the sexual organs present at birth, including the penis, scrotum and testicles and the uterus, ovaries and vagina.
- Secondary sex characteristics. These are the physical changes in the body that typically appear during puberty. Examples include breast development and growth of facial hair.
In those identified as male at birth, GnRH analogues decrease the growth of facial and body hair, prevent voice deepening, and limit the growth of genitalia.
In those identified as female at birth, treatment limits or stops breast development and stops menstruation.
