Here’s all you need to know about gender transition therapy

CHANDIGARH

Hormones might be begun at age 14, two years earlier than the World Professional Association for Transgender Health previously recommended, and some procedures could be done at age 15 or 17, a year or so sooner than prior advise.

The suggested minimum age for initiating gender transition therapy, such as sex hormones and procedures, has been decreased by a prominent transgender health organization.

The Associated Press received an advance copy of the association’s update before it was published in a medical journal later this year. More than 3,000 doctors, social scientists, and others concerned in transgender health concerns make up the international organisation, which advocates evidence-based standards of treatment.

According to the organisation, the update is based on expert opinion and a review of scientific information on the advantages and dangers of transgender medical care in youth whose gender identification differs from the sex given at birth. According to the organisation, while there is scant data, it has risen in the previous decade, with research showing that the therapies can enhance psychological well-being and prevent suicide behavior.

Start therapy sooner permits transgender kids to undergo physical puberty changes at the same time as other teenagers.

However, he emphasized that age is only one element to consider. Others include emotional maturity, parental agreement, long-standing gender discomfort, and a thorough psychiatric examination.

“There are definitely those teens who lack the emotional or cognitive maturity to make an educated decision,” experts said. “That is why a thorough multidisciplinary examination is recommended.”

Although the latest guidelines contain treatment advice for adults, teen guidance is likely to receive greater attention. It comes as a result of an increase in children being sent to clinics that provide transgender medical therapy, as well as increased initiatives to avoid or limit the procedure.

Many specialists believe that more children are seeking this type of treatment because gender-questioning youth are better informed about their medical options and face less stigma.

Members critics, including certain in the transgender therapy field, believe that some clinics rush to provide irreversible treatment to children who might otherwise outgrow their gender confusion.

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