ARE DRUGS TO TREAT GENDER IDENTITY DISORDER RISKY? The press release says patients must also be told the FDA issued a warning that puberty blockers can lead to blindness and brain swelling.
Puberty blockers delay the start of puberty, including development of secondary sex characteristics. Surprisingly, even though puberty blockers are widely used to help transgender adolescents go through gender transition, their impact on brain function during this critical stage of brain development is largely unknown.
The FDA identified six cases of females who were taking a puberty blocker and suffered from brain swelling and vision loss. “Pseudotumor cerebri is an inordinately well-known side effect that can happen for many, many different medications, most commonly, oral birth control pills,” said Dr.
While puberty blockers have been scrutinized by some due to their use in caring for transgender children, these drugs have been in use since the 1980s and are overwhelmingly safe if used appropriately. Side effects such as bone health risks typically only occur with prolonged use past the age of puberty.
The warning informs users of the possibility of developing something called a pseudotumor cerebri. According to Mayo Clinic, pseudotumor cerebri happens when there is increased pressure inside the skull “for no obvious reason.” Symptoms mimic those of a brain tumor.
In April 2022, the FDA added a warning to labeling for puberty blockers based on several reports of a condition called pseudotumor cerebri, which can cause pressure and swelling inside the skull.
The new guidelines include starting medication called puberty blockers in the early stages of puberty, which for girls is around ages 8 to 13 and typically two years later for boys.
Puberty blockers do not cause permanent changes to the body. And you can stop taking them at any time. If you decide to stop taking puberty blockers and did not take hormone therapy, your body will go back to the puberty that had already started.
In addition to the New England Journal of Medicine study, about half a dozen others have shown that access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy can improve mental health outcomes, including reducing suicidal ideation, among transgender youths.
With diffuse or focal cerebral edema the patient can develop increased intracranial pressure (ICP) which typically presents with headaches, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, cranial neuropathy, altered mental status to coma and death.
However, researchers have discovered that puberty not only changes your body, but also your brain. This is because puberty involves changes in hormones that also attach to your brain cells and change how the brain learns and grows. These changes are useful because they help shape the brain for new forms of learning.
Throughout adolescence, there are changes in the structure and function of the brain. Sexual dimorphisms in many of these changes suggest possible relationships to puberty. Relatively little is known about the relationship between puberty and neural development in humans.
Particularly significant changes occur in the limbic system, which may impact self-control, decision making, emotions, and risk-taking behaviors. The brain also experiences a surge of myelin synthesis in the frontal lobe, which is implicated in cognitive processes during adolescence.
A total of 17,683 patients, ages 6 through 17, with a prior gender dysphoria diagnosis initiated either puberty blockers or hormones or both during the five-year period. Of these, 4,780 patients had initiated puberty blockers and 14,726 patients had initiated hormone treatment.
You may need to wait until you are 16 to begin hormone treatment, but you may be able to take puberty blockers in the meantime. Does hormone treatment also work as birth control? No, hormone treatment is not a replacement for birth control.
Testosterone blockers (i.e. Spironolactone) can increase the risk of developing high levels of potassium in the body and low blood pressure. High potassium can be life-threatening and can cause muscle weakness, paralysis and abnormal heart rates. Periodic hormone and potassium level checks are important.
Transgender women have a higher risk of venous thromboembolism, stroke and meningioma compared to cisgender men and cisgender women. Compared to cisgender men, transgender women have a higher risk of breast cancer and transgender women > 50 years old have a higher risk of fractures.
Hormonal medications called gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHas), often referred to as puberty blockers, temporarily halt the production of sex hormones testosterone, estrogen and progesterone with minimal side effects.
A diagnosis for gender dysphoria is included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), a manual published by the American Psychiatric Association. The diagnosis was created to help people with gender dysphoria get access to necessary health care and effective treatment.
Puberty blockers are considered to be very safe overall. We are not sure if puberty blockers have negative side effects on bone development and height. Research so far shows that the effects are minimal. However, we won't know the long-term effects until the first people to take puberty-blockers get older.
to be linked to a suppression of the activity of neurons involved in releasing a hormone that triggers the ovulation process (menstruation). The researchers concluded that these results suggest that vitamin D may inhibit early pubertal onset and/or the rapid progression of puberty.
Under 18s. In Australia, trans young people may commence puberty blockers with permission from both carers or guardians, and their doctor. This is usually coordinated through a multi-disciplinary team, when available.