Good afternoon! I was looking into articles on hormone blockers and found this one from 2017. I’d like to talk a little bit about what it shows.
#puberty #trans #biology
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
#puberty #trans #biology
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
The story behind this article is that of a healthy child, born male, but demonstrating the desire to be a girl at age 3.
Her parents placed her in therapy, with the hopes of resolving dysphoria, until age 7. During that time she tried to “behave as a boy”.
Her parents placed her in therapy, with the hopes of resolving dysphoria, until age 7. During that time she tried to “behave as a boy”.
At age 9, the child declares herself the female gender and at age 11, she is referred to a “gender identity program”. She has just started male puberty.
They place her on the hormone blocker Leuprorelin. It suppresses both estrogen & testosterone, & is used to treat disorders that are made worse by the presence of these hormones. This includes cancers, like breast or prostate, & conditions like endometriosis.
So, at age 11, the child goes on Leuprorelin and the social outcomes improve. She's doing better in class, but with one exception: suddenly, she’s having trouble with math and science.
They conducted standardized global IQ tests on the child before, and at a couple of time points during, the hormone blocker treatment. Classically, during this time period (according to the authors) IQ increases. Puberty is connected to brain maturation.
They also did imaging of the white matter in the brain. White matter is how the different areas of the brain communicate. The more efficient it is, the faster signals can pass through it.
The researchers find evidence 2 support the idea that hormone blockers also blocked the brain maturation that is supposed 2 happen between the ages of 8-16. In this case, &others cited by the author, they saw regression in memory, focus attention, & ability 2 follow instructions.
This isn’t just a hypothesis that come out of the blue.
Researchers observe spacial detection issues in sheep that were castrated before puberty. They also see lowered IQ in girls that go through precocious puberty and are treated with this drug. Dyphoric children treated with this drug have shown impairment in verbal skills.
What’s more, you don’t just get that brain function back if add hormones back in. Once the global IQ drops, it’s gone.
The point of posting this is to say that puberty affects more than just sexual function. You have a right to know that more than fertility can be effected by this choice.
This is still an experiment. We still don't know the outcome.
This is still an experiment. We still don't know the outcome.
