The Guide To Being Transgender

Puberty Blockers

Puberty blockers (referred to as blockers by many in the trans community) are a type of medication used to put a hold on puberty. Essentially, they stop puberty for the time being. They were originally developed to help little boys and girls who were starting puberty at a ridiculously young age. They would take the blockers until the rest of their peers started puberty, and then they would be allowed to develop alongside the others they associated with.

Blockers are also now often used to stop puberty in trans individuals. For example, if a ten-year-old came out as a trans man, blockers could be used to inhibit puberty until the kid was old enough to start testosterone instead, and they wouldn't have to go through the emotional stress of dealing with the stereotypically feminine puberty and the irreversible effects it would have on their body.

Blockers can be very expensive, ranging up to about 1,500$ for the injection and 15,000$ for the implant treatment. For this reason, most families can't afford them, even if they are supportive and want to help their child. I believe insurance will cover some of it, but not all.

The primary risk associated with blockers is a possible harm to fertility. Not enough research has been done to make conclusions on how it effects brain development, though one study said that it had no effect on performance.

Other than that one possible risk (which isn't necessarily going to happen anyway), blockers is harmless. It is completely reversible, and it can be halted at any time once a further path is decided.

As for the exact effects of blockers, they slow the growth of reproductive organs and secondary sex characteristics. They can stop the voice from deepening, an adam's apple from forming, hips from growing, and breasts from growing, among other things. They also stop menstruation.

Unfortunately, they aren't the most accessible, and many trans people don't figure out that they're trans until it's really too late to start them. Many people make it to adulthood before they figure it all out, and many simply don't have families who support them.

If you are a young trans person reading this, I encourage you to do more research on this topic. If you think your parents might support it- if there's even the slightest chance that they'd hear you out- then talk to them about this.

Puberty sucks, especially when you're going through it as a gender you don't identify with. It can be a great source of dysphoria, and if you can stop yourself from going through that, you should try. Look into it. Don't get your hopes up, but look into it.

It could save your life. I know it would have saved mine.