The director of the UK’s only regulated trans healthcare provider that sees patients under the age of 18 has said the NHS puberty blocker trial was unlikely to provide further understanding of the medication.

Dr Aidan Kelly, a clinical psychologist and director of Gender Plus, claimed the NHS-commissioned analysis of puberty blocking hormones could be tainted by a misconception about the drug’s purpose as a “standalone intervention”.

Puberty blockers are a form of medication given to transgender youngsters to prevent or delay unwanted changes brought on by puberty. They are physically reversible and have been used in the UK for about 35 years.

The NHS Pathways trial, led by researchers from King’s College London, will study the effectiveness of the drugs by focusing on the physical, social and emotional wellbeing of 220 youngsters over two years.

Commissioned in the wake of the government’s ban on the medication, the £10 million ($13.1 million) trial is the only way to access puberty blockers through the National Health Service.

Speaking to PinkNews, Kelly welcomed more research and funding into puberty blockers but said the NHS approach wouldn’t broaden understanding of the medication.

“This trial is unlikely to provide a conclusive answer either way as to the benefits of so-called puberty blockers,” he said.

“In this instance, puberty-blocking medication is being assessed as a standalone intervention. In reality, the real benefits of this treatment pathway are experienced after a patient has progressed on to gender-affirming hormones, allowing them to achieve the required puberty changes which will bring them into alignment with their gender identity.”

Ban risks creating ‘lost generation’

According to a clinical document, young people chosen to take part will have to fill in some 50 forms containing questions on trauma and suicide, as well as undergo bodily examinations. Half the patients will receive treatment, while the other 110 will have to wait at least a year to access healthcare.

Kelly claimed that giving puberty blockers in isolation would only allow practitioners to see patients in a “suspended state, within the very body that has led to them suffering with gender dysphoria in the first place”.

He warned that Wes Streeting’s decision to indefinitely extend a ban on puberty blockers, original brought in by a Conservative government, could risk creating a “lost generation” of transgender youngsters.

After Gender Plus was awarded an “outstanding” status by the Care and Quality Commission – the only private gender healthcare clinic to receive the accreditation – Kelly urged clinicians across the country to focus on providing “safe, effective, essential healthcare” to all trans people.

Without comprehensive care, transgender youngsters routinely turn to buying hormones, typically online, with little or no medical oversight, he added.

“[This] is something we’re seeing more and more of lately, and, certainly at Gender Plus, we never used to see that for under-18s. In the [past] six to nine months, we’ve seen much more of that.”

Recent research has suggested that the ban was already having a serious effect on trans youngsters, with some developing mental-health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Share your thoughts! Let us know in the comments below, and remember to keep the conversation respectful.
 
 

The post Leading gender-care doctor issues warning about puberty blocker trial outcome appeared first on PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news.