What are puberty blockers? Why are they used? Are they safe?
"Puberty blockers” (or simply “blockers”) are a type of medication which can temporarily
pause puberty and are fully reversible.
For transgender and non-binary youth who are aware of their gender at a young age, going through puberty can
cause intense distress and dysphoria, as it leads their body to develop into a gender that is not theirs —including in ways that are irreversible, or only reversible with surgery. For example, teenage transgender boys who do not have access to blockers will have to go through a puberty that includes growing breasts and later in life will require surgery.
In these instances, puberty blockers may be prescribed by doctors early in puberty, in consultation with the child, their parents and therapists, in order to
temporarily stop the body from going through the unwanted physical and developmental changes of puberty. They are used to give youth time to continue exploring their gender identity before potentially moving on to more permanent transition-related care when they are older.
Puberty blockers are safe. They were approved by the
FDA to treat precocious puberty in cisgender youth in 1993, citing minimal side effects and high efficacy; 30 years later, puberty blockers remain the gold standard treatment for precocious puberty in cisgender youth. All youth who are taking puberty blockers — cisgender or transgender — are monitored by their care team for any side effects or complications.
Puberty blockers are fully reversible. If a person stops taking puberty blockers,
normal puberty will resume, with minimal long-term effects, if any. While there may be some loss of bone mineral density, this can be
easily addressed with calcium and vitamin D supplements. Previous research has also shown that cisgender youth who take puberty blockers for precocious puberty
have normal fertility and reproductive function.
Puberty blockers can also be life-saving: Previous studies have found that transgender and non-binary youth who are able to receive puberty blockers report
positive psychosocial impacts, including increased well-being and decreased depression. Other recent studies have found that receipt of puberty blockers can
dramatically reduce risk of suicidality — in some cases by
over 70% — among transgender youth, compared to those who were unable to access desired treatment.