Transgender people who start their hormones as teenagers have “far better” mental health than if they wait until adulthood, new research says.
Experts have found that transgender people who begin hormone treatment in adolescence had fewer suicidal thoughts, were less likely to experience major mental health disorders and had fewer problems with substance abuse than those who started hormones later in life.
The study, which was led by the Stanford University School of Medicine, gathered data from the largest-ever survey of US transgender adults where 27,715 people responded in 2015.
Researchers found that, as well as fewer mental health concerns when taking the drugs as teenagers, those who took the drugs at any age had better mental health than those who wanted them but had never received them.
Of the people surveyed, 21,598 reported they had received the hormones they wanted. Of these people, 119 began hormones at age 14 or 15; 362 at age 16 and 17 and 12,157 following their 18th birthday.
Some 8,860 people surveyed said they wanted but never received hormone therapy and acted as the control group for the study.
Odds of severe psychological distress were reduced by 222 per cent, 153 per cent and 81 per cent for those who began hormones in early adolescence, late adolescence and adulthood, respectively.
Odds of feeling suicidal in the previous year were 135 per cent lower in those who began hormones in early adolescence, 62 per cent lower in those who began in late adolescence and 21 per cent lower in those who began as adults, compared with the control group.
Dr Jack Turban, lead author on the study and expert in paediatric and adolescent psychiatry at Stanford Medicine, said: “This study is particularly relevant now because many state legislatures are introducing bills that would outlaw this kind of care for transgender youth.
“We are adding to the evidence base that shows why gender-affirming care is beneficial from a mental health perspective.”
In the UK, hormone drugs can only be given to people from the age of 16 who have been on puberty blockers for at least 12 months.
Last September, the UK Court of Appeal overturned a judgment that children under the age of 16 considering gender reassignment were unlikely to be mature enough to give informed consent to be prescribed puberty-blocking drugs.
www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/transgender-hormones-teenager-mental-health-b1991724.html
Last post to trisher the quote didn't show
Because the appearance of people identifying as women is as varied as possible whereas a person who is of the female sex must have certain physical characteristics which might need to be checked.
As far as gods go I've always held to the position that you can believe what you wish. I always liked the Dave Allen goodbye- "And may your god go with you"
VioletSky
I've had to fill out a lot of medical questionnaires recently (covid)
They didn't ask what sex I am, they asked:
"What gender were you assigned at birth“
And you know full well they are using gender to denote sex. I wish this assigned nonsense was stopped. Sex is observed and recorded. My niece is a midwife, I asked on what basis she 'assigned' sex and she said she observes the genitals. Otherwise when somebody said they were hoping for a girl this time she'd be able to override the penis and assign female.
As an aside I loved Dave Allen.
I'm not letting anyone observe my genitals to check my sex, might be OK for newborns who aren't able to use their words but not OK for me
I wonder what his take would be, as I recall he wasn't a fan of bullsh*t.
If it is a medical necessity I am sure anyone who is non-binary would agree to those medical staff who needed to know knowing but to the rest of you why should they tell you their sex? They choose to be non-binary.As the great advocates of gender non-conformity I would have thought you would have welcomed their position. It seems not.
It is strange that I have been accused of having fixed views on what women present as, and what butch means, but I'm the one saying I can't tell a transwoman from a natal woman and I recognise the right of someone to be non-binary, I don't want to have my life ruled by the sex I was born and have to produce evidence of that sex wherever I go. The only response to how will this work in everyday life? is a women's refuge, medical care or passports, so I gather it wouldn't work and noone will be identified just as female in the near future.
No one is asking you to. We are describing one of the many procedures which medical professionals undertake on newborns.
I don't want to have my life ruled by the sex I was born and have to produce evidence of that sex wherever I go.
You really are obsessed with being asked to prove your sex, and by having your genitals examined. Why would you need to? In all my life I have never been asked to prove my sex, and don't know anyone who has.
Rosie51
Yes I liked that Dave Allen farewell, but do you actually believe in their gods, because you're insisting we have to believe in people's gender faith.
So now you're advocating that there is just a gender category and you fill that in how you like, so bearded, penis intact Josephine gets through passport control without a glance because they have woman as their gender. Slightly butch Sue with her generous bosom and wide hips classified F in the sex category but no gender listed will be hauled aside for an intimate examination? Are you really serious? Surely this is a windup, or you've really lost the plot ??
I'm not asking you to believe in anything Rosie51 neither was Dave Allen. That's the point of the quote. Your god. Nothing to do with me . Your belief nothing to do with me. You can believe anything you like so can others.
As I said you can't check gender you can check sex. If you don't understand how authorities use the things they can check to control people that isn't my problem.
Doodledog
*I don't want to have my life ruled by the sex I was born and have to produce evidence of that sex wherever I go.*
You really are obsessed with being asked to prove your sex, and by having your genitals examined. Why would you need to? In all my life I have never been asked to prove my sex, and don't know anyone who has.
It's not me asking to identify anyone by sex Doodledo I know how you love to take quotes out of context and try to argue something irrelevant but really is that the best you can do?
Guys, imagine yourselves saying all this stuff to a trans person and the awful effect it would have on their mental health
trisher You really can't hazard a guess which of these three women was actually born female? Now I'll acknowledge it's not always this easy, but you'd allow them all to be women with no challenge at passport control, but would challenge a butch looking woman who declared herself female.
I'm not asking you to believe in anything Rosie51 neither was Dave Allen. That's the point of the quote. Your god. Nothing to do with me . Your belief nothing to do with me. You can believe anything you like so can others.
As I said you can't check gender you can check sex. If you don't understand how authorities use the things they can check to control people that isn't my problem
So as you can't check gender the gender classification is a useless bit of information, I agree wholeheartedly. I do think you verge on paranoia with regards to the amount of state control we have. Maybe we shouldn't have birth records at all, don't want nasty people finding out we were born and how old we are. That's a point why do I have to declare my actual age on my passport, I fancy being 25 again?.
Trisher @18:55.
Passports should continue to record the immutable fact-Sex. Women are AHF. but you want anyone who fancies the term to be allowed to use it.
I already said that those who wish to be non binary, tw or tm should have the opportunity to express that in their passport.
I don’t see how it can be right for some people to be allowed to lie. Think of all the comments about politicians at the moment. Is one lie worse than another?
Rosie51
trisher You really can't hazard a guess which of these three women was actually born female? Now I'll acknowledge it's not always this easy, but you'd allow them all to be women with no challenge at passport control, but would challenge a butch looking woman who declared herself female.
I'm not asking you to believe in anything Rosie51 neither was Dave Allen. That's the point of the quote. Your god. Nothing to do with me . Your belief nothing to do with me. You can believe anything you like so can others.
As I said you can't check gender you can check sex. If you don't understand how authorities use the things they can check to control people that isn't my problem
So as you can't check gender the gender classification is a useless bit of information, I agree wholeheartedly. I do think you verge on paranoia with regards to the amount of state control we have. Maybe we shouldn't have birth records at all, don't want nasty people finding out we were born and how old we are. That's a point why do I have to declare my actual age on my passport, I fancy being 25 again?.
How many times have I to say I wouldn't challenge anyone but if you insist females must be identified there is going to have to be a way of doing that. All the examples you post just show how horrendous it will be for women once they are expected to show they are female. Nothing to do with me I don't want sex ID at all.
trisher
Doodledog
I don't want to have my life ruled by the sex I was born and have to produce evidence of that sex wherever I go.
You really are obsessed with being asked to prove your sex, and by having your genitals examined. Why would you need to? In all my life I have never been asked to prove my sex, and don't know anyone who has.It's not me asking to identify anyone by sex Doodledo I know how you love to take quotes out of context and try to argue something irrelevant but really is that the best you can do?
I'm taking nothing out of context, and i'm not arguing anything, relevant or otherwise. You have often posted that the only way to determine sex is if people have their genitals examined, and that this would have to happen 'wherever you go', which I have always thought a bit strange. Why would you (or anyone) need to have to prove your sex, anywhere?
It may be that people have to prove their sex before taking part in competitive sport to avoid cheating, but as male bodied people can now enter as women I assume that it is no longer a requirement? Under what other circumstances would a genital examination be necessary? I have no idea.
If you don't understand taking one quote in a discussion is taking that remark out of context Doodledog I dread to think what sort of academic standards you work by. Still I suppose it is what I have come to expect.
I'm not going to engage. If you choose to believe inaccuracies that is your choice. I didn't bring sex into it. Those wanting sex on their passports did. Those thinking people can be delineated by their sex in everyday life did. I'm just asking how it will be done. Which is I think a valid question. If you choose to answer it or not is entirely your decision.
There is no need to make personal and disparaging comments about my professional standards, about which you know nothing. That is a low blow, even for you, but I am used to these below the belt comments from you, and will not rise to them by reporting your post - something I have never done on here other than for spam posts.
I have asked a simple question, which is not out of context, so no, I don't understand your resistance to answering it. Whenever these discussions happen you refer to how (in your opinion) sticking to the two sexes that have served people well for centuries would require genital examination, and that butch women would be questioned about their sex at every turn. I genuinely don't see how that would be the case, as it hasn't happened yet, as far as I know.
Nor do I know which 'inaccuracies' you are accusing me of believing. Sex is recorded on passports. People are delineated by sex in everyday life. It is done by acceptance that people are who they say they are, unless there is good reason for someone to be questioned. This would only happen under very rare circumstances (I am struggling to think of any) and even then, they would be asked for documentation such as a birth certificate or passport, rather than a physical examination.
trisher Those wanting sex on their passports did actually it is sex that is recorded on passports, and always has been. Did you really think that the gender classification on a passport was meant to reflect some internal 'feeling'? I wonder how Pip/Philip Bunce would get on. Would he/she need two depending on whether it was a woman or man day?
There are very few circumstances in everyday life where one needs to prove one's sex, and even fewer where one's personal idea of an internal gender is relevant.
As an aside I think you owe Doodledog an apology. You cast the vile smear alluding to the KKK (later withdrawn) and now you disparage her academic standards. When you resort to gutter remarks it really does show a lack of reasoned reply.
Trisher If you don't understand taking one quote in a discussion is taking that remark out of context Doodledog I dread to think what sort of academic standards you work by. Still I suppose it is what I have come to expect
That’s the meanest, most disgusting comment I’ve read in the nearly 10 years I’ve been a member of Gransnet.
Thank you Rosie.
And you too, Jane.
Well said Jeanainsworth and Rosie51.
That’s an appalling thing to say trisher and you have no valid basis for it. If you are a decent person you’ll ask for your post to be removed.
It just shows the level of debate on here that I can be accused of being obsessed with genitalia (have I mentioned them?) and yet the simple suggestion that actually it is not condusive to good discussion to isolate a single remark, is regarded as insulting. Even Wiki has a basic explanation of using remarks out of context.. So if you are doing that (and as you chose purely to present only my statement and none of the preceding discussion, how can you not be?). I can only draw two possible conclusions either you are doing so unconsciously because you don't understand context, or you are deliberately doing so in order to build a straw man argument. If in choosing the first I have wrongly assessed what is happening I apologise. If you are simply trying to build a straw man argument, then so be it. I feel no need to enter that argument.
Rosie51 Do you never grow tired of presenting the same old photos? I could post you a photo of a woman with a beard, but quite frankly I cba.
trisher
It just shows the level of debate on here that I can be accused of being obsessed with genitalia (have I mentioned them?) and yet the simple suggestion that actually it is not condusive to good discussion to isolate a single remark, is regarded as insulting. Even Wiki has a basic explanation of using remarks out of context.. So if you are doing that (and as you chose purely to present only my statement and none of the preceding discussion, how can you not be?). I can only draw two possible conclusions either you are doing so unconsciously because you don't understand context, or you are deliberately doing so in order to build a straw man argument. If in choosing the first I have wrongly assessed what is happening I apologise. If you are simply trying to build a straw man argument, then so be it. I feel no need to enter that argument.
Blimey that's a maybe apology worthy of Boris Johnson, you've missed your calling trisher!!!!
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