Suppressing puberty with a view to sex-change surgery
http://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/suppressing_puberty_with_a_view_to_sex_change_surgery/Dale O'Leary
2/2/09
There is currently a debate as to whether or not "transsexual" children as young as 11 years of age should be administered drugs which suppress puberty. These children are profoundly unhappy with the sex with which they were born and obsessed with the idea of living as the other sex. The Dutch team of Cohen-Kettenis and Goozen has already treated over 70 children with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) blockers -- drugs that suppress puberty. They argue that once a "transsexual" child has passed through puberty, the characteristics of the unwanted sex are more difficult to disguise, even with hormones and cosmetic surgery.
Therefore, since these children are on the path to "sexual reassignment surgery (SRS)" why not start earlier? Why not prevent puberty and allow the child to live as the other sex, and then, at age 16, begin administering hormones of the desired sex. At age 18 one can proceed with surgical alterations, including removal of the male or female sexual organs and the girls' breasts, and creation of an artificial vagina and breast implants for the boys. The creation of pseudo male parts for girls is usually delayed since the plastic surgery for this operation is not yet perfected.
