Susan's Place Transgender Resources

So like I've said before I have a young FTM friend and he's considering to go on Hormone Blockers but were both not sure if it will do anything. Would it actually pause puberty to where no more breasts grow and no hips widen? Is it even worth it for a 13 year old (That's my friends age)?

Thanks

(Sorry If I'm asking too much about this but he keeps asking me and he finds articles online that say many different things)

If started early enough they will do all of the above including allowing additional hight. If started late, they will do very little. It's important be evaluated early so you will know exactly what the blockers can and can't do and then decide if it's the correct treatment.

It's possible the people you are reading about had a late start and only saw minimal gain from the blockers.

Quote from: Dena on May 19, 2016, 07:36:26 PM
If started early enough they will do all of the above including allowing additional hight. If started late, they will do very little. It's important be evaluated early so you will know exactly what the blockers can and can't do and then decide if it's the correct treatment.

It's possible the people you are reading about had a late start and only saw minimal gain from the blockers.

So would my 13 year old friend benefit from this? He is already in puberty since it started back when he was 9...

Starting at 9 is pretty early. It should help emotionally but they would have to do X rays to determine how much growth is possible. If the bones have started to fuse, only minimal growth is possible. If they haven't fused yet, more growth is possible. Sometimes in CIS children if they have an early puberty, they will suppress the sex hormones and administer growth hormones to get additional hight. You have to have a doctor who is very aware for this to happen so it doesn't happen all the time. Most commonly it would happened where there is a genetic indication that the person would be shorter than normal.

Best to see a dr and get a medical opinion as to what can be expect for him now that he is 13.

Definitely a question for a doctor. Before you see a doctor, I would call your insurance and see if they cover blockers. Some do not, and I was under the impression that they are very expensive without insurance.

Quote from: FTMax on May 20, 2016, 11:57:20 AM
Definitely a question for a doctor. Before you see a doctor, I would call your insurance and see if they cover blockers. Some do not, and I was under the impression that they are very expensive without insurance.

So should I check with a Doctor or a therapist first?
I apologize I'm new to this.

Do both at the same time. A doctor will want you to be mentally sane either way. Since you are a kid you probably do not have your own insurance card and I am not sure if the insurance people will even talk to you so a parent might have to call them.

Before 18, the blockers need a therapist to approve the treatment. Once the therapist agrees, an endocrinologist would do a medical exam and would monitor/prescribe the blockers. Along with this you need to check with the insurance company to see what is covered. Should insurance not cover treatment, the therapist might know of charity/government programs that would cover the costs. This is something where an adult needs to be involved because it's complex and adult approval needs to be given before treatment can be considered.   

Parents first, since they control your insurance and would need to find out who they could take you to see.

Therapist next, as you'll need a referral from them saying that you present with signs of gender dysphoria and that blockers or HRT would be appropriate treatment for you.

Doctor last. They would order lab work and decide what treatments are the best option for you.

Quote from: FTMax on May 20, 2016, 09:15:59 PM
Parents first, since they control your insurance and would need to find out who they could take you to see.

Therapist next, as you'll need a referral from them saying that you present with signs of gender dysphoria and that blockers or HRT would be appropriate treatment for you.

Doctor last. They would order lab work and decide what treatments are the best option for you.

Is there any specific therapists or could it be a random one? Because I don't know if there is any gender therapists where I live. There pretty far.

The therapist would need to be comfortable treating transgender people and able to write the required letters to the other doctor. Not all therapist are skilled in this area so selection of the wrong one would be a waste of time and money. In some areas, school district have therapist they can call on but that may not be true where you live. It's also possible there is a therapist that could work with you over Skype but in order to get a medical referral, the therapist may need to live in your state. Again, if you have insurance, your choice of therapist may be limited by the plan that you have.

On the topic of bones fusing, the only really relevant data is when did your friend's family members reach their full adult height. This is highly genetic. Some people reach full height at a young age whereas some people (hi!) were in their mid 20s. There is a lot of variation.

Another potential reason for blockers is the negative emotional impacts/mood disorder risk with estrogen. Estrogen and progesterone had a huge negative impact on my life. I wish blockers had been an option for me. With four years of puberty your friend may already know how these hormones affect him and it may not be an issue, but it is a problem for a lot of people.

Quote from: PeterSteele on May 22, 2016, 10:29:39 PM

Quote from: FTMax on May 20, 2016, 09:15:59 PM
Parents first, since they control your insurance and would need to find out who they could take you to see.

Therapist next, as you'll need a referral from them saying that you present with signs of gender dysphoria and that blockers or HRT would be appropriate treatment for you.

Doctor last. They would order lab work and decide what treatments are the best option for you.

Is there any specific therapists or could it be a random one? Because I don't know if there is any gender therapists where I live. There pretty far.

What Dena said. Ideally you would want to find someone who is familiar with trans patients and has worked with them in the past. It usually saves us a lot of headache. In your case, you would also want to make sure they have worked with trans youth.

My suggestion would be to go to your parents and have them ask your insurance if there are any therapists covered by your plan within a 50 mile radius that have worked with transgender patients. If you can't find one that way, there are several online therapists. I don't know if any of them regularly work with young people, but they are typically very open to discussing everything and would be able to tell you yes or no right away. They usually don't take insurance IME, but their rates are usually lower than what your copay would be anyway.