NIH funds study on puberty blockers and hormones in youth, despite sterilization risk.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funds Research on Puberty Blockers and Cross-Sex Hormones Despite Acknowledgment of Sterility Risk

The NIH is currently funding research on the effects of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone treatment on youth, even though the grantee acknowledges that these medical interventions can result in sterility.

Important Considerations for Parents and Guardians

A parent or guardian consent form from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) titled “Pubertal Blockers for Minors in Early Adolescence” states that if a child starts puberty blockers and goes on to gender-affirming hormones, they will not be able to have biological children. This aspect of blocking puberty and progressing to hormones is crucial to understand before moving forward with puberty suppression. However, fertility can be maintained if a child takes puberty blockers but does not undergo cross-sex hormone therapy.

Two different studies have found that approximately 98% of children who take puberty blockers go on to take cross-sex hormone therapy.

After the parent/guardian decides to proceed with pubertal blocker medication, the consent form requires the signature of both the parent/guardian and the child (patient).

Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, the director of an advocacy group called Do No Harm, criticizes the idea of a minor potentially signing away their ability to reproduce. He emphasizes that children cannot fully comprehend the impact of these medical interventions on their bodies and future.

The CHLA form aligns with a waiver from the University of Virginia Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital Transgender Youth Health, which lists “irreversible infertility” as a potential side effect of cross-sex hormone therapy.

Nicki Neily, founder and president of Parents Defending Education, expresses concern over hospitals using children as test subjects for federal government-funded research. She highlights the widespread opposition to these procedures and criticizes the use of taxpayer dollars for such research.

“It is unconscionable that a hospital would use children as guinea pigs at the behest of the federal government — offering families a paltry sum,” said Neily.

An NIH-funded study at CHLA titled “The Impact of Early Medical Treatment in Transgender Youth” focuses on the use of transgender drugs on youth. Led by Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, the Medical Director for The Center for Transyouth Health and Development at CHLA, the study aims to examine the physiological and psychosocial effects of medical intervention for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth with gender dysphoria.

Another form from CHLA reveals that patients were offered financial incentives to participate in the study. Participants would receive $50 for each visit, totaling $400. Additionally, reimbursement for parking and/or transportation would be provided as needed.

While CHLA is listed as the awardee organization, the study is carried out across four transgender youth clinics, including Boston Children’s Hospital, the University of California San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital, and the Ann and Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

The study received over $7.7 million from 2015 to 2022 and secured an additional $963,441 in fiscal year 2023. The researchers aim to evaluate the longer-term physiological and psychological impact of existing medical treatment protocols initiated in adolescence on youth with gender dysphoria for up to an additional 4 years. They also plan to enhance the diversity and size of existing cohorts by enrolling additional youth of color (YOC) into both cohorts.

While early results of the study have shown a positive trend regarding mental health response to gender-affirming interventions, a recent article about the ongoing study reported instances of death by suicide and suicidal ideation among participants.

Republican members of Congress have expressed grave concerns about the study, highlighting the lack of a control group and the researchers’ inability to establish causality between the administration of cross-sex hormones and improved psychosocial functioning.

In addition, the NIH is providing over $3.2 million to the Boston Children’s Hospital for the production of a “trans health guide” aimed at expanding access to sex changes for minors.

Neither CHLA nor NIH have responded to requests for comment.

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