Gender treatments in Australia spotlight as UK clinic shuts down over concerns young patients were given puberty blockers too soon
Australian gender services in the spotlight as UK clinic closes
A report said there was not enough evidence for the long-term effects on children
British doctors said young people are being put on gender reassignment path too soon
They said there wasn’t enough evidence for the long-term effects of puberty blockers
A Melbourne hospital clinic said its methods were ‘best practice’
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Australian gender clinics are facing a new investigation into their treatment methods for teens after a similar center in the UK was closed over safety concerns.
London’s Tavistock clinic was closed last week after doctors said young patients were being put on gender reassignment pathways too quickly.
Doctors were concerned about the long-term effects of the menopause, noting that it was not known how safe puberty blockers were for teens, both cognitively and physically.
Among other things, puberty or hormone blockers can stop menstruation, breast development and facial hair.
London’s Tavistock clinic was closed last week after doctors said young patients were being put on gender reassignment pathways too soon
Queensland pediatrician Dylan Wilson (pictured) said the UK report should promote changing attitudes towards the treatment of children with gender dysphoria
The UK closure was prompted by a review by Dr Hilary Cass – the former president of the Royal College of Pediatrics’ and Child Health.
The report said the taxpayer-funded gender development service was not a “safe or viable long-term option.”
The move has prompted Australian doctors to demand an independent review of prescribing puberty blockers to teens.
dr. Dylan Wilson of Leading Steps Pediatrics Clinic said the closure in the UK should prompt doctors to change the way they treat children and teens with gender dysphoria.
“The concerns raised at the UK’s Tavistock clinic translate directly to the same concerns that could be applied to gender clinics here in Australia,” the Queensland doctor said. the Australian.
The Tavislock Center in London (pictured) was closed over doubts that hormone treatments can affect patients in a bad way – cognitively and physically
“The fact that Dr Cass noted that there is not enough evidence to recommend puberty blockers, but they have been used by gender clinics in Australia, is of great concern.”
A prominent gender clinic at the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital said its methods exceeded expectations.
But the clinic, which developed the standards for treating gender dysphoria in Australia, told The Australian that they welcome any development that helps transgender people.
“We will continue to closely monitor how services develop and evolve nationally and internationally and welcome all actions that ensure that trans children and young people continue to receive the highest possible quality of care, regardless of where they live,” said a hospital spokesperson.
The Children’s Hospital in Westmead said patients in their trans and gender services are thoroughly assessed before receiving puberty blockers – and the treatment is reversible.
Trans proponents defended the “life-saving” treatment and rejected all clinic closures that affect such a “highly vulnerable population.”
dr. Cass recommended a push toward a more “holistic” care plan for patients, including promoting their mental health.
Meanwhile, puberty blockers will now be prescribed in the UK through clinical trials that follow children into adulthood.
The gender services clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne (pictured) said their methods are in ‘best practice’