Helping Teens Navigate Gender Confirmation Options

Folks typically touch upon how far our society has come within the final a number of many years by way of lowering discrimination and elevating consciousness about marginalized teams. However dad and mom of transgender teenagers know we nonetheless have a very long way to go. And whereas these dad and mom might fear about how the world outdoors will deal with their youngsters as they develop, those who’ve taken the time to know their youngsters’s plight additionally fear about how they will finest help these youngsters themselves.

Significantly in the case of gender affirmation choices.

What Medical Choices Are Out there to Teenagers?

Dana M. Cea is a licensed scientific psychological well being counselor and LGBTQ+ advocate who makes use of she/her or they/them pronouns. She defined that the primary medical choice made accessible to most transgender teenagers is puberty blockers—medicines meant to halt the hormones that sometimes enhance round puberty.

“The subsequent step could be gender affirming hormones,” she mentioned, referring to hormone substitute remedy.

And the final step? Gender affirming surgical procedures. However not all teenagers have entry to these final two choices.

“The age at which teenagers can obtain gender affirming hormones and surgical procedures depends upon the nation, and within the case of the US of America, additionally dependent upon the state,” Cea defined.

The legal arguments for and towards gender affirming hormones and surgical procedures are lengthy and complex, with totally different states drawing totally different traces relating to what they’re prepared to permit. Completely different clinics draw totally different traces as properly, even inside the similar state.

Loren Schechter, medical director for The Center for Gender Confirmation Surgery at Weiss Memorial Hospital, lately mentioned, “It’s vital to acknowledge that we do not do surgical procedure on youngsters. Nonetheless, there are surgical choices accessible for adolescents.”

He defined that essentially the most generally utilized surgical procedure for transgender teenagers is chest masculizing surgical procedure.

“So, mastectomy for transmasculine adolescence,” he defined, including that at age 17, vaginoplasty (surgical procedure meant to assemble or restore a vagina) can also be carried out.

“These could be the 2 commonest procedures, however chest surgical procedure is by far and away the commonest,” he mentioned.

Deciding What’s Finest for Your Teen.

In accordance with Schechter, he might write a complete guide based mostly solely across the questions households ask when contemplating gender affirmation surgical procedure for his or her teen.  

“It is a determination that is sometimes based mostly on a multi-disciplinary overview, often with medical well being professionals, pediatricians, dad and mom, and surgeons,” he mentioned.

In different phrases: It’s not a choice dad and mom need to make alone, and there are many alternatives to ask questions alongside the best way.

“It’s troublesome to pinpoint particular questions since there are such a lot of at totally different phases within the course of,” he mentioned. “These are sometimes very thought of selections that come after a lot dialogue and work with the multidisciplinary staff.”

For him, he mentioned an important query actually turns into: at what level in that particular person’s life would surgical procedure be essentially the most applicable plan of action?

“Preservation of fertility can also be an vital side of care that must be thought of if sufferers wish to do this,” he mentioned.

Cea agreed, explaining that oldsters really want to do not forget that an important factor to remember is their particular person teen and that youngster’s wants.

“Some transgender teenagers might not need gender affirming surgical procedure,” she mentioned. “For different transgender teenagers, gender affirming surgical procedure will be lifesaving.”

She’s not talking in hyperbole: research has found that transgender people who’ve entry to gender confirming surgical procedures are considerably much less prone to endure from psychological misery and suicidal ideation in comparison with their friends who don’t have the identical entry.

The Significance of Parental Assist

None of those are selections youngsters are allowed to make on their very own. Within the case of gender affirming hormones and surgical procedures, dad and mom must be on board.

“As a result of parental or guardian consent is required, ideally, we now have each dad and mom and the person in addition to the healthcare staff all on the identical web page,” Schechter mentioned.

Most clinics working with transgender youth intention to maintain this in thoughts, and to assist everybody concerned attain that frequent floor.

“A variety of the work is completed in serving to the particular person, serving to the dad and mom attain a choice that is most applicable for the particular person and getting everybody on the identical web page,” he mentioned. “It is important that I’ve the help surroundings, and that implies that it’s essential that the dad and mom are supportive.”

That supportive surroundings isn’t simply vital for the medical staff, nevertheless, it’s additionally extremely vital for the teenager.

Cea defined, “Teenagers sometimes want a supportive and affirming house to debate their selections relating to gender affirming care. They may doubtless additionally want help in accessing suppliers and protection for gender affirming care.”

It’s not nearly consent: transgender teenagers additionally must know their dad and mom see and perceive them as they navigate these life-altering selections for themselves.

“I believe it’s a matter of working collaboratively with the well being care staff and making good healthcare selections,” Schechter mentioned. “Then, ought to the people determine to proceed with a surgical intervention, they’ve help.”

However, he added, that help must transcend the scientific house. “It’s vital that they’re supported emotionally, mentally, financially, bodily… actually in each regard. And that is why we have lowered the age that we carry out these surgical interventions, recognizing how vital it’s for the particular person to have parental help.”

By bringing dad and mom into the decision-making course of, they’re typically in a position to get the training they want in simply how affirming these surgical procedures will be.

There’s one different manner dad and mom may also help help their teenagers all through this course of, in response to Cea. “Teenagers might wish to discuss with different transgender folx who’ve obtained gender affirming surgical procedures. Dad and mom can help them by connecting them to assets whereas additionally contributing to the teenagers emotions of acceptance and being valued.”

Weighing Choices

Any dad or mum who walks by these clinic doorways with their teen is attempting their finest to be supportive. However they might even have fears and issues relating to potential drawbacks to surgical procedure—and that’s okay.

“I believe that there is a lot in play proper now within the information and within the media and I believe it is vital to acknowledge that this is not a choice that comes about in someday,” Schechter mentioned. “These are very thought of selections; they contain an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary care staff. And never everybody desires each surgical choice that’s accessible; everybody’s totally different.”

Households and medical groups can work collectively to seek out the suitable path for every particular person in search of out their choices.

“It’s an individualized course of,” he defined. “We apply in accordance with the WPath tips and requirements of care, and we attempt to assist individuals make the best-informed determination that they will.”

Whereas navigating that path, Cea mentioned language and training are nonetheless vital.

“Use language akin to ‘gender affirming surgical procedure’ moderately than ‘gender reassignment surgical procedure,” she inspired, including that oldsters ought to do not forget that cisgender youngsters and youths have been safely receiving puberty blockers, hormone remedies (e.g., contraception), and genital or chest surgical procedures (e.g., hypospadias surgical procedure) for many years.

Your youngster will not be the primary to be going by this. And you aren’t the primary household confronted with these selections. By main with love, you may give you the suitable plan collectively.