Long-term risks of puberty blockers highlighted in new study
Dr. Marty Makary, a professor of public health at Johns Hopkins University, discusses the medical issues associated with puberty blockers
Parents groups sounded off on a new medical study which found fertility blockers could cause long-term fertility and health problems in boys.
The study from the Mayo Clinic, which has not yet been peer-reviewed, analyzed more than 130,000 sperm cells from male children with gender dysphoria. The researchers examined the testicular cells of boys who had been on puberty blockers anywhere from three months to 52 months, and compared them to cells of a control group who had not been on the blockers.
Among those on puberty blockers, the researchers identified mild to severe "sex gland atrophy," determining that the medications accelerated the aging and function of testicular cells.
The findings suggest that puberty blockers’ impacts may be permanent — disputing claims that such effects can be reversed.
TRANS CHILDREN WHO TOOK PUBERTY-BLOCKING DRUGS HAD MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, UK STUDY FOUND
Parents groups reacted to a new study which found there could be permanent effects on boys' fertility and health from puberty blockers. (iStock)
The researchers also detected cases of microlithiasis, which is marked by the presence of small clusters of calcium in the testicles. Testicular microlithiasis has been linked to an increased risk of testicular cancer.
Parents groups who have advocated against the use of transgender treatments on children told Fox News Digital they were thankful the study was attracting headlines.
"We believe that when parents have accurate information about puberty blockers and the irreversible harms that they cause, we will see a drastic drop in the amount of parents agreeing to putting their children on these drugs," Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty.
"The problem has been that American medical institutions, hospitals, the American Academy of Pediatrics have not been honest with parents about the harms of puberty blockers and the possible harms, and that's unforgivable," she argued.
RESEARCHERS ARGUE ‘RAPID ONSET GENDER DYSPHORIA’ DOES EXIST, DESPITE NARRATIVE AGAINST IT
New preprint study from Mayo Clinic found possible permanent effects on fertility in boys who took puberty blockers. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
The American Academy of Pediatrics has long backed "gender-affirming" treatments for minors. Last year, the AAP called for a systematic review of the medical research supporting these treatments, while continuing to affirm its support for these practices.
The AAP did not return a request for comment.
Justice said she was heartbroken for parents who've been told by medical experts these treatments were reversible.
"I have so much compassion for parents who are going to realize that they have put their children on these drugs that are going to cause irreversible harms for the rest of their lives, possibly, because they were told that it wouldn't be by an expert class that has completely failed the American people," she lamented.
"Parents deserve accurate information when they're making decisions for their children. And no child is able to consent to puberty blockers," Justice added.
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Protesters gathered outside the Orange Unified school district board meeting discussing a parental notification policy for transgender students on September 7, 2023. ((Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images))
Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans or "PITT," a group that publishes stories from parents who say their children were harmed by gender ideology, also commented on the study.
"Many parents suspected all along that the prescribed treatment for children or young adults suffering from gender dysphoria – lifelong medication, removal of healthy body parts, sterilization – was NOT the correct course of action. For that, we were vilified, condescended to, called bigots and transphobes," PITT told Fox News Digital. "Now the science, or lack thereof, has shown that we were right all along."
The group also pointed to a more comprehensive report out of the United Kingdom which found only "weak evidence" that blocking puberty helped in the treatment of minors suffering from gender dysphoria.
"For most young people, a medical pathway will not be the best way to manage their gender-related distress," one of the study's key findings read.
PITT said the U.S. was behind Europe in following the science showing the harmful effects of "gender-affirming care" for minors.
Erin Friday, an attorney and mother of a daughter who left a transgender identity, speaks at the Detransition Awareness Day rally in Sacramento on March 10. (Courtesy Pamela Garfield-Jaeger)
"When is the U.S. going to follow the science as other countries are? When will health care be offered for detransistioners?" the group asked. "For parents like us, this is the revelation of a tragedy that has touched all our families."
Many detransitioners, or those who've stopped taking puberty blockers and attempted to reverse their effects, have warned they are still dealing with the devastating effects of these drugs, years later.
"If a kid goes on puberty blockers when they’re 13, 14, 15 years old, they're chemically castrated. They're not going to have children when they get older. They're not given this data," detransitioner and Navy SEAL Chris Beck told Fox News last year. "So eight of those kids, out of those ten, are going to want to go back to be just a regular old person and they're not going to be able to."
Fox News' Melissa Rudy contributed to this article.