A new Dutch study published online in the journal Pediatrics found that treatments delaying puberty for young people dealing with gender dysphoria improved their psychological well-being over time, reports Healthy Day. The study involved 55 transgender young adults who underwent treatment that temporarily blocked the onset of puberty until they decided to pursue further treatment.
According to the study, anxiety, emotional distress, and body image concerns were no more prevalent in the transgender subjects by the time they reached young adulthood than they were in their non-trans peers. The study's lead author, Dr. Annelou de Vries, said:
"Since puberty suppression is a fully reversible medical intervention, it provides adolescents and their families with time to explore their gender dysphoric feelings, and [to] make a more definite decision regarding the first steps of actual gender reassignment treatment at a later age."
Results from this study unsurprisingly differ from the conclusions reached by anti-trans voices, such as Laura Ingraham. Last month, Ingraham said on her radio show that providing transition-related medical care to transgender youth was "child abuse," and espoused misinformation about the medical treatments available to transgender youth.
It's important that the media avoid presenting such opinions as objective, and refer to GLAAD's Commentator Accountability Project, which aggregates many of the outlandish, unsupported comments from anti-LGBT voices. Moreover, journalists should note the statements from the American Medical Association and American Psychological Association that affirm that transgender-related healthcare is safe and medically necessary for many at various ages.