Age and HRT
Discussion on Reddit: Minimum and maximum age for HRT.
Top reply currently:
Minimum would generally be considered the onset of puberty, maximum is "not dead".
I generally agree.
For children, I think there should be a standard of "support their right to CHOOSE" which leaves room for them to change their minds rather than "rah rah rah, I support your right to transition" which may push kids into committing to a transition they feel they can't back out of.
For discussion on public forums, it's more legally defensible to only support people over age eighteen. I don't necessarily agree that we shouldn't help minors, but we should certainly tread lightly and be careful to be informative, not manipulative.
IF I'm correct and it's a MEDICAL condition that impairs immune function among other things, it's irresponsible to deny children appropriate medical care. The problem is finding a clear bright line demarcation for medical practitioners, parents and other pertinent adults to decide with confidence that HRT or hormone blockers or whatever are appropriate medical care for a specific legal minor.
... I have firsthand experience with something similar to what the trans community is dealing with and I wish someone would start gathering medical data on this population and develop medical testing for determining who needs HRT for medical reasons.
Medicine has a standard of "First, do no harm." We don't adequately know how to define that with trans individuals and this issue isn't being adequately framed as a medical issue, which helps keep it controversial.
Maximum age for starting HRT is absolutely and undeniably "not dead" BECAUSE if it's a MEDICAL condition, then looking like a girl and having boobs or whatever isn't the most important piece. The most important piece is something is wrong with your body that needs to be corrected chemically and currently "I don't FEEL right" is our standard.
Hello! The word FEEL describes both physical sensation and emotions. There's no clear bright line between emotion and physical sensation and for other medical conditions, people go see a doctor because they don't FEEL right.
Trying to sort out how to do right by legal minors (AKA children) is more complicated, but the answer "Only AFTER they are legal adults" makes absolutely no effort whatsoever to meet the medical ethical standard "First, do no harm."
It's merely a means of legally covering your own ass in a simple and self-serving fashion that you feel is easier to defend in this transphobic world.
This blog hopefully both covers my ass AND helps bright adolescents tend to their needs as they see fit.
Because I am not giving advice for a fee to clients. I'm merely publishing information that hopefully is useful to some degree for people with health concerns, some of whom may be people with sex hormone syndromes under the trans umbrella.