One of the “trickiest parts” about children receiving gender-affirming hormone therapy is the likelihood that they will be infertile, according to Dr. Kathryn Lowe, a fellow with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The remark was made at an annual meeting of the Wisconsin AAP in May and recirculated online on Dec. 6.
Noting that current research on the topic is limited, Lowe advised: “What we do know is these kids probably will be infertile. So, it’s really crucial to have multiple conversations with the family about that.”
Despite that admission, when questioned about the potential long-term harms to a child’s sexual development and function, Lowe went on to claim that without hormone therapy as an option, some children would resort to self-harm.
“For many of these kids who really need these medications,” she said, “it’s go on these medications or they end up in that suicide stat.”
However, Dr. Stephen Levine, a psychiatrist who has been treating transgender individuals for five decades, is less certain of that.
“[Advocates of transgender hormone therapy] believe these people will live happily ever after,” Levine said on Nov. 28, “even though they have no data to show that.”
Levine was called to testify in a legal battle over the constitutionality of Arkansas’ Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act.
“The expected benefits that the advocates support may not be delivered,” he added. “They’re likely not to be realized (and) the harms seem to outweigh the benefits. That’s the state of science, 2022.”
In fact, some individuals who underwent transgender medical treatments as children have later expressed regret over that decision.
For instance, between the ages of 13 and 17 years old, Chloe Cole—a teenager who no longer identifies as transgender—was prescribed puberty blockers and cross-sex hormone therapy and underwent a double mastectomy. On Nov. 9, she announced her intention to sue the medical groups that “performed, supervised, and/or advised transgender hormone therapy and surgical intervention,” accusing them of medical experimentation and gross negligence.
Similarly, at the age of 19, Laura Becker, injected herself with testosterone for seven months before having her breasts surgically removed at 20 years old. However, now 25, Becker recently told The Epoch Times that she regrets those decisions and holds the medical and mental health care systems responsible for her “horrible” experience.
“I had a lot of developmental trauma and it was very obvious,” she said. “So, even though I was an adult, I still was not of sound mind to have these procedures.”
Becker was diagnosed with a developmental disorder as a child that is today associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Abel Garcia, who underwent transition surgery as a young adult and has since detransitioned, still experiences lasting effects like pain, uncontrollable shaking, and urination problems, and fears that he will never be able to have children.
“I’m not angry,” Garcia said. “I would say I’m disappointed. Even though we’ve had people come out and say this has harmed them, it is still being pushed, especially through this administration.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to the AAP for comment.
Correction: a previous version of this article stated the incorrect first name for Dr. Stephen Levine. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
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