Apr 282010

Key to Successful Treatment of Transgender Patients May Involve Delay of Puberty

BOSTON, April 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Complications from
transgender procedures may be significantly minimized when treatment
of a patient with severe gender identity disorder begins prior to
puberty, according to expert opinion today at the American Association
of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) 19th Annual Meeting & Clinical
Congress.
The reason, according to Dr. Norman Spack of Children’s Hospital
Boston, is that transgender people treated at a younger age often have
a much easier time adjusting into society than those who undergo
treatment later in life. A pediatric endocrinologist can administer
treatment to delay puberty, giving the patient the time to make a
permanent decision later in their teens.
“The body is in a state of ‘pubertal limbo’ while the patient
undergoes psychological assessment to determine the best course of
action,” Dr. Spack said. “Their bodies can’t run away from them.”
During this window of opportunity patients are subject to
psychological evaluation. With puberty delayed, the patient’s medical
team has the appropriate amount of time to make the proper diagnosis
of the patient.
“We are no longer rushing to beat the patient’s biological clock,” Dr.
Spack said. “With time to make the right diagnosis, it’s best for the
patient.”
Dr. Spack, who is an advocate for patients with gender identity
disorders, said that he had his own misgivings about this
controversial work, but all concerns went away when he saw the
devastation extreme gender identity disorder caused in the adult world
compared with the successes of treating adolescents in the
Netherlands. He currently treats more than 100 patients at Children’s
Hospital Boston.
“We are beginning to see great success,” Dr. Spack said. “Patients
aren’t trying to commit suicide, they’re bullied less at school,
relationships are better, and mammoplastic surgery may not be
necessary.”
Despite this, Dr. Spack acknowledged major barriers for treatment
still exist. Few pediatric endocrinologists have clinical experience
treating transgender children or have interdisciplinary relationships
with psychologists to evaluate gender identity.
“It’s a minefield for most pediatric endocrinologists,” Dr. Spack
said. “After all the recent criticism about sex assignment/surgery in
newborns, they’re terrified of being wrong.”
But Dr. Spack hopes these obstacles can soon be overcome:
“By identifying and treating appropriate transgender patients early,
they no longer have to deal with the difficulty of adjusting to
incorrect sex attribution based on their physical appearance,” Dr.
Spack. “They are no longer a hostage to their bodies.”
To read additional press releases about the AACE 19th Annual Meeting &
Clinical Congress in Boston, please visit media.aace.com
or follow the Twitter hashtag #AACE10.
To download a brief bio and photo of Dr. Spack, please click here
.
About the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE)
AACE is a professional medical organization with more than 6,000
members in the United States and 91 other countries. AACE members are
physicians who specialize in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism.
For more information about AACE, visit our Web site at www.aace.com
, become a fan on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/theaace or follow
us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/theaace
.
SOURCE American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
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