Anne_in_VA
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 14:09:35 GMT -5
Posts: 5,547
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Post by Anne_in_VA on Aug 17, 2016 10:26:21 GMT -5
You are an amazing family and I wish the best for your son and family.
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gs11rmb
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 12:43:39 GMT -5
Posts: 3,369
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Post by gs11rmb on Aug 17, 2016 11:07:56 GMT -5
I have a question and, as others have said, please feel free not to answer. You have been incredibly generous sharing this journey and I hope you never feel that 'we' are intruding on your privacy.
If your son is taking hormone blockers to prevent puberty, does that mean that he will continue to have the body of a child until he is old enough to medically transition at 18? Will that have consequences for the social and emotional aspects of development that are affected by hormones?
As with the other posters, I'd like to comment on what a wonderful job you and your husband are doing in this situation. I know you are incredibly worried for your son's physical and emotional wellbeing but the fact that he has such strong support from the people who love him most, convince me that he will succeed and thrive as an adult.
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Formerly SK
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 27, 2011 14:23:13 GMT -5
Posts: 3,255
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Post by Formerly SK on Aug 17, 2016 16:47:05 GMT -5
I have a question and, as others have said, please feel free not to answer. You have been incredibly generous sharing this journey and I hope you never feel that 'we' are intruding on your privacy.
If your son is taking hormone blockers to prevent puberty, does that mean that he will continue to have the body of a child until he is old enough to medically transition at 18? Will that have consequences for the social and emotional aspects of development that are affected by hormones?
As with the other posters, I'd like to comment on what a wonderful job you and your husband are doing in this situation. I know you are incredibly worried for your son's physical and emotional wellbeing but the fact that he has such strong support from the people who love him most, convince me that he will succeed and thrive as an adult. Thank you. As to your question...yes, unfortunately stalling puberty means he will have the body of a child until he is old enough to medically transition. Usually that doesn't start at 18, though. Endocrinologist norms seem to be starting hormones as early as 15/16. It's a VERY VERY hard decision to make because at that point (the point my DS would start taking testosterone) there is no reversal. Until that point, if he were to change his mind and claim to be a girl again, we could undo everything we've done easy peasy. Testosterone will make him grow into a man, though, so he needs to be 100% sure before he goes on it. In our particular case, DS is very small for his age (slated to be about 5'2) so adult stature is critical. Postponing testosterone as long as possible will give him more growing time and that will motivate him to delay. At a certain point, though, I know he's going to be adamant about starting T and we'll have to deal with it. But my thought is, if he starts T at 16 he'll have lived as a male for 8 solid years by that point. That's pretty convincing that he's sure he's transgender. No childhood whim lasts 8 years. Frankly, I don't know a child who would choose to be trans. It's a VERY difficult position to be in.
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Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
Posts: 30,626
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 17, 2016 17:30:40 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing.
I know squat about this but would T help him grow? Don't boys often have a growth spurt in the mid to late teens? My son is 6+ years so I haven't had to figure this out yet.
My younger brother had a friend who was very short. I believe he ended up taking growth hormones but this was in the mid 1990s. I think it helped him gain an inch or two. But it's been a long time and I could easily be wrong.
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TheOtherMe
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Dec 24, 2010 14:40:52 GMT -5
Posts: 28,118
Mini-Profile Name Color: e619e6
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Post by TheOtherMe on Aug 17, 2016 20:56:17 GMT -5
Sounds like you are doing a great job with your son and I congratulate you and your husband.
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Kolt!
Well-Known Member
Joined: Jan 31, 2016 17:45:32 GMT -5
Posts: 1,311
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Post by Kolt! on Aug 17, 2016 22:01:03 GMT -5
Thank you for sharing. I know squat about this but would T help him grow? Don't boys often have a growth spurt in the mid to late teens? My son is 6+ years so I haven't had to figure this out yet. My younger brother had a friend who was very short. I believe he ended up taking growth hormones but this was in the mid 1990s. I think it helped him gain an inch or two. But it's been a long time and I could easily be wrong. T does not help in growth. Some trans guys claim that they may have grown an inch but "generally" speaking T does not help in growing taller.
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Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
Posts: 30,626
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 18, 2016 6:50:27 GMT -5
Ah. Ok. Thanks. My new fact for today.
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alabamagal
Junior Associate
Joined: Dec 23, 2010 11:30:29 GMT -5
Posts: 8,148
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Post by alabamagal on Aug 18, 2016 7:22:59 GMT -5
Thank you very much for sharing this with us. I have learned a lot about what your son is going through both physically and emotionally. It is something I have no first hand knowledge of. You are doing a great job with your son.
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