Study debunks right-wing myth that gender-affirming care harms kids’ bones
A new study has debunked a right-wing claim about puberty blockers. (Image: Getty)
A new scientific study has disproven the popular right-wing claim that gender-affirming care for trans youth harms children’s bones.
Published in JAMA Pediatrics on 4 August, the study shows how puberty blockers only contribute to a “modest and uncertain” loss in bone density in trans youth that is “partially recovered” when they start gender-affirming hormone therapy.
A meta-analysis was conducted of 10 independent studies that included data on bone density for 751 trans children under 18. Within the sample, there were 427 who were assigned male at birth and 324 who were assigned female at birth.
Most of the studies took place over the course of around three years and analysed bone density within the five vertebrae of the spine’s lower lumbar region, the total hip and the top of the femur.
Results showed that bone growth in these areas slowed “numerically below the baseline” while the trans minors were on puberty blockers, compared to usual figures seen among cisgender children of the same age.
MedPage Today also reported that researchers found that the changes “were generally not statistically different across most skeletal sites,” meaning that any bone density loss observed occurred consistently throughout the three body sites.
“A modest and uncertain shortfall”
Loss in bone density was explained by puberty blockers reducing non-fat body issue and increasing fat mass, changes which can impact interactions between bone and muscle while the body is developing during puberty.
Researchers said that the loss in bone density was “at most a modest and uncertain shortfall in catch-up rather than a demonstrated persistent deficit.”
Daniele Tienforti, MD, one of the researchers who presented the paper, said: “Across different cohorts and healthcare settings, we observed the same overall trajectory: bone mineral density increased and bone accrual resumed after the introduction of sex steroids.”
The meta-analysis also found that bone density was often higher among trans minors with higher body mass indexes, those who used puberty blockers for short periods or started them at an older age, and those who had started undergoing gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy.
