close
close
Which puberty blockers are Elon Musk’s transgender child taking? Who are they prescribed to?

Which puberty blockers are Elon Musk’s transgender child taking? Who are they prescribed to?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in an interview that he was “deceived” into giving his trans child, Vivian Wilson, permission to use “puberty blockers.” He also said he believes “the woke mind virus” figuratively killed his son.

Vivian came out as transgender in June 2022 when he was 18 years old and filed to change his name from Xavier to Vivian and take her mother’s last name. “I no longer want to be related to my biological father in any way,” Vivian reportedly said.

Musk’s pledge to tackle the “woke” movement is believed to have been a key driver of his decision to move SpaceX’s headquarters from California to Texas, after Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill banning school districts from informing parents if their child uses pronouns or identifies as a gender different from what is stated on their school report cards.

What are puberty blockers?

They delay the transformation that comes with puberty in transgender and gender diverse youth.

During adolescence, hormone production increases, leading to secondary sexual characteristics such as facial hair and breasts. The irreversible, delayed physiological changes can be emotionally and mentally distressing, leading to depression, social withdrawal, self-harm, and a risk of suicide.

Hormonal medications, also called gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHas), temporarily stop the production of the sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone with minimal side effects.

“Puberty blockers are kind of like man-made hormone analogs. What they essentially do is trick the brain into not sending messages to the ovaries and testicles to secrete hormones,” Dr. Michelle Forcier, a professor of pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Rhode Island, told CNN.

Advertisement

Drugs that inhibit puberty belong to a group of hormonal therapies that also include the contraceptive pill, treatments for menopausal symptoms, treatments for certain types of cancer, and more.

Who are puberty blockers prescribed to?

Blockers are usually prescribed when puberty has already started. The whole process is examined by several doctors, including psychologists.

video carousel

They are usually prescribed to people who suffer from gender dysphoria: a discrepancy between the sex they were assigned at birth and the gender they identify with.

According to experts, the biological changes in adolescents who question the sex they were assigned at birth can cause stress and worsen their mental health.

Puberty blockers stop the body from producing sex hormones. In people assigned male at birth, the drugs can temporarily stop the voice from deepening, the growth of facial hair, and the growth of the testicles or penis.

What impact does it have on adolescents?

Medications that specifically stop puberty have the power to prevent a mental health crisis, making the treatment a “very meaningful intervention” for a young person and their family, says Meredithe McNamara, an adolescent medicine physician at Yale School of Medicine, as quoted in a ScientificAmerica article. “Puberty-blocking treatment is probably one of the most compassionate things a parent can consent to for a transgender child.” It gives transgender children and their families the opportunity to carefully consider their options, without the constant pressure of physical changes, she says.

If a teen decides not to transition and stops taking puberty blockers, the hormones their body produces on its own will trigger puberty again. If they decide to go ahead with medical gender reassignment, they may take a combination of hormones—estrogen for feminizing effects or testosterone for masculinizing effects—to experience the puberty that is appropriate for their gender.

These medications can help relieve anxiety and depression, improve social interactions, and keep thoughts or actions of self-harm at bay. They can also prevent the need for future gender-affirming surgeries, according to Mayo Clinic.

video carousel

Side effects may also include weight gain, hot flashes, headaches and mood swings, according to Mayo Clinic.

Experts also say there is a risk of infertility if children go straight from puberty blockers to hormone therapy, reported CNN.

They are usually prescribed to people who suffer from gender dysphoria: a discrepancy between the sex they were assigned at birth and the gender they identify with.

According to experts, the biological changes in adolescents who question the sex they were assigned at birth can cause stress and worsen their mental health.

Puberty blockers stop the body from producing sex hormones. In people assigned male at birth, the drugs can temporarily stop the voice from deepening, the growth of facial hair, and the growth of the testicles or penis.

What impact does it have on adolescents?

Medications that specifically stop puberty have the power to prevent a mental health crisis, making the treatment a “very meaningful intervention” for a young person and their family, says Meredithe McNamara, an adolescent medicine physician at Yale School of Medicine, as quoted in a ScientificAmerica article. “Puberty-blocking treatment is probably one of the most compassionate things a parent can consent to for a transgender child.” It gives transgender children and their families the opportunity to carefully consider their options, without the constant pressure of physical changes, she says.

If a teen decides not to transition and stops taking puberty blockers, the hormones their body produces on its own will trigger puberty again. If they decide to go ahead with medical gender reassignment, they may take a combination of hormones—estrogen for feminizing effects or testosterone for masculinizing effects—to experience the puberty that is appropriate for their gender.

These medications can help relieve anxiety and depression, improve social interactions, and keep thoughts or actions of self-harm at bay. They can also prevent the need for future gender-affirming surgeries, according to Mayo Clinic.

top videos

View all

  • AIADMK worker brutally murdered by unidentified assailants in Tamil Nadu | Puducherry News | News18

  • CNN-News18 obtains FIR details in Rajendra Nagar tragedy | English News | News18

  • Karnataka Politics | Nirmala Sitharaman has criticised Karnataka government over alleged financial crisis

  • PM Modi News Today | Day 2 of Important BJP meeting: PM Modi meets BJP-ruled states CMs, DyCMs

  • PM Modi News | PM Modi meets BJP-ruled state ministers at BJP headquarters | Latest News | News18

  • Side effects may also include weight gain, hot flashes, headaches and mood swings, according to Mayo Clinic.

    Experts also say there is a risk of infertility if children go straight from puberty blockers to hormone therapy, reported CNN.

    New desk

    The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who put news and analysis on paper.

    first print: Jul 28, 2024, 4:59 PM IST