NHS will give sex-change drugs to nine-year-olds

CHILDREN as young as nine will be given drugs on the NHS to prepare them for sex swap surgery.

The treatment, which halts the onset of adulthood, is aimed at youngsters who believe they are trapped in the wrong body.

Some critics accused the clinic offering the puberty-postponing injections of ‘playing God’.

Others insisted research shows the vast majority of under-16s who are troubled about their gender do not go on to take the drastic step of surgery. Many turn out to be gay, but not confused about whether they are male or female.

Although the gender treatment is reversible, there are concerns about the long-term effects on brain development, bone growth and fertility.

The drugs, known as hypothalamic blockers, stunt the development of sexual organs, so less surgery is required if a child chooses to change sex after reaching adolescence.

The best-known brand of blocker is Gonapeptyl, which costs £82 per dose.

Monthly injections suppress the production of testosterone and oestrogen. In girls, that halts the menstrual cycle and the development of breasts. In boys, they stop facial hair growing and voice changes. Doctors at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in London have just completed a three-year trial with 12-to-14-year-olds, assessing the ‘psychological, social and physical benefits and risks involved’.

As the trial was deemed such a success, medics have decided to make the drugs more widely available – and to much younger children.

Yet only five years ago national guidelines stated that treatment for ‘gender dysphoria’ should not start until puberty had finished.

Dr Polly Carmichael, who led the trial, said: ‘We’re talking about stopping puberty in the normal range of puberty, so I guess the younger age might be ten or nine. Asked if she expected children younger than the survey group to come forward, she replied: ‘Yes, definitely.’

But Mark Pritchard, who serves as Conservative MP for the Wrekin, said: ‘With competing NHS resources, especially for life-saving cancer drugs, there needs to be an immediate investigation into why these drugs are being prescribed to those so young.’

The Tavistock and Portman is the UK’s only specialist clinic for youngsters diagnosed with gender dysphoria. It was first given public funding in 2009 when, on average, it treated around 100 under-18s every year for the condition.

The number of annual referrals has now increased to around 500.

Supporters of the treatment say the drugs give children who are confused about their gender a muchneeded ‘window’ before they take on too many masculine or feminine features. This, they say, prevents mental anguish – and will reduce the amount of surgery needed if they do go ahead with an operation.

But bioethics expert Professor Anne Dreger said: ‘Putting children on puberty-blocking hormones, may, for some, cement the idea that they are transgender when they are not.’

Only eight of the 32 children diagnosed with gender dysphoria who took part in the Tavistock trial went on to start the sex change process.

Even Dr Carmichael cautioned: ‘Some people think this is absolutely the way to go, but actually I don’t think it’s right for everybody in this situation. It has to be about balancing risks and benefits.’