Everyone should be able to express their gender without fear or shame, even young people. Choosing your clothes, hairstyle, activities, and so on is part of what makes life fun!
The same is true with your gender identity. More and more young people are coming out and making a social transition at school with help from their families, healthcare providers, and educators. This may include using your preferred name and pronouns.
Most experts agree that the affirmative model of care is the best model. This model allows you to express yourself as you wish. Experts have shown that this is a healthy way to treat young people.
In cases where you have distress or questions about your gender identity, your family or caregivers may seek out healthcare providers for you to explore these feelings.
Mental health services are the most common medical option for distressed children and teens. A therapist works with you to explore your feelings about gender and any related distress. In cases of distress, a harm reduction model may be used to reduce your distress.
If your gender identity and expression is consistent, insistent, and persistent, you and your family may request to begin medical transition. This is usually via referral from a primary care provider or pediatrician and your therapist.
You will probably get medical care at a children’s hospital or pediatric unit of a regular hospital. This will probably be in a large city or a town with a large university.
Medical options for youth
Therapy
- Therapy is for youth age 3 and up.
- Some of you may also make social changes to your gender:
- New names and/or pronouns
- New gendered identities, including trans, genderfluid, and nonbinary
- You may want to change these more than once
- Social transition (how you look and act) is flexible and reversible.
Hormone blockers
- Offered to qualified youth age 8 and up around the start of puberty after you have:
- Hormone blockers are reversible and have been safely prescribed for decades to young people whose puberty starts earlier than it should.
- As with any medication, speak to your healthcare provider about possible risks, burdens, and benefits.
Hormones
- Offered to qualified youth around age 12 and up after you have:
- family agreement
- social gender changes
- considered reproductive choices
- hormone blockers
- Some hormone effects are not reversible and have been safely prescribed for decades to mature minors who understand the risks, burdens, and benefits.
- As with any medication, speak to your healthcare provider about possible risks, burdens, and benefits.
Surgery
- Surgery is generally only an option for adults.
- In some cases, offered to mature minors after you have:
- family agreement
- social gender changes
- legal identity changes
- considered reproductive choices
- hormone blockers
- hormones
- In some cases, top surgery is an option for transmasculine teens. This is the same procedure offered to thousands of cismasculine teens each year for unwanted breast tissue (gynecomastia). For both groups of teens, the procedure may improve their lives and social development.
- In rare cases, top surgery is an option for transfeminine teens. This is the same breast augmentation procedure offered to thousands of cisfeminine teens each year.
- Most facial surgeries are not currently offered to minors. In rare cases, supportive families may arrange this in the way that some cis teens get a rhinoplasty, etc.
- Most bottom surgeries are not currently offered to minors. In rare cases, supportive families may arrange this for mature minors nearing their age of majority.
- Surgery is not reversible and has been safely performed on mature minors who understand the risks, burdens, and benefits.
- Most do not have surgery until they are able to give legal consent.
- As with any surgery, speak to your healthcare provider about possible risks, burdens, and benefits.
Note: This page is for young people ages 13 and above.
Disclaimer: This is medical talk, not medical advice. Some of this may not apply to you. It is presented without warranty. It may contain errors or omissions. You must do your own research.