ABOUT BLOCKERS

What are puberty blockers?

The medical term for puberty blockers is Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist (GnRHa).
GnRHa essentially pauses puberty by reverting secretion of sex hormones to pre-pubertal levels and regressing the patient’s pubertal development slightly. In simpler terms, it pauses development of secondary sex characteristics (i.e breasts, body hair, etc) until the person stops receiving treatment.¹⁷

Why use GnRHa?

Endocrinologists recommend treating gender dysphoria in adolescents who have entered puberty at Tanner Stage 2 with GNRHa.²
Many young transgender people use GnRHa to prevent unwanted secondary sex characteristics.¹⁶
- This benefits the mental health of a person with gender dysphoria.¹⁷
- This also reduces the need for expensive surgeries later on.
Clinics in several countries have begun providing GnRHa to transgender patients under 16 years of age if puberty has already begun.

What else is GnRHa used for?

GnRHa has been used safely for decades to suppress sex hormones in children who develop too early (precocious puberty).¹³
It has also helped to treat patients with endometriosis, uterine fibroids, subfertility, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, prostate cancer, and more.¹²

What kinds of puberty blockers are there?

Lupron/Leuprolide/Eligard

Lupron is an injection which is usually administered by a doctor every few months.¹⁴

Histrelin/Vantas/Supprelin LA

Histrelin is a flexible rod inserted under the skin of the arm which lasts between 12-36 months.¹⁴
The average age for placement is 14 years and can be done at a gender clinic under local anesthesia.¹¹

Medroxyprogesterone Acetate/Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate/Depo-Provera

This is NOT GnRHa, but a less effective, low-cost alternative.
Medroxyprogesterone Acetate can be taken orally daily or as an injection every 3 months.¹⁰
The doses of medication increase as the patient gets older and sex hormone levels rise.¹⁰

Spironolactone/Aldactone/CaroSpi

NOT GnRHa, but an anti-androgen commonly used in transgender women and girls (assigned male at birth).
Oral dosages increase over time and are taken twice a day.¹⁰
This can induce natural breast development.¹⁰

If you’d like to see where we got this information, please view our references page.