Lee says:

It is very likely that you’ll need to get lab work done and have your blood tested before you start puberty blockers, and it’s the responsible thing to do.

Getting lab work before you start this kind of medication helps provide a baseline picture of your pre-HRT or pre-blockers health so they can know what’s normal for you and then address anything that might change as you start the meds. It’ll also reveal any current health issues you may have which can help direct your care.

In the morning, you should call the clinic you’ll be going to and speak to the doctor/provider who will be prescribing your puberty blockers. Then you can ask them to order your lab work for you.

That way you can be sure that the right labs have been ordered and they’re testing your blood for the right things!

And if the doctor orders the lab work themself, then you know they’ll get a copy of it provided to them directly so you don’t have to worry about getting ahold of the results yourself and bringing them in to the appointment.

If you get lab work done before you talk to the doctor/doctor who you will be seeing at Planned Parenthood, you might have to go get blood drawn again later if the doctor wanted a specific test and you didn’t happen to get that test done because your previous provider didn’t order it.

In general, if you don’t know if you need a particular diagnostic test done, the best thing to do is contact the provider who is in charge of your care and ask them directly what you should be doing!

It’s literally their job to provide your medical care, which includes telling you when you need blood draws performed, so don’t be afraid to kick up a fuss and demand to get clarification about things that are important to your health and well-being. They’re getting paid to do it, and you’re their patient! It’s well within your rights to get on the phone and send messages through the patient portal.

Lee says:

It depends on how old you are, and what your parents and endocrinologist are comfortable with.

Puberty blockers are commonly used if you’re anywhere in 9-16 year old range, and they will basically put your puberty on pause. 

You won’t continue to have breast growth and you won’t ever get your period if you’ve haven’t already started it. This also means you’ll probably not grow as much during as your peers will while on blockers, but once you start HRT you’ll start growing faster and catch up to everyone.

My endocrinologist said:

After you’ve been on blockers for a while, you can start testosterone, which usually happens around 16, and you’ll go through puberty getting a deeper voice, more body hair, etc. You’ll have basically skipped most of the “girl” puberty and head on to the “guy” puberty, with a pause in-between.

You probably won’t need to ever get top surgery because your breasts won’t grow enough before you get puberty blockers, and then when you’re on testosterone, they won’t grow either if you stay on T for the rest of your life.

The WPATH-SOC is a guideline that some clinicians and doctors follow when prescribing hormones. In order for adolescents to receive puberty suppressing hormones, you have to convince them that following minimum criteria has been met:

More info:

There aren’t any laws about how old you have to be to start testosterone, and I’ve heard of a few people starting testosterone as young as 13! There are definitely a few lucky teens out there who are on T at 13, 14, or 15.

So waiting until 16 isn’t something everyone has to do, but it really depends on how supportive your parents are. You do need permission from your legal guardian to go on puberty blockers or testosterone, which is why most people with unsupportive parents end up starting T at 18, like I did.

Our Testosterone FAQ has more info on the process of starting T and what changes you should expect when you come to it.

Lee says:

Puberty blockers aren’t usually a long-term solution, and you often will be asked if you want to start estrogen or testosterone or when you’re somewhere in the 13-16 age range. 

Long term bone loss is possible if you’re on puberty blockers forever, especially if there is not enough calcium and vitamin D in the diet and not enough weight bearing exercise. 

You should talk about what’s next for you with whoever is prescribing your puberty blockers! They may be able to tell you when they think you’ll need to go off blockers- we couldn’t answer that because we aren’t your doctor.

Followers say:

jojosjourney said: One option for this anon is low dose estrogen. That’s what I chose and it protects your bones without too many changes. I look mostly pre-pubescent even though I’ve been on hormones for five years.

Lee says:

You can start puberty blockers around 13-14 if you have parental permission, yes. They won’t be able to reverse all the changes you’ve gotten so far, but you’re still going through puberty so they might prevent future unwanted development.

Kii says:

At 13, you’re likely not going to be able to go on T yet. Puberty blockers are a more reasonable goal for now, and your mom might be more on board with that because all the changes from puberty blockers are temporary, in case you change your mind. We also have info here about what to do if you can’t start T.

Lee says:

Yes, puberty blockers should stop your periods!

Lee says:

I’ve had hot and cold flashes on T, and layering clothes is a basic thing that also is life saving. 

I usually wear a tank top, then a button down shirt that I leave unbuttoned or button depending, then a jacket/coat. If I get cold, I button the shirt and put on the jacket. If I get hot, I take it off and I’m left in a tank top. I got a puffy coat like this that folds up in a little bag, so I can easy carry it just in my satchel if I take it off.

Having a fan pointing at you on a chair next to your bed that you can turn on and electric blanket by your bed is also good, as well as a number of blankets so you can layer up and turn on the electric blanket, or just have a sheet and the fan.

And as always, it’s good to check in with your endo about it at your next appointment just to see if there’s anything they can do or suggest!

Followers, any suggestions for dealing with hot and cold flashes when out and about?

Kii says:

If you’re not done with puberty yet, puberty blockers might still work for you. Here’s more information on them.

Kii says:

Our transmasc puberty blockers post / our transfem puberty blockers post 

Kii says:

I would guess no, but consult with your doctor! Hormones change a lot during pregnancy, including a large increase in estrogen, so using blockers may stop that and could harm your body or the baby’s body. 

Warning for gendered language, but here’s a breakdown of how hormones change during pregnancy.

However, if you’re old enough to get pregnant, you’re probably too old to take puberty blockers anyway.

Lee says:

Yes, your period should stop on hormone blockers!

Lee says:

If you start puberty blockers at a young age, you won’t go through a full estrogen-based puberty so you probably won’t need to ever get top surgery because your breasts won’t grow on blockers or on T so there won’t be anything to remove. That’s a pretty big benefit.

Another benefit to puberty blockers is mental- you get to miss all the dysphoria and distress around going through the “wrong” puberty and gaining secondary sexual characteristics you didn’t want.

You don’t need puberty blockers before T if you’ve already gone though puberty. While it’s possible to start T as early as you start puberty (a few people were able to start T at 13 or 14), endocrinologists often recommend going on puberty blockers first until you’re 16. 

You need parental/guardian permission to medically transition in any way, including blockers, if you’re under 18/a minor.

Kai says:

I have a friend who was on blockers, then blockers at T, then just T so that his period did not come back. You should coordinate with your endocrinologist to see.

Lee says:

You’d have to talk to your endocrinologist about it! 

If you’ve been having your period for 3 years you’ve likely had a lot of puberty changes already so theoretically you could start testosterone right away, and I have heard of a few people starting T as young as 13. 

However, some endos have you wait until 16 not because of your physical development but more because of your mental development- they want you to be mature enough and old enough to be sure T is what you need. So they may have a blanket policy that they don’t allow people to start T until a certain age.

And of course, you’d need parental/guardian consent to start T or hormone blockers until you’re 18.

Kai says:

No, it might not be too late. Puberty blockers would just prevent things from developing even more if you aren’t  done with puberty, it would also probably prevent your growth plates from fusing earlier. You’d definitely have to talk to a doctor about the possibility of going on puberty blockers. If ultimately you go on blockers and decide not to go on T, you can just go off blockers and your body would resume with what’s it’s doing now, but if you did decide to go on T, it might make the transition smoother (ie no periods, etc. I knew a guy who went on blockers, then T, then eased off blockers after 6 months on T so that he wouldn’t get his period back if we went off blockers when he started T). But you would have to talk to a doctor to be sure!