Thread by @rogdmum, A while back I did a FOI to the Tavi asking for [...]

A while back I did a FOI to the Tavi asking for the consent forms for puberty blockers and cross sex hormones. I didn’t get round to tweeting at the time, but here we go...

Worth noting that the Tavi pointed out that: “We would firstly like to explain that the Tavistock &

Portman NHS Trust does not provide hormone treatment or obtain consent for treatment. Consent is obtained by the endocrinology clinics at the University College London Hospital (UCLH) and the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.”

First up, Testosterone:

There is no mention of

the risk of vaginal atrophy.

Also, the consent form includes: “I understand I can withdraw at any time without giving reasons and I will not be penalised nor will I be questioned on why I have withdrawn.”

It’s no wonder we don’t know much about detransitioners if the most basic

question of WHY they decided to stop treatment can’t be asked.

Am hoping someone can tell me that statement doesn’t mean what it sounds like it means.

The oestrogen consent form is a similar format (can’t comment as I don’t know anything about oestrogen for biological males)

Here’s the information sheet for puberty blockers:

And finally the consent form for puberty blockers:

If anyone wants the actual forms, DM me and I’ll email them to you.

Now, the puberty blockers info sheet/consent form should be read in conjunction with Michael Biggs’ piece: “The Tavistock’s Experiment with Puberty Blockers”.

http://users.ox.ac.uk/~sfos0060/Biggs_ExperimentPubertyBlockers.pdf

In particular the sentence in the info sheet:”may improve the way you feel about yourself”

seems to be in contrast to the initial findings (which, of course, still haven’t been published. How long have we been waiting for this report?)

“A significant increase was found in the first item ‘I deliberately try to hurt or kill myself’.

The puberty blockers sheet uses the description “wrong body” not once but twice,

“...will make you feel less worried about growing up in the wrong body.” and

“You may be able to start on puberty blockers if...

You have a strong feeling that you are in the wrong body”

Surely

the NHS can come up with a better way of describing the feeling of gender dysphoria than perpetuating that belief to children that they have been “born in the wrong body.”

Also worth pointing out that puberty blockers and cross sex hormones appear to be considered as separate treatment without any intertwining. Contrast the PB info sheet/consent form with that from Dr Olson-Kennedy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

I won’t comment on my views of

Dr Olson-Kennedy, but her fact sheet for puberty blockers for her research exercise in 2016 emphasised:

“If your child starts puberty blockers in the earliest stages of puberty, and then goes on to gender affirming hormones, they will not develop sperm or eggs. This means that

they will not be able to have biological children. This is an important aspect of blocking puberty and progressing to hormones that you should understand prior to moving forward with puberty suppression. If your child discontinues the use of blockers, and does not go on gender

affirming hormones, they will continue their pubertal development about 6-12 months after stopping the medication, and fertility would be maintained.”

With part of the above underlined (see screenshot)

Link to full form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q-zJCivH-QW7hL25idXT_jITfJZUUm1w/view?usp=drivesdk

And while I’m at it, I may as well add an earlier thread I did on just how little the Tavi knows about the unknowns etc around puberty blockers... https://twitter.com/rogdmum/status/1276821640203186176

https://twitter.com/rogdmum/status/1276821640203186176

Yes, I’m still going on about consent.

So- if you withdraw your consent for cross sex hormones, the clinic is not allowed to ask why but if you withdraw from puberty blockers, they are.

Is this normal practice in the NHS? The NHS generic form for research (I know this

isn’t research, but these consent forms follow this model more closely than the generic treatment form) states: “Participant can withdraw if he/she later changes his/her mind, without giving a reason” and the consent form says: “I understand that my participation is voluntary and

understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw at any time without giving any reason, without my medical care or legal rights being affected.”

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/researchers/planning/documents/participant-information-sheet.pdf

Looking through random treatment consent forms didn’t bring up any that specified the person would not be asked why they had withdrawn (so is it the norm for certain types of treatment but not others?).

E.g. Royal Surrey chemo consent form just says: “Please read this form

Please read this form carefully, which describes the benefits and risks of the proposed treatment. You have the right to change your mind at any time, including after you have signed this form.”

https://www.royalsurrey.nhs.uk/download.cfm?doc=docm93jijm4n7184.pdf&ver=15114

Cancer Research has suggested consent forms which don’t mention it either: “I have explained to the patient, that he/she has the right to stop this treatment at any time and should contact the responsible consultant or team if they wish to do so.”

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/generic_form_pdf_v4.pdf

@Hilary_Cass why are clinicians not allowed to ask people why they have withdrawn from cross sex hormonal treatment when they are allowed to ask people who withdraw from PB treatment (and seemingly from other treatments like chemo etc as well)?

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