Transphobes Claim Puberty Blockers Ruin Bone Density Forever. A New Study Says Otherwise

A new study from European researchers has shown that most bone density losses are recovered or partially recovered after transgender minors have completed the use of puberty blockers, contradicting a common talking point among conservatives looking to denigrate the recommended medical regimen.Writing in JAMA Pediatrics, a team of researchers found that while puberty blockers were associated with a “modest and uncertain” shortfall in bone density, that density was “partially recovered” after a transgender child shifted from puberty blockers to gender-affirming hormone therapy. The study was a meta-analysis of data from 10 cohorts encompassing 751 trans kids, 427 of them assigned male at birth (AMAB) and 324 assigned female at birth (AFAB).While bone density did remain “numerically below baseline,” the scores were “not consistently statistically different across skeletal sites,” meaning that bone density scores across different areas of the body were similar.. Sites examined by researchers included the lumbar spine, the total hip, and the femoral neck, a part of the femur, which is located in the thigh. Researchers concluded that the bone mass recorded after initiating hormone replacement therapy suggested “at most a modest and uncertain shortfall in catch-up rather than a demonstrated persistent deficit.” "Our results suggest that puberty suppression temporarily slows bone accrual, but this is followed by a clear recovery after gender-affirming hormone therapy is initiated," Daniele Tienforti, MD, the lead researcher on the study, told MedPage Today.As pointed out by doctors, acquiring bone mass during puberty is critical, as bone mass helps determine risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis in adulthood. About 40-60% of bone mass is acquired during puberty, per the Journal of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America. Several factors beyond puberty blockers affected bone density, as well, including a person’s body mass index. While leng