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A study shows that adolescents with gender incongruence reach puberty earlier
A new study from Aarhus University shows that children who expressed a desire to be a different gender at the age of 11 reach puberty earlier than their peers. However, more research is needed, say the researchers behind the study. The transition to puberty can be difficult for children plagued by doubts about their own gender identity. New research from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University suggests that these children also reach puberty earlier than children who have no doubts about their gender identity. Master's student Anne Hjorth is behind the study...
A study shows that adolescents with gender incongruence reach puberty earlier
A new study from Aarhus University shows that children who expressed a desire to be a different gender at the age of 11 reach puberty earlier than their peers. However, more research is needed, say the researchers behind the study.
The transition to puberty can be difficult for children plagued by doubts about their own gender identity. New research from the Department of Public Health at Aarhus University suggests that these children also reach puberty earlier than children who have no doubts about their gender identity. Master's student Anne Hjorth Thomsen and Professor Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen are behind the study.
The study, which is one of the first in the world to examine the connection between children's desire for the opposite sex and their development during puberty, was carried out as part of the Better Health for Generations (BSIG) research project, which has monitored the pregnancies and births of 100,000 Danish women since 1996, as well as the growth and development of their children.
In the study, the children were asked at the age of 11 about their possible desire to be the opposite sex. This information was then combined with data in which the children reported their current stage in various pubertal milestones every six months. By age 11, about 5% of children in the study reported being either partially or completely the opposite sex.
The results show that children who expressed a desire to be the opposite sex at age 11 tended to reach puberty before children who had not expressed a desire to change their gender. In the study, both birth-assigned boys and girls with a previously expressed desire to change gender entered puberty about two months earlier than their peers.
Anne Hjorth Thomsen, student, Aarhus University
Anne Hjorth Thomsen emphasizes that more research is needed before final conclusions can be drawn, but that it is important for health professionals to be aware of children's earlier pubertal development.
"There may be a desire among health professionals to slow down puberty because the child may not be comfortable or able to identify with their own body. Therefore, it is important that health professionals have basic knowledge of children's pubertal development, so that treatment can be provided at the right time."
Anne Hjorth Thomsen and Professor Cecilia Ramlau-Hansen recommend that the research results be followed up with new studies.
"In this study, we see earlier pubertal development in children who want to be the opposite sex compared to children who do not want to be the opposite sex. However, we do not know whether children's own gender perception influences their pubertal development, or whether there could be other explanations. We do not know the underlying causes," says Anne Hjorth Thomsen.
Source:
Reference:
Thomsen, A.H., et al. (2022) Gender incongruence and timing of puberty: a population-based cohort study. fertility and sterility. doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2022.07.018.
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