70,000 Adverse Events from Puberty-Blocking Drugs Ignored by FDA

It promises a younger you, yet internal memos suggest ticking risks. Scan the insider Q&A scrubbed from the public website last week.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• FDA failed to prioritize over 70,000 adverse event reports related to puberty-blocking drugs, raising concerns about regulatory oversight of these medications

• Side effects from puberty blockers range from headaches to serious conditions like brain swelling and vision loss

• Puberty blockers disrupt normal development, causing long-term harm to physical development and psychological health in children

• The FDA's handling of puberty blockers demonstrates inconsistent regulatory standards and inadequate public warnings about significant risks

• The safety of puberty blockers and other gender-affirming care has not been established, and parents should research risks before making decisions

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Imagine you're handed a medicine for your child that promises to pause puberty — but no one's fully checked if it's safe. Puberty blockers are drugs that delay puberty, often used for children questioning their gender.

But recent reports show over 70,000 side effects — from headaches to brain swelling — haven't gotten the attention they deserve from the people in charge.¹ Whether you're a parent, a teen or just curious, this matters to you. Your health — or your loved one's — could hinge on understanding the risks and who's looking out for you.

Pausing Puberty — A Quick Guide to These Powerful Drugs

Puberty-blocking drugs are given to children who have not yet entered puberty. These drugs delay the onset of sex characteristics associated with the gender you were at birth. Often, the adults steering children toward gender reassignment don't make it a point to thoroughly inform them about the difficulties they might face. Puberty-blocking drugs are strong, but they're not magic, and that's why you need to know more.

• How do puberty blockers work? Puberty blockers hit pause on your body's changes. They stop it from releasing hormones like estrogen and testosterone, which kickstart things like growing taller or getting a deeper voice.

• Who uses them? You might think puberty blockers are just for children who hit puberty too early, but today, they're often used by teens exploring their gender identity.

• What's the catch? Here's the thing: pausing puberty isn't as simple as pausing a video game. Your body's a complex machine, and stopping hormones causes trouble. Think of it like pausing your phone's updates — eventually, glitches stack up. There are risks, both physical and psychological, and not everyone's shouting about them. You deserve to know what could go wrong before jumping in, so let's dig into that next.

Why You Should Be Concerned About Puberty-Blocking Drugs

In the last 20 years, over 70,000 reports of trouble have been tied to puberty blockers.² That's huge — like filling a football stadium with people who've had issues with these drugs. The safety of puberty-blocking drugs and other forms of "gender-affirming care" has not been established. If you're considering this for your child, this should make you sit up and pay attention.

• How serious are these side effects? Some side effects are serious enough to change your life. Children have reported brain swelling, which brings brutal headaches or trouble thinking. Others have lost vision out of nowhere or developed "tumor-like masses" in the brain.³ These are big red flags you shouldn't ignore.

• Why is safety being questioned? Some experts say stopping hormones throws your body off balance — like hitting the brakes and gas on your car at the same time. Your brain and bones need those hormones to grow right, and pausing them harms long-term development.

• Why aren't warnings louder? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the group that's supposed to keep you safe, knew about these risks but didn't make a fuss. With other drugs, they'd sound the alarm, but here? It's been more like a whisper instead of a siren. You'd expect them to shout if 70,000 adverse event reports came up, but they didn't. That lack of action is why you need to ask questions and dig deeper yourself.

Why Safety Slipped Through the Cracks

The FDA is supposed to spot trouble with medicines and keep you safe. Think of them as lifeguards at the pool, watching for danger so you don't drown. When a drug's risky, they should blow the whistle and let you know loud and clear. That's their job, and you count on them to do it right.

• How did they miss this? With puberty blockers, the FDA dropped the ball. They didn't focus on those 70,000 reports, even though they vilified other drugs like hydroxychloroquine. It's like fixing a leaky faucet while your basement floods. You'd think that many side effects would light up their radar, but they stayed quiet. That's a problem when you're trusting them to protect you.

• Why should you care? If the FDA isn't warning the public about risks, you're left in the dark. It's like buying a car with no crash test rating — would you drive it? You need clear info to decide what's safe for your family, but right now, it's murky. That's why you've got to take charge and not just hope someone else is watching out for you.

How to Stay Safe and Informed

If puberty blockers come up, don't be shy — speak to your children about the health risks. By using puberty-blocking drugs or taking hormones to feminize or masculinize the body, you're wreaking total havoc on your entire system. The only predictable outcome is health problems.

• Affirm children's biology from the start — It's important for parents to affirm the biology of their children from the start. By teaching them the value and permanence of their biological sex, you effectively "inoculate" them against ideas being brought in later.

• Become educated on transgender ideology — "Lost in Trans Nation," written by Dr. Miriam Grossman, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and board-certified medical doctor, provides parents with the required knowledge and tools to protect their children from the transgender ideology contagion.

  While I believe the transgender movement poses a severe threat to mental, emotional and physical health, it can be counteracted by level-headed discourse and the sharing of truthful information.

• Understand the transhumanist agenda connection — Many believe the trans movement and gender-affirming medical care for youth is a stepping stone in the transhumanist agenda.

  Ultimately, the goal is to get rid of flesh and blood bodies altogether and have our existence either within a synthetic body or as disembodied avatar in cyberspace, or both. Turning humanity into misgendered people incapable of natural reproduction is a first step in that direction.

• Demand the truth — You deserve straight answers about safety — not vague promises. If something feels off, speak up. Your voice matters, and it could help make sure the truth comes about puberty-blocking drugs.

FAQs About Puberty-Blocking Drugs

Q: What are puberty blockers?

A: Puberty blockers are drugs that stop your body from making hormones like estrogen and testosterone. These hormones stop puberty — think growth spurts or voice changes. They're often used for children questioning their gender or hitting puberty too soon. These medications are powerful and their effects are not always reversible.

Q: Are puberty blockers safe?

A: They carry significant risks. There are over 70,000 reports of side effects like headaches, mood swings and brain swelling. Many worry about long-term damage to your bones and brain. The long-term effects on fertility and overall health are still largely unknown, adding to the concern. This lack of transparency undermines public trust and highlights the need for independent research and scrutiny.

Q: Why didn't the FDA warn us?

A: The FDA knew about the risks but didn't make them a priority. They focused elsewhere, even with 70,000 reports of harm piling up. Leadership changes didn't help either. That's why you've got to dig for the truth yourself.

Q: How can parents affirm their child's biological sex and protect them from harmful ideologies?

A: Parents can affirm their child's biological sex by consistently reinforcing the value and permanence of their birth sex from an early age. This includes open and honest conversations about biological realities and healthy development.

To protect them from harmful ideologies, parents should educate themselves on these ideologies, foster thinking skills in their children and provide access to diverse perspectives. Resources like Dr. Miriam Grossman's "Lost in Trans Nation" offers valuable insights.

Q: What is the connection between gender-affirming care and the transhumanist agenda?

A: Some individuals believe that gender-affirming care, particularly medical interventions for youth, is a step toward a transhumanist agenda. This perspective suggests that the ultimate goal is to transcend biological limitations and eliminate the need for traditional human bodies.

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1. Brownstone Institute February 24, 2025

2. Brownstone Institute February 24, 2025

3. Brownstone Institute February 24, 2025