News and Blogs
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What Makes Me A Woman
On Wednesday, January 25th, I took part in a BBC Radio 5 Live phone in for Your Call with Nicky Campbell (you can listen again here).
One caller asked a question which, as a cisgender woman, I felt unqualified to answer. As such, I reached out to some members of the trans community who, I felt should be offered the opportunity to address the point.
Let’s Call An End To The 84% Myth
In negative media coverage of cases involving gender variant children, one statistic seems omnipresent:
‘84% of childhood cases of gender variance do not persist into adult life’.
Childline Reports Record Number Of Counselling Sessions About Trans And Gender Issues
The number of child counselling sessions about transgender issues and gender dysphoria offered by a national charity has reached a record level in the past year.
Kids as young as 11 have told counsellors they were unhappy with their assigned birth gender or felt their biological sex didn’t match their gender.
Concern over transgender daughter's referral wait
Rowan, 17, from Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, is a transgender female and first approached her GP two years ago but is still waiting to be referred to a gender identity specialist – a process that itself can take two years.
The Transgender Umbrella: Not a Mental Health Issue
January 1st, 2017 will see ‘being transgender’ declassified as a mental illness in Denmark, a momentous and long-awaited move which will surely put increased pressure on the World Health Organisation (WHO), to remove the diagnosis from its list of mental disorders. (…)
The Guardian: UK doctor prescribing cross-sex hormones to children as young as 12
As charities call for NHS to lower age limit of 16 for hormones, parents are taking their children to private clinics for treatment
Harry Benjamin MD - The Forefather of Transgender Care
August 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of Harry Benjamin MD. His is not a name that immediately springs to mind in terms of either fame or notoriety. However, he has his place in history, and a remarkable one at that.
The Right to Unbiased Healthcare
All my patients are the same on the inside.
Look past their outer layers and you will, more or less, find the same bones, body parts and cells.
Private vs NHS Treatment - The Conflict for Trans Patients
The issues around excessive waiting times for transgender patients to be seen on the NHS have been widely publicised. Waiting times of up to a year and more have led many desperate people to take affirmative action, seeking expert support through private clinics. (…)
How Society Is Failing Transgender Children - A Response
Last week, members of the transgender community were up in arms about the fact that a controversial psychiatrist, Dr Kenneth Zucker, was to be given a documentary on BBC2 from which to air his views on the treatment of gender variant children (BBC2 Thursday, 9pm This World, Transgender Kids: Who Knows Best.
People With Low Fitness Levels Have Higher Risk Of Developing Depression, Study Finds
Poor fitness levels could be a huge risk factor for developing depression, a new study has found.
Analysing data from more than one million people, researchers discovered that people with poor fitness levels had a 75% increased risk of developing the mental health condition.
Transgender people 'waiting four years' to see specialist
Concerns have been raised about care for transgender people in Wales – with some waiting up to four years to see a specialist.
Wales currently does not have a Gender Identity Clinic (GIC), so people are referred to the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust in London.
Specialist Clinics and the Trans Community
I am a gender specialist and NHS GP. I set up www.gendergp.com earlier this year to provide free advice to trans adults and parents of children suffering with gender identity disorder, seeking medical support. (…)
Put A Little Love In Your Hearts This World Suicide Prevention Day
September 10th marks World Suicide Prevention Day, a day to reflect and reach out to those people who might be at risk or suffering in silence. Members of the transgender community are particularly vulnerable and awareness days such as this shine a much-needed spotlight on an issue which is rarely acknowledged, let alone discussed.
Demystifying Trans Care - WPATH 2016
The event was well attended – double the expectations of the organisers – and the venue was amazing, it was lovely to be in the ‘partially sunny’ Amsterdam, a vibrant and accepting city.
The Reality Of Post Sex-Change Regret
A blog reflecting on a recent article in the Telegraph discussing the topic of sex change regret.
In the article Urologist, Miroslav Djordjevic, who specialises in Gender Reassignment Surgery (GRS), talks about his concerns around an increase in “reversal” surgeries among transgender women.
Contraceptive Choices and Sexual Health for Transgender and Non-Binary People
A statement provides guidance on contraceptive choices for transgender and non-binary people and their partners, who are engaging in vaginal sex where there is a risk of pregnancy. Dr Helen Webberley contributed to this article as an author.
How Society Is Failing Transgender Children - A Response
As a doctor specialising in gender care, I offered to take part in the NSPCC debate to which she refers. I personally was not afraid to address issues relating to gender variance and answer questions (of which there are understandably many). Though I am fully aware that in taking this metaphorical bull by the horns I am opening myself up to personal attacks and professional scrutiny. This, however, is not my main concern. My main concern is the wellbeing of these children, who are extremely vulnerable.
Provision Of Trans Healthcare In Wales
On the 23rd of September 2016, the Welsh Government issued a Health Circular which updates General Practitioners and other primary care professionals on their roles and responsibilities in prescribing hormone therapy for trans adults.
RCN Guidance On Treatment Of Trans Patients Welcomed
A recent study by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has suggested that nurses lack the necessary skills to treat transgender patients. In fact, this usually forward thinking and politically correct organisation is surprisingly critical of the nursing care afforded to transgender patients in the UK.
Hormone Blockers and Trans Children
Gender variance is a complex condition affecting a small number of children whose biological sex differs from the gender by which they identify. Puberty blockers are a type of medication which temporarily stop the production of the natural sex hormones which progress puberty. (…)
Doctors Lack Experience In Treating Transgender Patients
The Guardian published a story on September 7th about a study which found that US doctors and therapists are struggling to give transgender patients the best medical care.
Dangerous liaisons: GPs are failing transgender patients
GPs are failing transgender patients with a lack of compassion and understanding that must change, according to Dr Helen Webberley.
Gender - Are We Born or Made?
As a doctor, specialising in the field of gender variance, I hear stories from patients every day that lead me to question the difference between our biological sex and the corresponding gender assigned to us at birth. Often the two are the same, but this is not always the case.
