What to do if your child wants to change gender?
- Offer support. ...
- Educate yourself. ...
- Get them in gender-affirming therapy. ...
- Ask questions. ...
- Allow for (and encourage) exploration. ...
- Help them with a medical transition. ...
- Advocate for your child.
Gender identity typically develops in stages: Around age two: Children become conscious of the physical differences between boys and girls. Before their third birthday: Most children can easily label themselves as either a boy or a girl. By age four: Most children have a stable sense of their gender identity.
Gender dysphoria and/or coming out as transgender can occur at any age. The DSM-5-TR* distinguishes between Gender Dysphoria in Childhood for those who experience Gender Dysphoria before puberty. The diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria in Adolescents and Adults can occur at any age.
- Listen to how your child feels. ...
- Let them know you're there for them. ...
- Encourage your child to explore and express their identity at their pace. ...
- Ask about pronouns and names. ...
- Support from school. ...
- Join a support group or reach out to friends and family. ...
- Get support if a child's being bullied.
- Hormone therapy, such as feminizing hormone therapy or masculinizing hormone therapy.
- Surgery, such as feminizing surgery or masculinizing surgery to change the chest, external genitalia, internal genitalia, facial features and body contour.
Additionally, while some transgender adolescents have shown gender non-conformity since early childhood, other adolescents might experience gender dysphoria during or after the onset of pubertal physical changes. Some adolescents may have kept their gender incongruence to themselves for a long time.
The mother gives an X chromosome to the child. The father may contribute an X or a Y. The chromosome from the father determines if the baby is born as male or female.
- A difference between gender identity and genitals or secondary sex characteristics, such as breast size, voice and facial hair. ...
- A strong desire to be rid of these genitals or secondary sex characteristics, or a desire to prevent the development of secondary sex characteristics.
Gender dysphoria currently exists as a mental health diagnosis, perpetuating stigma as well as pathologizing gender variance. Clinical social workers have preserved a harmful formulation that gender dysphoria is a disorder caused by trauma.
Childhood GD and puberty development
For most children with GDC, whether GD will persist or desist will probably be determined between the ages of 10 and 13 years,26 although some may need more time.
Does gender dysphoria go away during puberty?
Gender dysphoria that starts in childhood and worsens with the start of puberty rarely goes away. For children who have gender dysphoria, suppressing puberty might: Improve mental well-being. Reduce depression and anxiety.
The exact cause of gender dysphoria is unclear. Gender development is complex and there are still things that are not known or fully understood. Gender dysphoria is not related to sexual orientation. People with gender dysphoria may identify as straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual.

Although gender dysphoria is not a mental illness, when not addressed, it may lead to worsening mood issues, depression and anxiety, and may further complicate the issues the individuals may be having. Insurance may cover some illnesses associated with gender dysphoria and gender dysphoria care.
We still don't know exactly what causes gender dysphoria, although some experts believe that hormonal influences in the womb may be involved.
While symptoms of gender dysphoria often appear in early childhood, it's not uncommon for them to first appear during adolescence or, in some cases, even adulthood. Also, feelings of dysphoria don't always accompany gender incongruence; in some cases, it may develop years later – or not at all.
Recent evidence indicates that thalates from plastic and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are one of many factors predicting gender dysphoria, particularly in the case of male-to-female transgenders.
If gender dysphoria persists during puberty, it is very likely permanent. For children with gender dysphoria, the period between 10 and 13 years is crucial with regard to long-term gender identity.
Some children who look like boys feel like girls, and vice versa. Gender dysphoria is a medical condition characterized by the discomfort and unease a person experiences when his or her gender identity does not match the person's physical and biological sex. Gender dysphoria can–and does—occur in children.
- Find a safe person to talk to. You may find it easiest to speak to your partner, particularly if they're also experiencing gender disappointment. ...
- Evaluate your feelings. ...
- Allow yourself to work through the feelings.
All men inherit a Y chromosome from their father, which means all traits that are only found on the Y chromosome come from dad, not mom. The Supporting Evidence: Y-linked traits follow a clear paternal lineage.
How to make a baby boy?
Sexual positions
Deep penetration, for example doggy style, means the male sperm that can swim faster start their race closer to the cervix and are more likely to reach the egg first, resulting in a boy. To try and conceive a girl, Shettles suggested avoiding deep penetration, favouring the missionary position.
A recent study investigated the volume of grey matter in individuals with GD and found that they had a smaller volume in the left posterior superior hemisphere of the cerebellum compared to male controls and a smaller volume of the right inferior orbitofrontal cortex compared to female controls.
found that while gender dysphoria was significantly related to social anxiety disorder, only one variable related to minority stress, perceived violence at school, was significantly related to the disorder.
For some individuals, the stress caused in these situations by feeling a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity results in gender dysphoria.
There is a likely genetic component to gender dysphoria, but association study data have been equivocal. We explored the specific hypothesis that gender dysphoria in transgender women is associated with variants in sex hormone–signaling genes responsible for undermasculinization and/or feminization.
Other gender-diverse children might start to talk about their gender identity being different when they're at primary school. For some, this happens after puberty, and some might not know or express this until they're well into adulthood. It's normal for all children and teenagers to experiment with gender.
In California, you can ask the court for an order to legally recognize your child's gender change. If you and the other parent agree to ask for an order recognizing your child's gender change, you can file a request with the court together.
In order to receive gender affirming hormone therapy services you need to be over 18 (or 16-17 with parental consent) and capable of providing consent for services. There are special consents for these services.
- strong desire to be of the other gender or an insistence that they are the other gender.
- strong preference for wearing clothes typical of the opposite gender.
Signs of gender dysphoria in children
A diagnosis of gender dysphoria in childhood is rare. Most children who seem confused about their gender identity when young will not continue to feel the same way beyond puberty. Role playing is not unusual in young children.
Which parent is responsible for child's gender?
What we can say is that dad's sperm determines whether a baby will be born as a boy or a girl. About half of his sperm will make a boy and half a girl. The sex of the baby depends on which sperm gets to the egg first.
Most children will continue to have a gender identify that matches the assigned sex at birth. Pre-teens and teens continue to develop their gender identity through personal reflection and with input from their social environment, like peers, family and friends. Some gender-stereotyped behaviours may appear.
Diagnosis in Adults
Gender dysphoria can be confirmed if certain criteria outlined by the APA are met. The DSM-5 states that at least two of the following criteria must be experienced for at least six months in adolescents or adults: A strong desire to be of the gender other than the one assigned at birth.
- Soy and other legumes. Soybeans and soy products are a rich source of isoflavones, one of the most important groups of phytoestrogens. ...
- Flaxseeds. ...
- Dark chocolate. ...
- Garlic oil supplements. ...
- Red clover. ...
- Vitamin D. ...
- DHEA.
Hormonal induction of puberty in boys with permanent hypogonadism should be started at an appropriate age for a physiological onset of puberty [105]. In practice, testosterone therapy is often started around the chronological age of 12 in these boys [7].
Treatment for gender dysphoria
This can mean different things to different people. For some people, treatment may just involve acceptance and affirmation or confirmation of their identity. For others, it may involve bigger changes, such as changes to their voice, hormone treatment or surgery.