The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) has recently approved a $600,000 grant from the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP) for the Collaborative Health Sciences Program to conduct a study on the impact of puberty blockers on the developing brain of a child.
The study, which was proposed in April, will use rats to investigate the effects of cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers.
Documents obtained by the Daily Caller reveal that the researchers hypothesize these drugs could lead to "lasting changes" in the developing brain. A slideshow presentation to the WPP indicated that the researchers anticipate a decrease in adolescent anxiety, but also potential changes in biomarkers associated with mental health risk, fertility, bone and kidney health.
The study will focus on the effects of "leuprolide," also known as Lupron, on "pubescent rats." Lupron is often prescribed off-label as a puberty-blocking agent for gender-confused youth. It is also used for chemical castration of sex offenders and treatment of precocious puberty, among other uses.
Dr. Wilid Farhat, one of the researchers, acknowledged that research into the effects of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones is "severely lacking," despite claims by major medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that they are reversible.
The policy of UW's LGBT Health and Wellness committee aligns with that of the AAP, stating that the use of Lupron is reversible. "Gonadotrophin-releasing hormones (GnRH) have been used to delay puberty since the 1980s for central precocious puberty, the policy reads.
The approved study, however, hypothesizes that Lupron will have "lasting effects on the brain, behavior, and peripheral physiology from short-term leuprolide treatment."
Despite the Food and Drug Administration not approving them for use on gender-confused children, activists often cite the AAP and the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care to argue that Lupron is "fully reversible."
In May 2022, WPATH President Dr. Marci Bowers made a startling admission. She stated that no male patients who had undergone puberty blockers and then cross-sex hormones were able to attain sexual satisfaction as adults.
"An observation that I had, every single child who was, or adolescent, who was truly blocked at Tanner stage 2, has never experienced orgasm. I mean, it's really about zero," Bowers said.
Despite these comments, the WPATH organization maintained in their Standards of Care version 8 that puberty blockers are "fully reversible."
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