Brazil: criteria for gender transition are flawed, says gynecologist

The University of São Paulo (USP) Hospital das Clínicas has 280 minors in the process of gender transition.

Of this total, one hundred are children from 4 to 12 years old, while 180 are teenagers from 13 to 17.

Besides them, one hundred adults, 18 and older, are in the same situation.

To address this issue, Oeste Sem Filtro invited gynecologist and obstetrician Raphael Câmara, a Federal Council of Medicine member from Rio de Janeiro.

According to Câmara, the evaluations of people who are interested in gender transition surgeries are made by “people with a certain ideological bias”, which puts the health of those seeking this kind of treatment in hospitals at risk.

The doctor clarifies that the Unified Health System (SUS) does not perform hormone treatments for people under 18 years old or surgeries for people under 21.

Besides, those who seek gender transitioning first go through a multidisciplinary team, which includes psychologists, psychiatrists, and endocrinologists, among other medical specialties, before the diagnosis and prescription of the ideal treatment – hormonal or surgical.

However, Câmara alerts that there are flaws in the conduction of the procedures that can expose patients to dangers.

Among the evils pointed out by the doctor is the regret that the treatments can cause.

“They don’t follow up on those who don’t come back,” says the specialist, who concludes by saying, “Regrettably, today, there is no scientific basis in the studies.”

USE OF HORMONES FOR GENDER TRANSITION

Another alert made by Câmara is related to the use of hormones for people who are undergoing treatment for sexual transition.

For the doctor, as well as in sports use, artificial hormones harm the organism.

“You can’t say that, in the esthetic use, it is not harmful and in the sportive use, it is. In both cases, it kills,” he said.

With information from Revista Oeste