Committee Opinion No. 685 Summary: Care for Transgender Adolescents.

Gender nonconforming youth are an underserved population who obstetrician-gynecologists are seeing increasingly in their practices. Currently, there are large gaps in training, knowledge, and comfort with transgender patients among obstetrician-gynecologists. The purpose of this document is to review current recommendations that apply to an obstetrician-gynecologist. It is important for obstetrician-gynecologists to be aware of the social and mental health risks for the transgender population. Consensus guidelines support initiating medical therapy after an adolescent has an established diagnosis of transgender identity and has reached Tanner stage II development. Medical management involves the suppression of puberty (typically in the form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists) followed by cross-sex hormone therapy to induce puberty at age 16 years. A variety of surgical options are available, including bilateral mastectomy, hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy or salpingectomy, and possible neophallus creation. Transgender patients are an at-risk population, and preventive medicine is imperative to their health. This includes proper screening for sexually transmitted infections, screening for suicidal thoughts and mental health issues, and appropriate vaccination. Like all patients, transgender adolescents should have a source for ongoing primary care.