86 Chapter 5 you do not know what it [my daughter’s puberty] would have looked like [without the treatment with puberty suppression].” - Interview with a parent of a transgirl who continued PS; age at start PS: 12.4; age at interview: 18.6 “You would never do that to yourself; you would never inject yourself with something you do not know the long-term consequences of.” - Interview with a parent of a transgirl who continued PS; age at start PS: 12.4; age at interview: 18.6 Clinicians stated that it is difficult to inform adolescents and their parents about possible consequences of PS which are not yet known. In addition, they mentioned that no one can foresee what impact certain consequences will have on the quality of life of the adolescent. “You cannot properly inform people about what is not known [regarding (possible consequences of) the treatment], except that there are uncertainties. That’s very difficult.” - Focus group with clinicians “Of course, you do not exactly know that [what the consequences of treatment with puberty suppression may be]. And you do not exactly know what effect that [those consequences] will have on the person’s well-being later in life either.” - Focus group with clinicians The parents’ role, influence and responsibility Some adolescents, both continuers and discontinuers, and parents mentioned the substantial role some parents play in the diagnostic trajectory and decision-making, whereas other adolescents were not sure to what extent their parents had weighed the pros and cons of the treatment. “My parents mostly investigated it [what treatment with puberty suppression entails] for me, because I really did not want to know anything about it […] I just could not talk about it and I did not want to look anything up [regarding the treatment] because doing so reminded me of being [a] transgender [person]. But because my parents are like that, I ended up where I am now. Otherwise, it would have been a different story.” - Interview with a transgirl who continued PS; age at start PS: 12.0; age at interview: 18.1 “Yes, we as parents and I [the mother] in particular [have weighed the pros and cons of the treatment]. [...] I like to know what to expect, so I read up on things a bit more. My son is not like that; he hears it [the possibility to start the treatment], accepts it, and goes on.” - Interview with a parent of a transboy who continued PS; age at start PS: 11.9; age at interview: 18.5
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