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CHICAGO (WKOW) -- Medical reports say an increasing number of transgender teens and some younger children are getting sex-changing treatment at some U.S. clinics.
The number of children getting the treatment is still small. With their parents' approval, children who believe they were born the wrong sex are getting drugs to stop puberty. They then take sex-changing hormones that they must continue for life.
One hospital in Boston gives sex-changing treatments to about 19 kids a year. It has seen a four-fold increase in patients since 1998. Kids getting the treatment often start around age 11.
Some ethicists say the treatment is a cause for concern. However, the doctors providing the treatment say these kids tend to attempt suicide or self-mutilate until they get sex-changing treatment.
The medical reports on the issue were released in the medical journal Pediatrics Monday.
