What are actual reasons against physical transition for kids under 18?

HRT effects fertility differently in different people. Most common seems to be that fertility is lowered (but not completely gone) while regularly taking hormones and returns within a few months if you stop taking them. Many trans people have successfully conceived years, and even decades, into physical transition. Surgery that removes the gonads (obviously) permanently and completely removes fertility.

In any case though, while this risk is important for trans youth to know and have a chance to think about, I don't agree that this is an actual argument against transition. That, to me, is saying that a hypothetical potential future child is more important than a real child who is actually present in the here and now. Further, if we do actually care about that potential future child, we want them to be born to loving healthy parents, and denying someone transition makes it real difficult for them to be mentally healthy.

/r/asktransgender Thread Parent