Selena Simmons-Duffin

And their position statement seems very skeptical of the potential benefits of surgery for transgender youth and concluded that patients should wait until at least age 19.

ASPS told me they do not gather data on the number of these procedures done in a year.

The CDC estimates about 3% of teenagers are transgender.

A small portion of them seek surgery as minors.

So basically, we're talking about a really small group.

And mostly the surgery in question is breast or top surgery for transgender boys.

I talked to a mom in California today.

She asked NPR not to use her name because she fears for her family's safety.

She says her child came out as transgender at age 13.

And she and her husband did not want to okay surgery because it felt really scary to them.

It's permanent.

There are risks.

So she says for years, her transgender son used clothes and bandages and binders to flatten his chest.

The parents finally agreed to top surgery, and she says the process of getting it was arduous.

Her son is now 17.

He had surgery two years ago, and she says that he's really blossomed.

There have been conflicting reports about the American Medical Association's position.

They sent me a statement that, quote, the AMA supports evidence-based treatment, including gender affirming care, and then added that based on available evidence, quote, surgical interventions in minors should generally be deferred to adulthood.

AMA tells me that is not a reversal or an endorsement of the plastic surgeon's new position.

It's a clarification of the group's existing position.