Information On Estrogen Hormone Therapy Gender Affirming
Check out some of the common and major changes that you can expect when you start hormones: 1. Facial/Body Hair. Trans guys, get your razors ready. Typically, you can expect an increase in body. Male-to-female hormone therapy, or estrogen hormone therapy, can cause a person to experience physical, emotional, sexual, and reproductive changes. Some transgender people transition with.
With Help Of A Parent Or Guardian
This is the easy and safe way. I really hope you will come out to your family and have them help you with medical transition.
The only reasons to get these drugs without their help is if you might get
- another family member who wont help you
What Can I Do If My Gp Wont Give Me A Bridging Prescription
Bridging prescriptions are issued at the discretion of the individual GP, and they are not obligated to do so.
On the NHS, you have the right to ask for a new GP if you wish to without having to give a reason for your request . If your GP refuses to issue a bridging prescription, you can switch to a new GP and try again. You may wish to do some research about different GPs to see if there are any who you think may be willing to help you. Action for Trans Health have compiled a list of GPs with whom trans patients report positive experiences, although this is not a guarantee that any individual GP will issue a bridging prescription or be welcoming to all trans patients .
You can do this within the same practice at your old GP, or at a different practice. You do not need the consent of your GP to change GPs. When you have found another GP willing to accept you, you should contact them and ask if they will take you on. You do not need to tell them why you want to leave your old GP. However, if you are switching GPs specifically in order to try and obtain a bridging prescription, you may wish to ask your potential new GP if they would be open to doing this or if they have any experience treating trans patients before you switch over to them.
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Transgender Ftm & Mtf Hrt
If youre interested in hormone replacement therapy in Atlanta, you are in good hands. Transitioning is the single-most important decision an individual can make. While transgender hormone replacement therapy is a safe treatment that comes with minimal risks and undesirable side-effects, its important to start HRT with a specialist who can help design your program, all the while providing support and advice.
Whether youre making the transition from male-to-female or female-to-male, as a transgender individual, you need to consider the quality of your overall health care. Unfortunately most general physicians and healthcare providers are not properly equipped to care for transgender patients. In turn, you can benefit from having a supportive and experienced specialist by your side as you begin a new chapter in your life.
Erin Everett, NP-C, AAHIVS, is a provider of healthcare for transgender patients in Atlanta who offers hormone replacement therapy for both transgender men and women. Erin is committed to providing a safe, nondiscriminatory space for everyone to receive the highest quality healthcare especially those within Atlantas LGBTQ community. For more information about transgender hormone replacement therapy in Atlanta, contact Erin to learn more.
Creating Your Hormone Therapy Plan
Well need to look at several factors, including:
- Your goals how much you hope to change
- Your age and medical history
A blood test happens first. This will give us a baseline to compare against after you start hormones.
Analyzing your blood also helps us see if taking hormones could cause side effects. And well continue to monitor your blood levels during therapy to make sure youre OK.
We usually get lab results back in a couple of days. If we dont see any issues, usually then your transgender hormone therapy can start.
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How To Learn More
If you want to learn more about estrogen-based GAHT, the best place to start is by talking to your healthcare provider. However, if you dont have one, you can find a local gender-affirming provider near you by visiting the WPATH provider directory or checking to see if you live in a state covered by Plume, a telehealth company providing gender-affirming care, made by and for trans people.
Plume offers a mobile app where you can consult with a provider, develop an individualized treatment plan, and have your prescriptions delivered to your door, all for a flat monthly fee of $99 . You can learn more about Plumes GAHT services on their website.
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How Does Feminizing Hormone Therapy Work
You start by taking anti-androgens to block testosterone production. Then, after a few weeks, you take estrogen. This hormone comes in many forms, including:
People who choose feminizing hormone therapy start with a low dose of estrogen. The appropriate amount is different for each person. Your healthcare provider determines the type and dose thats right for you.
Starting with a low dose helps reduce the risk of complications and side effects. Then, as your body gets used to it, your provider will increase the dosage. After achieving the desired results, you take a lower dose for the rest of your life.
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How Much Do Hormones Cost For Transgender
The cost of obtaining prescriptions and regular check-ups can range between $1,500 and $2,000 per year. Trans men on hormone therapy typically receive testosterone injections for around $80 per month and testosterone patches for more than $300.
Since Trumps announcement that the US would no longer accept transgender individuals, the cost of their care has come under increased scrutiny. According to the RAND Corporation, there are only 2450 transgender active members of the 1.3 million active members of the armed forces. Increasing health care coverage for gender transition-related care for active military personnel will increase the cost by 0.04% to 0.13%. Various surveys have estimated that approximately 1% to 3% of the population has experienced gender dysphoria. Transsexual people require additional support in addition to hormone therapy, psychological care, and surgical procedures. Dr. Hopwood estimates that between 75% and 78% of those seeking gender-affirming care have had hormone therapy. Approximately one-fifth of transgender women had venioplasties between the ages of 30 and 50.
Having more mainstream acceptance of transgender people may have a minimal impact on the future of care. According to Dr. Hsu, his health system noticed an increase in the number of transgender cases. Dr. Leach said she hoped that more providers gained experience and were more comfortable treating transgender patients as a result of the program.
Male To Female Hormone Options
There are many different types of hormones used for transitioning. These include progesterone and androgens . Both testosterone and progesterone can be taken orally, via injections, or topically.
There are many different delivery methods for hormones and each has its associated risks and benefits.
Please note that we are not medical professionals the information provided here is an aggregate of research across the internet.
It should not be considered medical advice. Please speak to your physician before beginning any hormone therapy treatment plan.
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Sketchy Pharmacies Are Selling Hormones To Transgender People
Burdened by cost and medical discrimination, many people are taking a do-it-yourself approach to transitioning.
Two years ago at Burning Man, Andrea tripped on ayahuasca and had visions of herself as a woman in a past life. At the time, Andrea, a 33-year-old transgender woman, identified as a man, but she had struggled with gender dysphoria since high school. Growing up I had no transgender role models, and there was nobody to tell me that what I felt was something anyone else had, she says. I was unhappy with how I was living, and I really wished I had been born with a female body.
After meeting a few transgender women at the famed music and arts festival, Andrea decided to pursue her own transition. But when she sought out feminizing hormones through clinics around her home in Philadelphia, she ran into lengthy waiting lists and high costs. So she decided to experiment on her own. She ordered Estradiol, a commonly prescribed form of estrogen, and Spironolactone, a testosterone blocker traditionally prescribed to transgender women, from an online pharmacy without a prescription.
For Andrea, the do-it-yourself method was only a stepping-stone towards a doctor-managed approach. But she may return to DIY to retain the independence and control it gave her, she says. It’s not fun to depend on having sympathetic doctors around every two months to refill prescriptions.
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Finding A Doctor Or Clinic
Trans services offered at the Nelson-Tebedo Clinic is a great option offered by the Dallas Resource Center as part of their Gender-affirming Health Services. While there is a waitlist to begin treatment, services are lower-cost. This clinic requires a letter from a counselor in support of HRT to seek treatment.
Planned Parenthood Denton offers HRT on an informed-consent basis, which means they do not require a letter from a therapist to begin treatment. Prices for their services vary, but you can make an appointment with Pride Alliance staff, and we’ll help you figure it out.
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Testosterone Is Available In The Following Forms:
· Testosterone , is available as a patch re-applied daily. Its common for the skin around the patch to feel irritated.· Testosterone esters , are available in combination as an injection into muscle or subcutaneous fat, usually administered every 2-3 weeks.· Testosterone cipionate , is available as an injection into muscle or subcutaneous fat, usually every two weeks. Subcutaneous injections are often easier and less risky to administer than intramuscular.· Testosterone undecylate , is available as an injection into muscle every 10-12 weeks. This is usually administered by a healthcare provider, and patients are not permitted to self-administer.The above-named brands of testosterone are funded at 2020.· Testosterone is also available as a non-branded injection into muscle or subcutaneous fat from compounding pharmacies such as Optimus Health. The advantage of this option is higher concentrations can be ordered than those that are fully funded, meaning that the volume of liquid injected is much smaller.· Dihydrotestosterone or DHT, is a more powerful androgen than testosterone. It can be topically applied directly to the genitals to increase growth. However, the cream is not available in Aotearoa and should not be used without the supervision of a qualified professional.
Blood tests:
FBC , LFT HbA1c , Lipids, Testosterone .
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A Very Serious Warning Before You Begin
Please, please, please understand that this advice is intended only for the seriously gender dysphoric and those who understand that they are transsexual. If you have any doubt at all about your transsexuality do not seek out hormone replacement therapy and contact a therapist to discuss your situation. Many universities offer therapy to the general population on a sliding scale. There is a high cost for those who transition but are not transsexuals and Lynn Conway explains this better than I can.
Also understand that it is highly recommended that you consult a doctor at all stages of your transition to ensure that you are doing the right thing, being monitored for any abnormalities that hormone replacement therapy may cause and that you are physically fit and able to have any therapy that you seek.
In summary:
How Do I Start Taking Hormones
To begin HRT, you must obtain a referral letter from a licensed mental health provider that abides by WPATH Standards of Care guidelines. What is the best way to start HRT? To obtain a referral letter from your licensed mental health provider, meet with him or her and sign the Release of Information Form.
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Option : Clinics And Providers That Dont Give A Damn
There are clinics out there that either do not require therapist intervention at all or require therapist intervention that does not fall in line with the standards of care. Basically, if you cannot find a clinic or provider in your area that follows the Tom Waddell standards, this is your next best option. Finding these clinics are difficult since they do not advertise what their requirements are.
One thing I would recommend is that you talk with people in the local transgender community to find a doctor that does not care about therapist requirements or has low therapist requirements. These doctors are not uncommon but can be tricky to find. If, however, no one knows of provider or clinic which would accommodate this requirement it is highly suggested that you starting phoning clinics and providers in your local area to find one that will provide services to you at no or low therapist requirement.
Generally, OB/GYNs and alternative medicine doctors have a higher level of acceptanceâespecially if they are curious enough to want to learn from the experience. It is highly suggested that you bring them a copy of the Tom Waddell standards so they will have something other than the Harry Benjamin Standards to reference. Ask the clinics and providers with low therapist requirements what they will require and what a letter would need to state in order to get care.
Hormone Prescription With Assessment By A Wpath Soc
If you do not have a family doctor, or nurse practitioner, or your provider feels assessment/prescribing hormones is beyond their scope,
What is an assessment?
Assessments explore any social, mental or physical health concerns and the risks and benefits of hormone therapy. In Nova Scotia, assessments for hormone therapy are done by clinicians trained in World Professional Association for Transgender Health Standards of Care.
Who will do my assessment?
Only certain health care providers who are trained in the WPATH Standards of Care can perform an assessment. Trained health care providers include psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, mental health counsellors, marriage and family therapists, nurses, or family medicine doctors with specific training in behavioural health and counselling.
What can I expect from the assessment?
The assessment will include up to three appointments. The health care provider doing the assessment is trying to understand your gender dysphoria. They will ask you questions about your expectations for treatment, support systems, and current mental health status, and make sure you understand informed consent.
Remember: you have the right to ask the person doing the hormone readiness assessment for a copy of your letter and to clarify any information that is inaccurate or confusing.
Self-refer to the Community Mental Health Team
Self-refer to prideHealth
Self-refer to Halifax Sexual Health Centre
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Without Help Of A Parent Or Guardian
It is better to get help from your family. That is the choice I hope you will make. These other options are often not as safe.
From a family planning clinic
- Planned Parenthood
- At this time, only some Planned Parenthood health centers have hormones for trans people. Even fewer can help young trans people. The best way to find out is to call your nearest Planned Parenthood health center.
- If you cannot get hormones, you may be able to get blood tests done. This can help if you are taking drugs without medical supervision.
From adult friends and peers
- You might ask a trusted friend or family member who is over 18 to help you. You will need to come out to them. There is a chance they might tell your family, so think hard before talking to someone.
- If you know trusted adults in your area who are making a gender change, you may be able to get one of them to help you.
- Do not ask people you meet online, even other people who say they are like you. Only ask people you have already met in person and trust.
- You can ask them to order what you want from an online pharmacy. Then you can pay them. They need to know this is probably against the law.
How To Cope With Side Effects Of Testosterone
Testosterone, also referred to as T, is the main hormone used in hormone replacement therapy that accompanies transgender cosmetic surgery. The reason testosterone is the prominent hormone in HRT is because it is responsible for promoting physical traits generally associated with male characteristics and suppresses the production of estrogen, the hormone responsible for female characteristics. T produces many desired effects on the transitioning body, such as the growth of chest and facial hair, and changes to the voice. However, testosterone can produce many negative effects on your mental health. Most people are able to recover from the mental effects of T on their own, while others require the help of a healthcare professional or mental health worker.
What are the mental side effects of testosterone?
Many people report that they are frustrated, angry, and irritable for no reason. Depending on the dose of T you are receiving, it can also create feelings of depression and wild mood swings. In severe cases, the mental side effects of testosterone include the destabilization of bipolar or schizoaffective disorder. For some people, these disorders lie dormant until they are released through hormone replacement therapy.
Where do you turn when the mental effects of T are too much to handle?
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