Hormone replacement therapy

[Jade121]

Hi I'm 34 and I was Thinking of transitioning from male to female. I just want to know is how to get myself set up for when I finically go through with it

[Michelle_P]

Hi, Jade!

Welcome to the site.

HRT is not particularly hard to start in most parts of the world. Generally, you can find a doctor or clinic that does informed consent in most urban areas and start after one appointment with a medical provider. If that isn't available, you may need to see a therapist for multiple appointments over a few months, and get a referral to an endocrinologist.

In either case, expect to have regular blood draws and a doctor reviewing the results, as a safety measure.

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[Laurie]

  Hi Jade,

  I'm Laurie your self appointed greeter here at Susan's Place. ((Hug)) Welcome, welcome, come on in!
Michelle and others do the official greetings. I can't because I've not been ordained an administrator or a moderator ( and who would want that? They have to work).  Nope no officialling here I get to play and joke with everyone and generally have fun.  Oh btw there is coffee on the counter and hot water for tea on the stove. Soda is in the fridge and water is in the tap. Help yourself to a beverage.

  As for your request, HRT can be obtained by several means. The process differs depending on where you live. If that is what you mean by getting set up for HRT. Since you haven't really gotten started I would recommend starting with your primary care physician (PCP) or finding a gender therapist to talk to. My doctor was the first person I told at the VA and after a few questions to determine for himself that I was trans he proceeded to help me get both the medications and the therapy. For me it was that easy to get started. There was a little more back story to it but it isn't really relevant here.

  I hope you like it here and decide to stick around and let us get to know you better as you get to know us.

  Hugs,
    Laurie

[Ashley3]

Hi I'm 34 and I was Thinking of transitioning from male to female. I just want to know is how to get myself set up for when I finically go through with it

Hi Jade!,

Congrats you're going through the process of considering transition at 34... I wish I'd not been so frightened to seek out gender therapy at that time in my life, or at least the courage to come to a forum like this... it was a very different time then... anyway, pat yourself on the back!

Let me 2nd what Laurie mentioned... it depends on your part of the world, locale. Some places have clinics that make it relatively easy, other areas require a more involved process that often requires therapy toward getting a letter or approval for hormones.

I went to therapy for guidance and tips on local resources and any other info, also got a lot of information online of course. For hormones, I went to a clinic supporting "informed consent" (IC). I think the informed consent process is excellent but it requires one to be informed and responsible with choices. Just as with plastic surgery, the patient is largely making the call on whether to start hormones or wait.

If you are concerned about fertility beyond starting HRT, you might want to  discuss with your care providers available cryopreservation options in your area. I am not a doctor, but based on the info I learned from my care providers, I developed the impression it was best not to use/rely on my fertility any time after starting HRT. For myself, this meant that once I started HRT I knew in my mind I had to rely on my cryopreservation even if I ever decided to stop HRT. This had me considering the decision to start hormones much more seriously which I felt was a good thing. This may seem overly cautious to some people but it is my personal viewpoint. Anyway, these are all good things to talk about in therapy and/or the clinic you choose.

Best of luck with your process!,
Ashley