Low Dose Therapy

[Yukari-sensei]

As much as I want to fully transition, finances and family are a major obstacle.

My therapist has conceded to giving me a referral for a low dose in addition to the standing referral for HRT. As I'm without health insurance, and the insurance my employer offers specifically excludes any trans-related care, the only current option I have is being treated in the university health system. The problem is we have no endocrinologist, only a GP.

Anyone here have experience dealing with a GP for HRT, and are level tests necessary for low dose therapy?

[luna nyan]

Tests will be necessary otherwise you will be flying blind so to speak.  Certain things need to be monitored so that a comfortable, safe level can be attained.

If your GP can confer with an endo then I don't think there should be a problem.  You may incur additional costs if your GP chooses to do so, but at least you will get access.

[katrinaw]

I am not resident of the USA, but here in Australia there are a few GP's who specialise in GID care, I am under care of one of those.

Surety firstly and then Blood tests are necessary for your own well being, there should be some questioning on your general well being as is... e.g. are you healthy, any blood-clotting, history of... in you and your family line, blood tests are needed day one, then probably a month or so after, three months then as your GP will want/agree with you... well that's how it works with me, only thing is can't prescribe or implant pellets or allow self injected hormones, pills only!
But as I say that's my GP in Australia...

For me; Endo in a few months for me, then get shot of the oral stuff...

L Katy

[DrummerGirl]

I go to a GP for HRT, and she is fantastic.  She works with a lot of transgender patients so my hormone therapy has gone really well.  I would recommend getting tests done because HRT is not specifically about standard doses, but making sure you feminize properly and checking levels can help with that.  Also, there are other tests my doctor does to identify potential problems.  My gender therapist  referred me to this GP and when I asked about why she isn't sending me to an endo, she basically said it's less about the type of doctor they are and more about how well they specialize in transgender patients.

[mrs izzy]

As much as I want to fully transition, finances and family are a major obstacle.

My therapist has conceded to giving me a referral for a low dose in addition to the standing referral for HRT. As I'm without health insurance, and the insurance my employer offers specifically excludes any trans-related care, the only current option I have is being treated in the university health system. The problem is we have no endocrinologist, only a GP.

Anyone here have experience dealing with a GP for HRT, and are level tests necessary for low dose therapy?

In the states all I used for my HRT was my GP's and never had one that would not monitor and RX my Hrt.
Did not have a Endo till I came here in Canada, now my GP here is monitoring and RX my HRT.

Hrt has enough years of use in cross hormone therapy and should not be a issue to any GP.

[LordKAT]

When my insurance said the same thing, I was still able to have my endo covered and my scripts.  Depends on the doctors coding methods I think.

[ClaireIvene]

Anyone else have significant breast growth after only 1.5 months on Spironolactone or any other anti-androgenic medication? I am really surprised and very glade that after only 1 month and 1.5 weeks of Spiro and 2 days of Estradiol and my bust is already 4 inches bigger than my under bust.

My measurements are...


38.25" Bust/34" Underbust.

32" Waist.

38" Hips.

I do have a rather feminine pelvis though... I need to see if I'm actually intersex of some sort; need a Karyotype test done something fierce!

[CB]

As much as I want to fully transition, finances and family are a major obstacle.

My therapist has conceded to giving me a referral for a low dose in addition to the standing referral for HRT. As I'm without health insurance, and the insurance my employer offers specifically excludes any trans-related care, the only current option I have is being treated in the university health system. The problem is we have no endocrinologist, only a GP.

Anyone here have experience dealing with a GP for HRT, and are level tests necessary for low dose therapy?

In the UK the GP usually prescribes and does the blood work upon recomendation from the Gender Identity Clinic. But please tell us where you are as the procedure varies considerably from country to country!

[Yukari-sensei]

I'm in the US, and to make matters worse, I am in Texas.

Realistically I know the only way to afford to transition is to be secured in my new career first. There are no state provided resources here; however, the university health system will provide care for free or at cost. During prior visits, I confirmed the MD is not comfortable providing HRT as she has no idea on how to properly dose it. Transgender patients are happily given referrals to a specialist for free; there in lies the problem...

Once it's outside the university system, there is no free care. Any visit is $100 dollars, plus the cost of any test. Easily $800 in a single visit... and this is the only clinic within 200 miles I have found willing to take trans patients on the US side of the River (Mexico may be a different story, have not looked into it).

Here's the real heart of the matter. If the doctor in the university system sees it as an anti-anxiety measure, I can easily maintain the script through the University or through other MDs that are friends. It will not be a transition dose, but perhaps it will help calm my dysphoria enough to function better.

Full HRT is out of the question for me until I finish my second degree and working full time. The goal is mentally surviving to get there.

[LivingTheDream]

I believe my insurance excludes trans related care as well but so far they have covered all my doctor visits and lab tests. At first they also covered a tiny bit of the costs of my meds as well but after they raised the lvls, started having issues so I stopped trying to use it for that; thanks to this someone from this site, found a coupon to make em cheaper than what it would be with insurance anyways. Perhaps yours would cover some or all of it tho too, endos do more than just trans issues and labs are preventive care so might be worth a shot?

Another idea, something I did the first time, was getting my labs done elsewhere. I asked my pcp to test em prior to my first endo appt so that I had that out of the way, trying to avoid a return visit or any delay. Maybe your doctor would do the same, tell you what tests you need and you could get em done at the university?