What is informed conncent???

[roseyfox]

So there is a doctor office about 20 minutes away from me and she prescribe hormones with informed consent what exactly does this mean? I am turning 18 in 4 months and plan on going on a separate insurance plan than what my mom has. She also does not know i am trans.

[Punzie]

Informed consent basically means you are competent enough to make medical decisions for yourself without the consent of someone else (ie: usually a family member, another doctor, etc.).

I'm not entirely sure, but I think you have to be at least 18 years old to qualify for Informed Consent as you have to provide your ID showing that you are old enough (unless you are an emancipated minor or have parental approval) to sign for informed consent.

What I'm guessing is that your doctor will take your blood and help sort out a plan for you and once you are 18 you can start hormones. This is just based on my own experience since I used informed consent to even be considered to start HRT.

[ChelseaAnn]

My friend went through informed consent after getting nowhere with several therapists, and I'll be going to the same place and doing the same thing.
It doesn't really have anything to do with parents or anything. Basically, they are going to give you a physical and go over your medical history and psychological history, etc. Based on that, they tell you all the risks you will have by going on hormones (they missed something with my friend, she had a stroke because of a hole in her heart that no one was aware of).
The informed consent is just saying you're aware of all the risks and you still wish to proceed with taking hormones. It's not illegal, though to most psychologists it is frowned upon, and a way to "bypass" therapy (aka read as "self-diagnosing"). So, in a way, it is saying that you feel your are competent enough to decide to take the hormones on your own, and not have someone tell you it's a good or bad idea. It also, as I've heard, tends to be cheaper. But be careful, because my friend was "rushed" on her doses (they increased them very rapidly). I will be taking it slow for my increases, as I can't afford something happening because of a rapid increase in hormones.

Hope that helps!

[melissa_h]

Yep, essentially it saves you the time and $$ related to therapy. 

Skipping therapy may or may not be a good idea depending on your particular situation (there's more we all encounter in life than being trapped in the wrong body), but the nice part about it is that the therapist doesn't become a gatekeeper to hrt treatment.


I don't want to over generalize, but I'd wager that most informed consent practices have a bit more experience with HRT for Trans patients than traditional endos. Informed consent tends to be a nice signal for a progressive minded practitioner.

[roseyfox]

Okiedokie i do plan on getting the therapy, Because i do not believe i am allowed to go through surgery without it like srs. But i am very impatient and plan on setting up a appointment with her a month after my 18th birthday. I want to start hormones right away and don't see the living as her for one year before hormones or at least that how it was described to me if you went the more official way. I know the risk however to me there worth it.