First appt with the Endocrinologist

[Twoman44]

Hi there!
My husband (no transition yet) MtF has his first appointment with the Endocrinologist on Monday.... He had labs drawn that show some protein in his urine and has high cholesterol. Would theses things cause the Dr to not prescribe a low dose of HRT? What conditions would a Dr not prescribe hormone therapy?

[AnonyMs]

It depends on the doctor to some extent. I've had high cholesterol and been prescribed hrt, but I'm sure there's other doctors who would refuse. Being on hrt helped me get it back to normal.

The one thing I know would be a problem is having an estrogen sensitive cancer.

[jill610]

The protein in the urine could be a concern, if it's significantly higher than normal that can be a sign of renal problems.

[Dena]

I know of a person with one failed kidney and the other partially functional who received a normal HRT dosage. It turned out that the Spiro actually helped the kidney function better. The cholesterol can be controlled, preferably with diet but there are several medications that could also be used. I can't say for sure but it's likely these conditions won't prevent HRT treatment.

[NoName01]

I have high cholesterol. It actually went down a bit after starting HRT. The doctor didn't see it as a problem to not give me the prescription.

[Laurie]

I've had borderline high cholesterol and was put on a statin for it 2 months ago and my cholesterol in now smach dab in the middle of the good range. I also only have one kidney, half a pancreas, and am a diabetic. I've had cancer 3 times.  I am on hrt w/o a problem.

  Hugs,
   Laurie

[Twoman44]

Update: The Endocrinologist prescribed a low dose of Spiro to start off with. In 30 days the labs will be checked to make sure his/her labs are still in a good range to continue. We have a 3 month follow up to see about upping the dose or adding Estrogen to the regimen. My husband
(he prefers this term) is nervous but relieved to finally have something he has wanted for a long time. Now we just need to sit back and wait for any changes.

[Dena]

Starting with one drug and ramping up the dosage is a pretty standard treatment. Most of the time there are not problems but a few people have had issues with Spiro so this approach makes it clear if the problem is because of the Spiro or the estradiol. In addition, because of the side effects of Spiro, it's best to get the lowest dosage that does the job.