HRT Under 18

[Princess]

Is there anyone who's under 18 that got on hormones or something? Everyone tells me i'm too young.

[lady amarant]

According to the Harry Benjamin SOC, you can start HRT at 16. If they are telling you different, either they are using an old version, or using a different Standard, and I would shop around for a different care-giver if I were you.

Adolescents may be eligible to begin masculinizing or feminizing hormone therapy as early as age 16, preferably with parental consent. In many countries 16-year olds are legal adults for medical decision making, and do not require parental consent.

If you are younger than that, you can be put on LHRH agonists that prevent or slow your birth-puberty, avoiding some of the destructive effects that the wrong set of hormones has on your body

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standards_of_care_for_gender_identity_disorders
http://wpath.org/Documents2/socv6.pdf

Also keep in mind that much will depend on the country you are in. Many of the European countries, for example, use modified SOC's. For example, in the UK, you aren't legally allowed to start HRT before you are 18.

If you need more info, feel free to PM me.

[tinkerbell]

VII. Requirements for Hormone Therapy for Adults
Reasons for Hormone Therapy. Cross-sex hormonal treatments play an important role in the
anatomical and psychological gender transition process for properly selected adults with gender
identity disorders. Hormones are often medically necessary for successful living in the new
gender. They improve the quality of life and limit psychiatric co-morbidity, which often
accompanies lack of treatment. When physicians administer androgens to biologic females and
estrogens, progesterone, and testosterone-blocking agents to biologic males, patients feel and
appear more like members of their preferred gender.
Eligibility Criteria. The administration of hormones is not to be lightly undertaken because of
their medical and social risks. Three criteria exist.
1. Age 18 years;
2. Demonstrable knowledge of what hormones medically can and cannot do and their social
benefits and risks;
3. Either:
a. A documented real-life experience of at least three months prior to the administration
of hormones; or
b. A period of psychotherapy of a duration specified by the mental health professional
after the initial evaluation (usually a minimum of three months).
In selected circumstances, it can be acceptable to provide hormones to patients who have not
fulfilled criterion 3 – for example, to facilitate the provision of monitored therapy using
hormones of known quality, as an alternative to black-market or unsupervised hormone use.

From this link.

You have to be eighteen to be considered for HRT; however,  anti-androgens can be prescribed.

tink

[lady amarant]

You have to be eighteen to be considered for HRT; however,  anti-androgens can be prescribed.

tink

There's a seperate section on the SOC, starting on the bottom of page 8, specifically about treating adolescents. The section on physical treatment starts about halfway down page 10.

[lady amarant]

The SOC is a set of guidelines that professionals choose to adhere to. So for example, here in the UK you could go to a public health gender clininc, and fall under their stricter, modified SOC, or you could go to a private practitioner that has decided to practice by a more flexible standard. Basically, it boils down to you asking every therapist you try by which SOC they practice.

You shouldn't have problems getting onto anti-androgens. Just keep in mind that you do need to replace the hormones you are blocking with something else eventually, or you run the risk of osteoporosis, heart-problems and other health concerns. I was on anti-androgens for about a year before starting oestrogen about 6 weeks ago now. The main reason I started and didn't delay until going home to South Africa in August besides the obvious (I WANNA TRANSITION!!!) was because of concerns over bone-density.

Hope it helps,

~Simone.

[Kt]

Princess, I can confirm personally what you're hearing about the SOC,
I started anti-androgens at 15, and estrogen at 16, at the time I was seeing an endocrinologist who follows the SOC guidelines.

There is simply nothing illegal or against the SOC about starting HRT before 18.