Hello Everybody :D
I am new to this forum, and this forum has helped me out SOOO much, I decided to make an account. Well on to the main topic. I am currently 15 (16 in a couple more months) and after about 3 or 4 years of questioning and trying to identify who I am, I have decided that I really want to start HRT. I feel as if I am currently forced to be hiding in a body that I know is wrong. Like wearing some shoes that aren't the right size, it's uncomfortable. I know my family will probaly have some issues with it, as I have yet to come out of the closet. Right now I identify myself as polysexual and transgender. I have done my fair share of crossdressing and it feels so... enlightening! But, I am forced to come to realization that I am stuck hiding under a mask, forced to follow the rules of society and accept reality only because I care about others and not only myself. I feel socially unacceptable. If I can't be comfortable with myself, how the fudgin donut am I suppose to be comfortable around others? And that's what leads me here. I met a friend, she (or he, sometimes) has made me realized that if I don't like myself, physically, then to do something about it. I knew what I wanted to do, after receiving so much support from that one friend, the only person I have came out to. So after doing TONS (probably an overexaggeration) if research, it feels as if I've found the answer to life. HRT. Can't belive I didn't know sooner. The only problem is, I have exactly no idea how to start. Things I want to know: What are the differences between starting know that starting at, lets say, 20ish. Should I ask my doctor first before anyone else? How much would it cost (approximately) to begin therapy, including doctor visits, blood work, medication, and all that fun stuff. Is there any other advice you can give? ANYTHING would be absoluetly great and wonderful. Thank you, that is if you do help. But yeah, halp plz. :)
Because you are underage, starting HRT is a lot more complicated than it is for an adult. HRT involves the administration of some very powerful drugs that will have a permanent effect on your reproductive system, as well as many other parts of your body.
IDK where you live, but I have not been to a place yet where a doctor can prescribe or administer drugs to a juvenile without signed, written permission from at least one parent, or, depending on the laws where you live, both parents.
I imagine that if you talk to your doctor about this, your doctor will tell you the same thing I just did.
So, like it or not, if you want HRT, you have a choice between coming out to your parents, or waiting until your eighteenth birthday.
As far as cost goes, if you are living in the U.S. your parents' health insurance should cover HRT if their plans are compliant with current federal law.
If you have to do this after you turn 18 without your parents' help, then you need to learn how to apply for federally subsidized Obamacare, and you need to get a job to pay for the things that insurance does not cover, like hair removal and facial surgery. (Since you mention crossdressing, I am assuming you are MTF).
I keep having to give this advice over and over, but the absolute best thing you can ever do for yourself, once you turn 16, is get a work permit (if you need one) and get a job. If you have no income, you are dependent on others for everything, and that is a bad position to be in when you are transitioning. With a job, you have income, you have options, and when you are older, you have a good work history that will pave the way to better opportunities.
Here are a few resources that could help you:
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,192499.msg1716659.html#msg1716659
https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,188309.msg1674885.html#msg1674885
You might ask at plannedparenthood or a lgbt center for counseling...
its possible you need only a doc/endo and parents consent... they might give a referral to docs/endos...
or they might give a referral to a good gender therapist, who can guide through the process, and give a hrt letter for a doc/endo...
hugs