Hey! So I was thinking earlier and got myself kind of confused lol. Let's use me as an example. I'm a MtF trans girl. I haven't legally changed names or gender yet. But my question is, once I do those things legally and am legally a woman, do I need to tell future doctors that I'm transgender, and was born a "male"? I notice a lot of the time health questions are different for males and females, and normal ranges for let's say, blood pressure, are different for males and females. So, what do we do? Does the HRT make it so our bodies are supposed to be in female ranges? Or do we still base certain health aspects, such as blood pressure, etc, on a "males" body? Does any of this even make any sense?? Lol
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I present to my medics as female and do not tell them that I was AMAB. Unfortunately I have been in and out of hospital quite a bit over the last year and no one has cared about a male or female normal range.
I am asked the usual, last period, am I pregnant or could I be.
BP and some haematological measurements are hormone dependent and for example BP tends to drop to the female range once you are reassigned.
Hi Kadence,
It make a lot of sense. They are good questions and I too would be interested in the answers.
Hugs,
Jeanette
There's nothing wrong with telling people that you are female. Except... At some point, you are going to have to have regular prostate exams. That is not on the normal checkup for cis females, so you will have to tell the doc that you were AMAB.
Aparently the insurance company computers have kittens when the doc enters the codes for a prostate exam for a trans woman or a pap smear for a trans man. All good fun. :P
I am open with my doctors because I could get questions as to why I take estrogen. Another complication is if you are treated for a UTI, it can take longer to clear it if you still have the male plumbing so you need more antibiotics in your prescription. This is why I stay with trans friendly doctors because I would hate to walk in and encounter a doctor who has issues over needed treatment information.
What we tell is a very personal choice. As a retired provider I believe we are far better served if our primary provider has accurate information to assist us. If i decline to tell about medications and past surgeries regarding my transition or what body parts might be atypically present or absent I am opening myself up to medical mistakes and inadvertent episodes. In the USA our medical history is protected info and a violation to unnecessarily share.
I simply would never have a doctor or provider that i could not trust with the truth. What's the point of seeing someone we don't trust and keeping diagnostically valuable info from them? That could hurt us! Drug interactions are a serious matter as an example.
I don't need to share everything with everyone but if it's not on my chart who is responsible for the potential misgendering or mistakes?
Quote from: Kadence1 on March 01, 2017, 07:47:12 PM
I notice a lot of the time health questions are different for males and females, and normal ranges for let's say, blood pressure, are different for males and females. So, what do we do? Does the HRT make it so our bodies are supposed to be in female ranges? Or do we still base certain health aspects, such as blood pressure, etc, on a "males" body?
I am in full agreement that our doctors and other medical providers need to know our history. Heck that was the reason I felt I needed to come out to my primary care physician after I had started HRT. In my mind he HAD to know in order to treat me properly.
I am more curious with the intellectual questions posed above. Does the process of HRT change the perspective or reference of our bodies in relation to gender biased testing? Obviously most of us did not grow up with the prerequisite anatomy of our chosen genders but does our choices change us to the extent of testing being affected?
Got me thinking and that usually does not bode well.
Hugs,
Jeanette
Hello
I think that at one point or another it will be unavoidable to tell your physician that you are trans. Questions about your last period, their regularity, inter-period bleeding, your last papsmear and colposcopy eventually will pretty much always come up in a general checkup. As others have said, it's important to be honest with your doctor to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary tests. If you tell them for example that your mother and sister had breast cancer at 45 years old, they might ask you for a yearly mammography from the age of 35, exposing you to radiation for no reason. Last, as it has been mentioned, it is important that your physician knows the medication you are taking, to evaluate possible interactions, as well as past surgeries.
As for blood pressure values, I don't think there's significant differences between the sexes. I reckon the red blood cell count should be modified after HRT, since Testosterone induces erythropoietin, which in turn increases red blood cells levels. If we administer then testosterone blockers and estrogens, erythropoiesis should decrease. However, I couldn't find scientific papers to back this up.
Quote from: David1987 on March 16, 2017, 09:03:19 PM
Hello
I think that at one point or another it will be unavoidable to tell your physician that you are trans. Questions about your last period, their regularity, inter-period bleeding, your last papsmear and colposcopy eventually will pretty much always come up in a general checkup. As others have said, it's important to be honest with your doctor to avoid misdiagnosis and unnecessary tests. If you tell them for example that your mother and sister had breast cancer at 45 years old, they might ask you for a yearly mammography from the age of 35, exposing you to radiation for no reason. Last, as it has been mentioned, it is important that your physician knows the medication you are taking, to evaluate possible interactions, as well as past surgeries.
As for blood pressure values, I don't think there's significant differences between the sexes. I reckon the red blood cell count should be modified after HRT, since Testosterone induces erythropoietin, which in turn increases red blood cells levels. If we administer then testosterone blockers and estrogens, erythropoiesis should decrease. However, I couldn't find scientific papers to back this up.
David,
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I am with Kaiser, and transitioning under the care of one of their transgender units. Since I am listed in their files as transgender and every doctor in every department at Kaiser has access to the same electronic file, it is a nonissue with me.
They all know, they also know my current legal name (assigned from birth) as well as my true name and preferred pronouns.
I also came out to my dentist the first time I saw them after I started transition, because if they are going to be shooting me full of lidocaine, they need to know at the very least that I am on spironolactone, and letting them know I am on estrogen is just a good idea.