I just found this site and I'm not sure I'm even posting in the right thing, also not sure if this is just an American site or what, or if there is any Australian's here from Victoria that can help me out. I'm going to try and keep this short. I recently came out to my Dad and my GP as ftm in the hopes of beginning HRT before I turned 18. Turns out you have to be 18 to start hormones in Victoria, Australia unless you have a court order which requires consent from both parents but I have no contact with one of them and I doubt my Dad takse this seriously enough to go to court over it. So my GP referred me to this place called Headspace so I could get counseling done, thing is that ISN'T what I have in mind at the moment, sure I know I'm going to need counseling eventually, I told my GP how I wanted to get on hormones but she has no experience with that sort of thing so she just sent me to Headspace thinking I'd get everything I need there but the GP's at Headspace cannot help with that sort of thing so I wasted my time going there for a couple of appointments. The other day I told the counselor that I didn't want counseling yet, and that there is some sort of a mix up because I told my GP I wanted to get on hormones and Headspace can't help with that at all. So the counselor at Headspace called up some places near wear I live (I live in Geelong) and managed to find a doctor not too far from where I live, that is able to start me on hormones. But it's going to cost me to visit him, not a lot, but my Dad isn't exactly supportive and because that medical center doesn't bulk bill I'd have to pay an amount I can't really afford because I work casually on minimum wage and I can't even afford a binder yet. So I made an appointment with that doctor at that place anyway. I've been told by a lot of ftms in Victoria that I should ask my GP to refer me to Dr Campbell Paul at The Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, so I'll probably do that when my usual GP gets off holidays. But I know I still can't get on hormones till I'm 18 but apparently they can prescribe hormone blockers? I'm not sure how that would work cause aren't they usually for people who haven't hit puberty yet? or can you get them even if you have hit puberty to reduce feminization or something? I'm well into puberty so I'm not sure what difference hormone blockers are supposed to do. Apparently the Royal Children's Hospital can also help with making an application to start hormone therapy? I feel so stuck. I don't want to pay for this other GP if he can't help but I'm not so sure exactly what he can help with, and I don't want to be running all over the place and paying for things that won't help like doctors, hormone blockers etc. Hoping there is someone on here from Vic, Australia that can help me out with some info. Should I just wait till my usual GP gets back and get a referral from her to the Royal Children's Hospital like everyone else is saying I should? It'd be a struggle for transport there since my Dad doesn't take me being ftm seriously. Or should I go see this doctor near where I live but waste my money on him if he can't help with anything?? Also, what exactly are hormone blockers supposed to do if you're post-prepubescent? sorry if this is too much information but if anyone could help please give me some info. I'm really stressing and I feel like coming out to my Dad and GP has only made me feel worse, more depressed and like I'm going backwards because I'm still getting nowhere with my transition.

Hi Nick,

ANZPATH.  www.anzpath.org has a list of therapists available in Victoria. Ask your GP for a referral to one of those. HRT and gender therapy is comparatively straight forward in Australia.

thank you very much I'll check it out 

Your not allowed to state your age here and so on, but hormone blockers won't help unless you are pretty young, but it really depends on what level of adolescence you are in (or not). Puberty goes in Tanner stages which is explained briefly here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanner_scale
If you are in the midst of the wrong adolescence, they temporarily block the hormones. You won't develop more and you will stop having periods. You must continue to take them.

Lupron is prescribed most in the US but not sure re: Australia. All the blockers are in injections and are very expensive, of course your health care should cover this but not sure what hurdles you get to jump over.

If you are in later adolescence or post-adolescence they don't do much at all. (Might be different if you were going the "other way") but it might stop your period, which is nothing to sneeze at. Honestly don't see why but some countries require this before you start on T. Not sure how things are in Australia. It may be due to the idea that T can stunt  your growth, no seriously it can.

We have some guys here who have taken blockers and even if they get on too late they have relatively less growth in the chest and that sort of thing. So it's good even if you were on say Tanner stage 3-4. So instead of having a double incision chest reconstruction they can have a peri.

Yes this is an international site. Welcome to the site!


--Jay

Greetings from a fellow newbie. I am under 18, in Australia, and as you can see I have already started testosterone, so hopefully I can help you out

Basically, it isn't impossible to start hormones before you are 18, it is just very complicated. I was having this conversation the other day and I decided to set up a group on Facebook just for people under 18 in Australia, to share information about legal stuff, and also all the other fun things we have to deal with... I don't know if one of us can email the other or something, because I don't think the information we need to share can be done under the rules of the site (and also there are people's names that I wouldn't be comfortable sharing on a public forum).

I'll try to simplify it to its very basics. Whether or not the hormone blockers are going to be of use to you tells you which way to go. If you are still going through significant aspects of puberty (if you are still experiencing, for example, breast or height changes) then the blockers will be useful. You can get them through a hospital. You will then need to get a court order to allow you to access testosterone. You will be put onto testosterone very slowly and this will allow you to be partially masculinised in your first puberty (it won't reverse what has already happened).

If you don't need the blockers then you are best going straight onto testosterone. The easiest way to do this is to find a doctor who is willing to prescribe to people under 18 and convince them you are "gillick competent" (easier said than done, I'm afraid). Unfortunately I only know of one doctor who will do this and he is several thousand kilometers away from you. I do believe there are more of them in the southern states though, so you might have some good luck.

It is a pretty complicated process, but I hope I was helpful, and if you join the group I will be able to give you more info