Hey, I am 18 year old uni student from Calgary Alberta, since I was 16 I knew I was trans. I dont know how to begin the process, I desperately want to get on HRT. Reading many articles online and posts on Susans place itself it seems like Calgary is not a very good place to be for trans individuals. All I read are stories of long therapy periods followed by wait lists to see the proper individuals who can get you started on HRT, seems like some people are left waiting years before being able to transition physically. It feels like Alberta itself is trying to prevent transitioning, maybe it's just my frustration, but it's the same story every time. People are forced to look elsewhere for HRT if they want to transition without hassle, I understand the need for a process but looking at the requirements for HRT here it just looks redundant.
I am also a full time student, living with conservative parents, I don't have the money or the resources to do much else other than look for local options.
I am blessed to be born in a time where the trans community has access to resources that they didn't just a few years ago. We are still struggling, imo, to get the care we need.
I was wondering if anyone else has had this experience or something similar and what they ended up doing about it? Do you have any suggestions for me? I am young and inexperienced, I value any input you have, thanks for reading this long post! 

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I am in the USA so I do not know the requirements in Canada.

A good place to start is a gender therapist experienced in treating trans.

You could have a look here:

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php?topic=191353.0

You have a few options:
aking your GP for hrt
asking at
Dr. Serghei Popov
Dr. Ted Jablonski
Dr. Lev Gurevich
having a look at the Informed Consent Clinic in vancouver.
It might be only a few rides a year.


*hugs*

Welcome to Susan's Place. I was never exposed to much of this until I came to this site. The problem with socialized medicine is that resources are not always allocated where they are needed in sufficient quantity. Yes you receive free or low cost medical care but when the government gets around to providing it. In the United States, medical care is pretty easy to get but you pay a price for it that some find it's hard to afford. If you want what the government offers, you will have to find a location that can provide it or wait until its your turn to receive it. Your other option is going private if you can find a doctor in Canada and if not, you would have to see if care is available in the United states and pay out of pocket.

I know how it feels to know treatment is available but you have to wait for it. I was 13 when I figured out what I was but by 23 years old, there still wasn't any local treatment. I had to move 400 miles to receive treatment and surgery didn't come until I was age 30. For me it was years of pounding away at the problem until medical treatment advanced enough to treat me. Then it became a matter of finding the pieces I needed and finishing the job. It will be much easer for you because you have the internet and any problems you encounter will have answers.

In case you miss it, I was 13 years old in 1964, the same year John Hopkins started the first program to treat transsexuals in the United States. The hospital was over 2000 miles away from me and treatment wouldn't be considered unless you were over 18 years of age.

Thank you for the replies 

http://albertatrans.org/
http://www.thetransgenderproject.com/#!/2015/06/12/alberta-transgender-resources/

Howdy neighbour!
I live in Edmonton and I feel the same way. It is so intimidating to even think about wait times in the multi-year range to even get into the gender identity clinic here in Edmonton. Even scarier knowing that there are only two doctors in Alberta who can currently make referrals for surgeries... I don't even have a family doctor right now... so I currently feel like transition is futile.
If you are a student at UofC (and maybe the smaller schools), the Q centre would be a good starting point. They, or student health services, could probably refer you to a trans friendly physician to get the ball rolling. The Q centre would probably be able to provide social supports too and people to provide advice.

Good luck! I look forward to hearing more from a fellow Albertan.

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

Thank you arice, I will let you know!

Thank you Kay