- [x] Blahaj Lemmy transition
- [ ] medical transition
- [ ] social transition
- [ ] legal transition
Jokes aside though, while I'm struggling to find therapists for an official diagnosis (which I need for hrt to happen) I unexpectedly got an appointment with an endocrinologist already.
While that won't get me anywhere in the foreseeable future, it's still nice to have this first talk, and get all the important things out of the way ahead of time.
So, what are some important infos I should give them?
- Medical history: Past illnesses and diagnoses, known allergies, medication I take
- My personal goals, what I wish to achieve
- How does my current day to day life look in terms of physical fitness and mental health
And what are some important questions I should ask them?
- Potential risks and side effects
- Does any of the info I gave them conflict with hrt
- What changes can I expect, and how quickly
- How often should I have follow-up appointments for which purpose, either twith them or with my GP
- Where do I go to freeze some of my genderfluid, in case I want to have biological children one day
- How would a change in calorie intake affect the changes hrt introduces (primarily in terms of fat gain)
- Are there any lifestyle changes I should make to ensure everything will go as smoothly as possible
- What support resources are available for further questions that may go beyond endocrinology expertise
Do any of you lovely ladies have anything to add?
I want to make the most out of this first appointment even if it won't make the whole process go forward by much.
At least everything will be taken care of by the time I'm officially allowed to take E.
Congratulations! You're first visit should be pretty chill. They should talk to you about how long you've felt this way, if you've taken any steps to transition, a health history, and if they're good, they will ask about your support system.
They should go over all the potential risks and effects of feminizing hormone therapy, including what's 'permanent', how long changes take. You should also be open if you smoke/vape - it won't preclude you from taking E, but if you smoke you shouldn't take it orally.
You should have some labs drawn for baseline levels. Usually they check estrogen, testosterone, a complete metabolic panel, a complete blood count, and they should probably do prolactin and a lipid panel (lipid is a fasting panel ideally, but if you're not used to having your blood taken make sure you eat something before the visit).
You can usually start the medications before getting your labs back, unless you have a medical history that warrants waiting, although that's kind of up to the prescriber.
Visits should be every 3 months the first year, then 6 months the second year, and them yearly. You may need slightly more frequent visits if you change the route of your medication, or if you're labs aren't in the goal range.
It's important to look into minority stress and see if they have any resources or groups they can connect you with. Trans folks have higher rates of mental illness - that's not because there is something inherently wrong with us. It's because we live in a society that can be very hostile to us, even in places that are considered progressive. Start working on resilience now, and try not to do it alone. It's a lot.
Finally, my personal recommendation is to look into voice lessons, especially if you are not socially out. Not only is it rewarding to have your voice reflect who you really are, having the space to try out your identity, name, pronouns, presentation, etc. in a safe and affirming space can be just wonderful. It really helped me figure some things out when I wasn't sure exactly where my path would lead.
And, in the ancient wisdom of our people, just remember - you got this.
Thank you so much!
I hope I have at least a possible outlook on the diagnosis when I'm there for this first visit.
Most therapists that have anything to do with gender identity have waiting times of a year at the very least. The majority can't even put new patients on a waiting list in good conscience.
If only health insurance would approve more therapists, at least I could then see a reason why they're jacking up their prices every few months.
Depending on where you are, you might not need a diagnosis. In the states, any physician that works in gender care can diagnose you as long as they follow the Endocrine Society/WPATH guidelines. Planned Parenthood is a great resource to get started (if you're US, apologies for my assumption. I'm an American on the internet, everyone else must be too, lol)
I'm in Germany, and as far as I know, an official diagnosis is required. Should include a minimum of six appointments/therapy session, after which they write out the diagnosis that they finally sign off on, officially recommending hrt.
Apparently, some doctors prescribe hormones on an informed consent basis, but I haven't found much info supporting that this is true over here.