Trans

It’s very important to have blood work done if you’re on HRT. You have to have it done more often when you first start out to make sure everything is going OK, then you can usually switch to getting tests once or twice a year. If you don’t get your blood work done then you could be at risk of liver damage or blood clots without knowing it, plus you wouldn’t know for sure if your E and T levels were in the right range.

If you talk to your doctor and tell them you have a needle phobia, they can prescribe anxiety medication for when you need to get blood drawn. I used to have a needle phobia as well, and I still need anxiety medication to get dental work done. It’s scary but you can do it! It will definitely be worth it for your health and happiness.

Regardless if you decide to go on HRT or not, you're gonna have to get blood drawn at various points in your life to monitor for health conditions. It might be helpful to visit a therapist to help cope with it. There are effective ways to alleviate your symptoms around needles.

My partner has to take Xanax before anything involving a needle, and also lie down instead of sitting. Otherwise they pass out. Don't expect to go your entire life without getting poked. It's going to happen, so you should find some way of managing that (not easy, I know :/)

I'm in the US but it's probably similar procedures. The first time I had blood drawn I was very hungry and it caused me to get those symptoms you described. Next time I ate before and talked to the person while they did their work and I had no incident. The less aware I am of the needle, the better. And it's a small needle!

There are people who DIY without blood tests, but you really should. Maybe you can talk to your doctor about reducing the frequency of them. And bring your phone to play a game or something while they draw blood. I promise it's so much more bearable if you're not focused on it. Ask your doctor or the nurses what else you can do, I'm sure you're not the first person with a fear of needles they've seen.

You will need to get a lot of blood work done as you start hormones. It's incredibly important as they adjust your levels of blockers and estrogen. Don't be discouraged though, after that initial perio, you can really only expect a checkup occasionally (usually if you change your dosage or something).

As other people have pointed out, there are ways of making the experience more comfortable, and anyone working in the field will be very familiar with dealing with people with a fear of needles. Don't let it discourage you!! If this is what you want, what you need, needles are a temporary road block to your happiness.