I know fuck-all about this. Is it normal in HRT to self-monitor your hormone levels and adjust your dose on your own? Or is this a symptom of less than optimal health care systems? I’d be far too intimidated to decide that without a doctor.
I’ve been on gender affirming care for a year with very, very minimal care from a local women’s health clinic. iirc I started DIY injections and scheduled my first doctor’s appointment in the same week, and was put on a 6 month waiting list for the latter. Then I got a blood test during the initial assessment but the doctor didn’t analyze it for another 4 months.
In my state (in the US), it seems like you either do it all alone or accept a glacial response time. For anecdotal evidence, I had B cup boobs before I got my first prescription, and it’s still an incorrect one.
My healthcare system is fine, really. It’s just that my body responded in a not-so-standard way to valerate injections, so I’m still adjusting my dose to see what’s right. I’m working with a doctor, but by now, I know more than he does about this, to be completely honest 😂 /s
for the most part doctors don’t know shit about trans healthcare (or are actively hostile), unless you get very lucky with your endocrinologist you really need to educate yourself so that you can tell when and how to take matters into your own hands (and be able to identify if your doctor is trying to fuck you over, intentionally or not)
for this reason a lot of trans people just cut out the doctor entirely and go full DIY, buying graymarket hormones online (which also have some advantages over the legitimately available products in most countries) and tracking their hormone levels themselves
I know fuck-all about this. Is it normal in HRT to self-monitor your hormone levels and adjust your dose on your own? Or is this a symptom of less than optimal health care systems? I’d be far too intimidated to decide that without a doctor.
I’ve been on gender affirming care for a year with very, very minimal care from a local women’s health clinic. iirc I started DIY injections and scheduled my first doctor’s appointment in the same week, and was put on a 6 month waiting list for the latter. Then I got a blood test during the initial assessment but the doctor didn’t analyze it for another 4 months.
In my state (in the US), it seems like you either do it all alone or accept a glacial response time. For anecdotal evidence, I had B cup boobs before I got my first prescription, and it’s still an incorrect one.
My healthcare system is fine, really. It’s just that my body responded in a not-so-standard way to valerate injections, so I’m still adjusting my dose to see what’s right. I’m working with a doctor, but by now, I know more than he does about this, to be completely honest 😂 /s
for the most part doctors don’t know shit about trans healthcare (or are actively hostile), unless you get very lucky with your endocrinologist you really need to educate yourself so that you can tell when and how to take matters into your own hands (and be able to identify if your doctor is trying to fuck you over, intentionally or not)
for this reason a lot of trans people just cut out the doctor entirely and go full DIY, buying graymarket hormones online (which also have some advantages over the legitimately available products in most countries) and tracking their hormone levels themselves
EDIT: see this other comment i made like an hour ago for an example