I have my first appt at the gender clinic in two weeks! Are there any things I should make sure to know beforehand?
I'm hoping to get on some sort of estrogen and a SERM to prevent breast development. I am still scared of transitioning and want to take small steps and test the waters before permanent changes take effect.
Will I have to self-advocate for specific forms/names of treatment or can I generally rely on the clinician to be knowledgeable?
In my experience I had to self advocate, I told them I'd self medicated 2 years before. And I also told them what doses I was taking and such. They seemed pretty clueless but I would hope that it is a bit better now. (I was also going through the NHS at the time, and I had one of the worst experiences going through their "system") But I do hope you get someone nice and with some previous knowledge..
When I went (virtual PP appointment in Texas), they only really brought up sprio and E and asked which I was interested in. I wasn't interested in SERMs, so I didn't ask, but they didn't bring it up either, so no clue how much they knew about them or how they'd feel about prescribing them.
This depends on where you live and whether or not it's an actual gender clinic or it's a stuff-christians-dont-liie clinic (planned parenthood). But they probably won't know that much about hrt, and probably have never prescribed SERMs for that purpose. I would research what drugs are available in your area (ie it's hard to get cypro in the US), what drugs you want, and what a reasonable dose is before you go. Yeah, it sucks that the doctor can't tell you what you need, but such is trans medicine.
At the risk of doxxing myself, I'm in a large city and this is a well known "LGBTQ+ Health Center". I'm hopeful that they'll know what they're doing. However, considering my unique goals, it sounds like I should get myself familiar with doses and meds.
I have my first appt at the gender clinic in two weeks! Are there any things I should make sure to know beforehand?
I'm hoping to get on some sort of estrogen and a SERM to prevent breast development. I am still scared of transitioning and want to take small steps and test the waters before permanent changes take effect.
Will I have to self-advocate for specific forms/names of treatment or can I generally rely on the clinician to be knowledgeable?
In my experience I had to self advocate, I told them I'd self medicated 2 years before. And I also told them what doses I was taking and such. They seemed pretty clueless but I would hope that it is a bit better now. (I was also going through the NHS at the time, and I had one of the worst experiences going through their "system") But I do hope you get someone nice and with some previous knowledge..
When I went (virtual PP appointment in Texas), they only really brought up sprio and E and asked which I was interested in. I wasn't interested in SERMs, so I didn't ask, but they didn't bring it up either, so no clue how much they knew about them or how they'd feel about prescribing them.
This depends on where you live and whether or not it's an actual gender clinic or it's a stuff-christians-dont-liie clinic (planned parenthood). But they probably won't know that much about hrt, and probably have never prescribed SERMs for that purpose. I would research what drugs are available in your area (ie it's hard to get cypro in the US), what drugs you want, and what a reasonable dose is before you go. Yeah, it sucks that the doctor can't tell you what you need, but such is trans medicine.
At the risk of doxxing myself, I'm in a large city and this is a well known "LGBTQ+ Health Center". I'm hopeful that they'll know what they're doing. However, considering my unique goals, it sounds like I should get myself familiar with doses and meds.