I’m about to begin HRT and since I am not able to get that through my country’s public healthcare, it’ll have to be either DIY, or something like GenderGP or Imago.
I’m uncomfortable with Imago being a US company, but if it otherwise makes much more sense than GenderGP, that might not be an unsurmountable issue.
There has been talk that neither of those give as much support, or as good quality support, as they once maybe did. For example somebody actually reading the laboratory results and possibly recommending changing a substance or dose if so required would be would be a nice thing. Being middle-aged and having had relatives die at around my age because of blood clots, I know that at least I should choose some other ways than injections for taking the estradiol. An ability to talk with a specialist about this kind of stuff would be appreciated.
So, what’s the practical difference between Imago and GenderGP? Also, is there also a third one?
The most important service would of course be the ability to get an EU prescription through them so that I can go to a local pharmacy and buy the hormones and blockers there.
What do you mean about not taking injections because of blood clots? The risk to your liver is much greater when you take pills over injections, I’ve heard injections are relatively safe. Patches or gel would be the other option, I suppose, but I’ve heard it’s easier to get T suppression with monotherapy on injections.
Unfortunately no one I know is rich enough to have gone private, but if you want any tips on DIY + how to get blood tests for free in the UK I’d be happy to help!
Also here is a list of different private options in the UK, there are a lot more than two: https://transactual.org.uk/medical-transition/private-care/
I’ve heard it recommended that estradiol should not be taken as an injection if you’re over 40-year-old. And that should not be such a problem with blockers, for example.
Oh, well I’m sure you know more than me about that. I’d be interested to see your source, though
My source is basically hearsay from other trans women, based on what the doctors in the public healthcare in my country have told them during their transitioning.
just want to chime in to point out that often doctors are major sources of misinformation about trans care, even so called trans care specialists. some of the things people have said doctors told them on here are ridiculous. this sounds like a remnant of advice based on estrogens harvested from pregnant horse urine, which did have clotting issues because of the presence of estrogens not normally present in the human body. modern bioidentical estrodiol doesnt have the same issue at all. you probably shouldnt trust anything you hear from a doctor at face value without some corroborating sources to back it up.
Transfemscience has an article on it. Seems oral especially but also high dosage play a factor, which is more likely with injections, or rather monotherapy.
What a good text!
Thanks! 🩷
I’ve never heard that from anywhere. Transdermal or injections are going to be safest for someone at risk.
About the list of options: those would require me to live in UK or at least physically travel there to use those services, right?
Ah, I think so for most of them yeah, I didn’t realise GenderGP was international so I thought yeah
But there might be private options in your country too, which is that?
There are, but I am not aware of one that would prescribe anything without a trans diagnosis from the public healthcare. And because I got diagnosed with psychosis for being transgender, it will take a couple of years for them to agree to give me a trans diagnosis. Now they see me as fake trans who just “has psychosis that will eventually pass and he will be male again”. Once the “psychosis” is “dealt with”, they’ll probably give me the diagnosis.
Those private ones are useful if you have plenty of money and want to skip the queues that can be 1½ years long, but first you need to get the public healthcare to cooperate. And in my case it won’t, for the time being.