Bleeding Farce ...

Getting  regular blood tests is an integral part of being trans and more specifically medical transition.  I'm mainly going to speak from my own perspective as a transgender woman - especially with regard to testosterone suppression etc.

Bloods before you start any medication , some GICs  ask for them at  referral  , there is  debate over why this is  asked  with some parties claiming it  is a part of a gatekeeping  process , where I would argue that  bloods on referral   means if anything  is shown up in terms of general haematology, or renal or liver function there's a chance to get this investigated  while waiting for the GIC, rather  than someone going getting assessed, the GIC say 'yes you should be on hormones , let's get your bloods done' and something  that could have been corrected holding  up you starting medications.

So your  pre -medication bloods are OK, and you've got that magical piece of  green paper from the  GIC / GP / reputable private provider and can get your  first prescription ... so you  take  your  pills / stick your patch on  and keep doing so for the  next 8-12 weeks  - then have your bloods done  again ...

Hopefully you get a timely turn around  on those resultsor your GP is happy to use the titration guide in your  Shared Care Agreement (GIC)/ shared care agreement - like  document  from a private provider ( this is entirely NHS funding semantics as the latter is  the same clinically and operationally)...  to  adjust your dose if needed, at this  first  set of bloods there should be an indication if your testosterone production is going to be suppressed just by  taking estrogen, in my case there was but it was still abnormally high for a women / within normal male range ...  so the answer was see what the increased dose of estrogen does over the next  3 months ...

So another three months another set of bloods ...  another dose titration based on the  estrogen levels and the decision , yes you will need a GnRH analogue,  so  then comes the trying to get a  Nurse appt at the GPs to  have that first jab...

and here we are ...  latest set of bloods  done this morning  and we wait for the scores o nthe doors ... 

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