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 ...
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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