In order to safely administer hormones you need to engage the services of an endocrinologist - is a doctor who specializes in treating disorders of the endocrine system. . It is the endocrinologist's job is to ensure the correct mediation, in the right dosages, are administered. In Ireland you cannot contact a endocrinologist directly yourself, your GP or councillor will refer you to one. At the moment there is only one endocrinologist specialist in Ireland willing to treat GID patients. As a result of this you may experience some delay in receiving an appointment. It is recommended that you use this waiting time wisely - get fit and healthy and engage your councillor on a regular basis.
Your first appointment will usually consists of a general health check, patient and family history and a conversation with the endocrinologist about your current situation and the effects hormones - good and bad - are likely to have. The first appointment should be seen as a "get to know you" meeting. Your endocrinologist will more then likely not proscribe hormone treatment at this time.
The endocrinologist will also request that a complete blood work-up is done. This is give a "base-line" (starting point) with regards to your bodies current hormone levels. This base line is used to monitor you progress and the effect hormones are having - to increase or decrease dosage as required. Before blood is taken you will be required to fast for at least 12 hours before hand - no food, no coffee or tea. This is to ensure that you blood is 'clear' and does not contain any contaminates which may effect the results. After this the endocrinologist will schedule another appointment for a future date. Again, it is highly recommended that you use this time wisely.
Once hormone treatment has commenced it is recommended that you visit your GP regularly for a check-up and repeat blood tests. You should also provide your GP with a list of the type and amount of hormones that you are on. Once you have started hormones your GP should be made aware, if they did not know before hand, that your blood tests will contain a number of what appears to be anomalous results which may, under normal circumstances, be cause for alarm. This could be because your GP may be comparing your results to the incorrect gender set for standard/expected results. You should request that your GP referrers to your endocrinologist before deciding on a course of action, if one is required.
For Male to Female transitions a number of different hormones may be required - anti-androgens, estrogens’ and progesterones. It should be noted that your endocrinologist may not always proscribe all three hormones. What and how much is proscribed will depend on your own personal circumstances, blood results and experience of you endocrinologist as to what they know will work best. Female to Male transitioners require just testosterone.
For details of the various types and their side effects please see the "Hormones" page.
It should be noted that incorrect dosages, or long term use, can cause one or more of the following:
In order to ensure you do not develop osteoporosis you should ensure that a bone density scan is carried out are least once a year.
Hormones will have a number of profound effects on your body. They can also have a number of effects on your mental stability. Due to the profound effects that hormones can have, if you are self-medicating you should stop imeditaly and engage the services of a councillor and endocrinologist. Please see the Effects of Hormones page for further information.
Big no-no's are smoking or taking drugs (and alcohol). Don't!!! You will greatly increase your chances of blood clotting among other things. We all know smoking and drugs are bad; they certainly do not mix well with HRT. You should also be considerate of deep vein thrombosis (DVT): clotting in your veins usually due to sitting or pinching a body part for too long. The danger is from when a blood clot forms somewhere in your body, dislodges, travels through the body and gets stuck in your brain or lungs.
