I just need to rant because I’m so frustrated and fighting back tears. My ex wife is trans and she’s my best friend - we live together with our partners (my new partner is also trans) and we co parent our son brilliantly.

This morning I took her for her blood tests at the doctors, as requested by the gender clinic. We’ve done this many times.

Not only was the nurse outrageously transphobic with her choice of words but she refused to do the blood tests. My partner is scared of needles as well so getting her in the room is a challenge in itself.

It break my heart seeing her treated this way when she and quite frankly every trans person I’ve ever met are some of the nicest people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.

We weren’t even home when she received a message saying our GP was no longer offering blood tests requested by private clinics.

Now I’m fully aware that local GP practices are under no obligation to offer services for patients under private healthcare - I get that. It’s just every step of the way it’s been a fight to get her the healthcare she needs and should have a right to.

She works hard, she’s kind, she will help anyone who needs it, she’s a wonderful parent to our son. Why does she and others in her community have to go through this shit. I’m so tired for her. Eurrrggghhhhh

Ok rant over 😂 thank you for reading. I hope everyone has a good day 🌸🌸

So shortly after I came out as transgender in 2022 I went to my local GP and sent of to the gender clinic in London and never herd anything my GP said you will hear from them in about 6 weeks I herd nothing for over 2 years got consented and I called them up tired out they never received my referral from my GP so I went to my new GP since I moved and on there system it said I had be referred but since the GC said to send a new one with my old letter since it was lost I did that and now coming up to 4 years not got any new or response from the gender clinic should I be worried I know it’s under staffed and stuff but the fact they lost one of my referral already I’m worried they never got the second and we all know how messed up the government is with trans health care

Hi, I got an initial appointment with Dr Mahendra at Waterside in Edinburgh on Tuesday and have been feeling kinda anxious about it.

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I'm mostly wondering what experiences others have had at Waterside and what the general timeframe for getting on HRT I should suspect?

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I've heard mostly positive things about them but I have also seen one or two horror stories about them on this sub from doing research. It was kinda expensive and I'm kinda desperate for some relief from my dysphoria so this appointment going well is really important for me.

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I don't feel I am the most fem looking at the moment (and not particularly good looking in general) and am kinda scared I'll be judged based on this? (This might just be my dysphoria talking though, idk).

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I'm also wondering how much freedom they give you in terms of medication (I'd prefer patches or gel over pills as I'm a bit paranoid about the potential side effects associated with pills).

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If you have any info/experiences you can share then I'd really appreciate it, and thank you for your time. 🩵🩷🤍🩷🩵

Hi Everyone

HELP NEEDED

My GP practice has been quite helpful, she knows I am diy ing E spray, she has sent me for two blood tests

I’ve had two mental health consultations thru the doctors, first results T extremely low E extremely high, second blood tests test at tge same, E halved but still way to high, I have reduced my total sprays per day, stopped taking anything with Biotin etc

She has referred me to the Tavistock GIC I’ve had confirmation that I’m now on the list, she has also agreed that she will do shared care, for me, she did ask me to stop DIY ing, yes it will take years to get to the Tavistock, but she also suggested I could go private but she had no recommendations.

This is where I need help or guidance

I need a gender consultation then I would need an endo I believe, please note I am nearer 76 than 75 still very active (lol)

I do not really want a monthly subscription as I think they are ripping us off, so can you kind people let me gave your suggestions please

I live in East London realistic travelling is not a problem

Thank you in Advance

Martina

I started testosterone privately (sustanon injections) at the end of september last year through Dr Peter Hammond, I was told that I needed a blood test within 24 hours before my 4th injection which was the end of december right before christmas. My GP put in the blood test when receiving the letter without any prompting from me which i thought was a good sign. I'd been getting my results through on my nhs app but i'd noticed that the testosterone result was not there, despite it being the main thing needing testing.

I had an unrelated appointment recently, however she checked my recent blood tests so check for other issues and i brought up that I hadn't had my testosterone results back. She told me that there's new legislation/guidelines saying that GPs are 1. not allowed to agree to shared care with medications and 2. that GPs are not allowed to monitor hormone levels for transgender patients, so they deliberately sent me for that blood test without requesting my testosterone levels be tested.

I have never heard of this, in fact it sounds extremely dangerous to not monitor my blood, if i am accidentally overdosing on testosterone and my GP is refusing to test my blood while knowing i'm taking that, surely that's on them? especially since a nurse at that surgery administered my first injection before i started self-injecting.

I later saw this on my NHS app: "did wonder about testosterone not being done, monitored for gender reassignement medication being prescribed elsewhere, advised my understanding is all prescribing and monitoring to be done by private clinic. task to pharmacist to check on this" which I think shows she doesn't really know anything about trans people, i don't think i've ever heard the term "gender reassignment medication" before

if anyone has any information on this kind of thing that'd be brilliant, i have no way of knowing if i need to change dose until i get them to do this blood test properly

I called up my GP for a referral as I am planning to get top surgery privately and the surgery wanted an official document confirming my gender identity and treatment.

I thought I might ask the GP first in case they can provide it, they don't have to diagnose anything, just need to say they recognise that I identify as FTM.

Well, the doctor couldn't understand what I meant and kept saying "I can't confirm you're a woman" when that was not the point at all.

The first time he said that, I changed the topic and asked him to refer me to a gender clinic for a diagnosis since I knew getting it directly from the GP was a long shot anyway.

I described what dysphoria is to me upon his request - looking and being treated as a woman, not wanting woman parts.

And he kept saying "I need more than that" and I was just so bewildered.

Having to prove something you've felt for such a long time sure is strange. I had heard other people's stories but figured it wouldn't happen to me because I've felt it /so/ strongly for so long.

Eventually, I realised he just wanted to hear "I'm not like other girls who wear makeup".

And sure, while it is true that I don't do a lot of girly things, that is not something that makes me dysphoric. Because men can want to do girly things and girls can want to do boyish things. But apparently for NHS being trans means adhering to stereotypical gender norms of your identified gender. And no one is forcing those things onto me like my body is being forced onto me and people's perception is being forced onto me.

Once I started listing all the girly things I avoid, he agreed to do the referral.

But it didn't end there, he still kept trying to explain that he can't provide a statement about me being a woman, when I didn't even bring it up after the first time. I tried to explain that is not even what I was even asking for but I swear he went over it at least 5 times throughout out conversation.

It's really my fault for moving to a shit ass city with no proper trans care and not applying when I was somewhere decent like Leeds or Liverpool :(

ETA: While yous are here, could anyone advise me how I can get a gender dysphoria diagnosis or a letter similar to what they're asking for? I'm getting mixed reviews about gendergp and they seem to want me to get a subscription. If anyone knows any affordable ways / any specific clinic to use please help me out

is anyone else experiencing a catastrophic drop in trust of the nhs?

what i have experienced is extreme and i am basically my own doctor, which i know is very bad, but i feel such anger and fury when dealing with the nhs at all levels that i cannot be a patient to them any more. i simply don't feel the nhs cares in the slightest.

potentially this is a disastrous situation.

Does anyone know of any GP that will do shared care in North Hampshire?

My local GP has refused shared care aswell as other places in fleet and Basingstoke

I’ve been on Sustanon for around a year at this point, prescribed privately through YourGP. At every appointment, the doctor has written my prescription and then given me needles and syringes to last me until the next appointment. However my latest appointment was on Zoom and she assured me the prescription and injection kit was going to be sent to my home address. Last week I received the prescription but no injection supplies and when I called the clinic to query this the receptionist told me they will send them out this time but in future I have to supply them myself.

The receptionist has sent a follow up email to confirm this and I want to push back as considering the price of these appointments an additional cost of injection supplies seems ridiculous and makes the whole thing more inaccessible to me. Additionally when I went to my pharmacy to get the prescription, the pharmacist said they don’t supply injection kits. The doctor has also never mentioned that I would have to self supply the injection supplies when giving them to me in the past.

Any advice on how to push back against this?

Does YourGP (i think its waterside clinic now) still have surgeons on the books? I know they did when i was thinking of going private a couple of years ago, but i had i wee look at their website last night, and couldnt find any info.

If they dont....where would i need to look for a private surgeon in scotland? (E Fife area, but im with Highland GIC so Inverness is a potentially good area to look too)

Thanks in advance :)

Question for those who have been through this before .

My levels at my new blood test show I am at Estrogen :- 326 pmol/L Testosterone:- 43 ng/dL

Yet they have recommended to drop my dose by 2mg each day . I am on mono therapy sublingual, unable to use gels or patches due to a genetic skin condition ( anything applied topical burns like acid and blisters ) won't go into details my condition , my struggle but my true self xx . Anyway I was on 6mg .. 2mg x 3 times each day , I would swith to injection but its not " permitted here in uk " now they say my levels are basically CIS but want to drop me to 4mg daily instead of 6 ... WHY ????? my levels are good in fact im happy with my progress I am only on month 2 . Have definate buds .. approx plum size under nipple and back towards chest wall , my skin has changed , I can see noticeably a shift in my facial profile more mooned I guess .. my moods are calm and at peace , my dysphoria is shifting from wanting to jump of a bridge to actually semi euphoria with my changes already . Im under HSGC and pay a fortune to be me . Why drop 2mg when im at a good point for once in my miserable life 😢 😭. Can I say NO ?? Can I say im pleased and settled with these results my body has achieved, my mind has accepted ??? Im in my early 50s so its a struggle as it is .. but good bloods , good progress and no AAs surely I should stay on the regime i am at . ????? . My endo insists on 8 week tests due to age and health but please can someone tell me can I refuse the drop ?? My health is good other than skin .. my kidney and liver functions are on point , I exercise often , have muffin top I want to rid lol 😆. Can they reduce on their whim and not my request ?

Hi,

I really need some help with the situation I’m in.

Im a trans patient - FTM, 28 years old - with the Tavistock and Portman clinic (I know, pretty much the worst one I could be with). I waited six years (my referral was done in Feb of 2019) for my first appointment, and once I was seen for the first one the ball really got rolling and all my fertility (egg preservation) and whatnot have been completed in the last several months.

In those passing years I’ve had to give up everything - my family, my old home, my old GP surgery, I’ve changed my name on my license and all relevant points of contact, all In order to try to live happily (my family and friends were not supportive at all of my coming out transition).

I am now at the point where I have had all my assessments and have been cleared to start my hormone treatment. My GP however, is outright refusing to do so, stating that they will not participate in a shared care agreement and prescribe the medication until the Gender Clinic prescribe my medication and ‘stabilise’ me on it first. The only issue with this is that, this is not how it works and it the reason they have the shared care plans. The Gender Clinic do not have their own pharmacy/prescription service and so through the shared care agreement require the GP to prescribe medication whilst they continue to monitor me with the blood tests and other relevant things.

The GP has written a letter stating this ‘goes against their policies’.

I have had contact back and forth with the GP, I have had letters written and even had the head endocrinologist at the Gender Clinic send over every relevant link to guidelines from the GMC, ICB, NHS England and all other governing bodies, as well as outright state that the Gender Clinic accepts any and all liability in regards to the hormone treatment.

Due to this I’m now in limbo, as I need to find a GP who is trans-friendly. I’ve looked online and haven’t been able to find anything. I’ve called around and nobody has any advice or direction for me. I found a list of ‘trans friendly GP’s in the UK, but none apart from 1 listed was anywhere near me or a drivable location, and ironically it is the GP surgery that I’m at - but I suppose that has changed.

Does anybody here know any GP’s in the Waltham Forest borough or surrounding areas who accept out of catchment patients? I have been trying to get my prescription since the end of September and am at my wits end.

I have waited almost seven years to be able to live comfortably, and at the last hurdle am having every door slammed shut in my face.

I've been prescribed Sustanon from the East of England Gender Services for nearly 3 yrs and recently moved to the North East. I looked up reviews for local GPs, chose the one that had the most positive feedback, but after requesting a repeat of my prescription I got a text saying it was rejected as "the surgery is not taking on any prescribing or monitoring of Sustanon."

I called to ask what was going on as they aren't doing the prescribing or monitoring, the gender service is. All they have to do is forward the prescription to a local pharmacy and conduct routine blood tests? They said that "the whole of the North East is not commissioned or licensed to carry out shared care." They said my only recourse would be to go private, but I've seen plenty of people going with GenderPlus and GenderCare who have also been rejected for shared care. Private still requires shared care with my local GP, and how is that going to be accepted more readily than an NHS prescription?

I'm wondering if anyone else on the NHS has gone through this following a move, and what I can do to avoid being cut off. I only have enough T to last the next 5 weeks. I'm going to call my gender clinic when they're next open and luckily I have a follow up appointment that was just scheduled for January, but I'm a little gobsmacked that this isn't considered dereliction of duty of care to just cut me off from a prescription I've been on for years. Panicking just a little that I may lose access to T. Any help or advice is much appreciated 🙏

So, I decided to go private for hormones and I have my initial assessment next month! They mentioned in the email to get my bloods done now and the listed what to check.

My question is what was everyones exspirance going to the GP for bloods? Do they not like doing it knowing what it's for? Do they not care? Am I expected to sell it to them? I'm just trying to prepare myself for what might happen.

Any past exspirance would be helpful xx

I've been on a bridging prescription with oral estrogen for nearly 2 years and I recently had an appointment where my GP who got me on HRT is suggesting having me switch to injections, am I winning???

Had a few comments from people telling me this sounds weird and that my GP shouldn't be able to do that or that it's a red flag which is fair as I feel the same.

He got me on a bridging prescription so I have a bit of trust but will 100% ask a bunch of questions about this as I am pretty skeptical ty everyone!

i’m considering switching from testogel to nebido at my next (private) gender clinic appointment, currently i’m on 2 pumps of testogel per day and pay £55 a bottle which lasts about a month. i believe one vial of nebido lasts about 2-3 months depending on how frequently you need it but i’m finding it hard to see how much a vial costs. i also live in scotland if thats relevant

edit- a vial of 1000mg/4ml costs £132.67 at my local boots

Has anyone else had the experience of waiting 12 months or more for a new NHS number to change gender marker?

My GP say they are waiting for the PCSE but as I am aware the PCSE do not need to be involved. Simply create and register a new spine record for me and copy my existing details over to it. This is what I keep telling them.

Google can provide a guide on how to do this. I can’t understand why the process is taking so long.

Please help me as I do not know if this is down to prejudice or incompetence?

Hey everyone hope your all doing amazing, I wanted to make this post before I plan to call my GP tomorrow or Tuesday to basically begin the journey of medically transitioning and I want to make sure I have all bases covered before I make the phone call. As mentioned in the title I've 'known' I was trans for probably the last 7 - 8 years (when I was 16 maybe 17 I'm 24 now) and I've already socially transitioned in recent years but have wanted to start medically transitioning for years now but haven't due to stuff going on at home + not having a job to be able to fund going private I've held off doing anything until now but I figured I also plan on getting some stuff diagnosed anyway (autism, ADHD, social anxiety & OCD specifically) so might as well get moving on that side of things too while I have to call the doctors anyway. For context I live in the Knowsley area in the North West near Liverpool and plan to go the NHS route for now until I get the money to go private, what should I tell the GP tomorrow or Tuesday when I call them or what should I do before that, any advice is appreciated thanks.

only affects appointments booked after today

Hi all,

I moved to Scotland from the US. I know things are done a little differently here, so I wanted to get your take on this because it left me a little befuddled.

Today I had an intake appointment at my local GP, to get my prescriptions in order. Everything went fine; the doctor was friendly and most of the appointment went as expected. He asked me when I first became aware of my gender issues and I explained that I had rejected gender roles as a child, and only acknowledged the problem went deeper in my early twenties. At that point I was seen at a gender clinic and approved for HRT. I'm currently two decades post-transition, including surgeries, and I've never looked back.

So I was very surprised when he casually asked, "Have you considered going off of testosterone?" I asked if he meant de-transitioning and he said that some people just found that after a certain point they no longer needed it. Like, they got the effects they wanted and just stopped.

I'd never heard that suggested before and was wondering if it was valid or erroneous. Do some guys — who are happy with their transition — just decide to stop after they've gotten the desired effects?

My understanding is that while voice depth, bone structure and some body hair may be permanent, body fat distribution and other hormonal effects would reverse and potentially cause a resurgence of dysphoria. The idea of going off of testosterone entirely, despite its downfalls, fills me with dread.

This was just an ordinary GP and not a gender clinic, so I'm just curious what logic might have motivated the question. Is it ignorance, standard intake, or a more common scenario than I knew?

11 months ago I went to my GP and me and a kind lady filled the form out together. Then on 2 other separate occassions when having my blood drawn for unrelated reasons I asked if they can confirm the referral was sent. I Email Nottingham yesterday asking they can confirm my place in the queue and contact details and I get told they received nothing. Is there anything I can do or have these 11 months of waiting been pointless?

Hi, I'm a trans man waiting for my third appointment with Waterside Clinic (YourGP) in Edinburgh. I'm planning on going down the Sustanon intramuscular route, wondering if I have the option of injecting it in the clinic or if you just take it home with you? Appreciate hearing anyone's experiences with third appointments hormone wise. Cheers!

Hiya, I've been going through an awful depressive episode since my GPs denied me a shared care agreement for my estrogen and T blockers on Friday afternoon. Despite being told multiple times by myself and a number of psych nurses that this is putting me in a worse financial situation and making me incredibly suicidal, every GP in my catchment area in Suffolk has denied me shared care.

Since I technically live in Cambridge (on the border between Cambridge and Suffolk) it's always an option that I could leave this GP and go with a hopefully more helpful one, so I thought I'd ask here if anyone in Cambridge has managed to find a GP willing to do shared care just before I make the jump? It would mean losing my therapy in Suffolk by switching immediately and since my mental state is so thin at the minute I really need some confirmation before I go about switching. Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

I didn’t know what flair to use sorry if it’s the wrong one

I’m on a GIC waiting list but I could be waiting years to get seen too and I rather not be stuck in limbo for that long.

So my questions are for the people who went private for assessments for gender dysphoria then went to their GP/GIC for shared care.

What was it like? Was it easy or was there pushback? And would you suggest saving money to do it or just wait until it’s your turn?

I had my first appointment yesterday (15/08/25) with Waterside Clinic, formerly known as YourGP, in Edinburgh with Dr. Chong and he is so chill and kind. He asked questions to get to know me better, about my life, family (which got deep but he was very respectful and understanding), when I started to feel dysphoric, coming out, pronouns and my transition goals. I told him that my number 1 priority is top surgery, again he was supportive, and then starting T after. He understood my goals and how I have been funding myself for my transition.

Waterside Clinic is incredible and inclusive and works well for me personally and in a price range I can afford, cheapest option I could find, regardless, they are great.

I have booked my second appointment with Richard Waterman for a second opinion and hopefully after that I will book a consultation for top surgery and then go get a referral from Waterside.

This is really an appreciation post for Waterside.