[Lisa_W]

I am a trans GP & I can tell you that there is no restriction on a GP prescribing HRT & also that it does not even have to be prescribed privately as Chantelle alluded to.
A Psych would be very uncomfortable prescribing HRT & would refer you back to your GP or an endo.
There is not even a legal requirement for a diagnosis of GID to be made by a Psych before you can commence on HRT. But IMHO it would be wise to see a Psych to help confirm the diagnosis & also to help sort out any other problems – such as depression etc.

May I suggest that you talk to some one on the ANZPATH executive to find out the full situation before you brief your political friend. It could be rather embarrassing to them if they do not have the full facts.

[Lisa_W]

What everyone has said is true. But what has been forgotten is that you only have to abide by the government rules if you want to claim a rebate for the cost of Androcur.
It is only subsidised by the government via the PBS for the previously listed conditions. Legally your doctor cannot prescribe it for you on the PBS scheme unless you have one of those conditions.

Your doctor can prescribe Anrocur for you quite legally, but you have to pay the full price for it. It is a great drug & works really well at suppressing testosterone BUT it is very expensive.

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

Hi Alice7

Your decision to see a psychologist may not have been the correct one. An Endo may want a referral from a psychiatrist before they will commence you on HRT. A fine point but it may save you time & money.

You do not need to see an Endocrinologist, but a GP with experience with TG matters let alone HRT will be hard to find.

Yes the cost of seeing an Endo is subsidized. If your referral to the Endo is via a specialist – eg; Psych – the referral will last 3 months. If the referral is written by a GP it will last 12 months. The cost that the Endo charges is up to them. You may be lucky & find one that bulk bills. The frequency of the visits to the Endo will vary depending on them – usually anywhere from 3-6 months.

The pre-visit blood tests would help – if your GP knows what to order. There are some very specific blood tests.

Most Endo’s should know what they are doing – BUT – I have heard of awful stories – even from Endo’s attached to Gender Centres.

Most HRT meds are on the PBS. Some like Androcur come with dreadful restrictions, if you want to obtain them via the PBS. You either have to have metastatic prostatic cancer or have your name put on the sexual offenders list to obtain Androcur via the PBS. There have been previous threads about the merits or de-merits of obtaining drugs from OS.

I hope that that answers some of your questions.

Lisa

Moderator

Quote:

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Lisa_W]

What most people have forgotten is their basic physiology/anatomy. Arteries are high pressure vessels & veins are low pressure. There is not enough pressure in a vein to return blood back to the heart, especially from the lower limbs. But do not despair, as Mother nature has found a way to over come this problem. First veins are soft walled and therefore can be compressed, especially by the surrounding muscles. Secondly veins have valves – which arteries do not have. If the valves are competent then they only allow blood to flow in one direction – that is back to the heart. Hunter demonstrated this fact back in the 1700’s. You can demonstarte this on the back of your own hand.

The problem with HRT, especially with oestrogen, is fluid retention. If there is enough fluid retained then the volume of the circulatory system is enlarged & that causes the veins to dilate – remember they are soft walled. If the veins are dilated sufficently then the valves can become incompetent & that allows blood to flow backwards when the vein is compressed by the surrounding muscles. Thus varicose veins develop – as defined by the term; dilated tortuous veins.

Elevating the legs, external compression (various forms of stockings) & diuretics ( spironolactone for example) all help.

Unfortunately once a venous valve becomes incompetent, then nothing will help to restore its competency.

There are other causes of varicose veins of course, pregnancy is the commonest, also a congential incompetency of the valve at the junction of the femoral vein with the long saphenous vein, plus anything that restricts the flow of blood back from the legs to the heart. Plus many others.

Unfortunatley once established diet or other any other modifications cannot cure the problem.Laser, injections (sclerotherapy) & surgical procedures can all help but they all have their limitations & side effects. Therefore if you are seeking treatment for varicose veins then please talk to your GP.

I agree with Jeorgette that a healthy balanced diet, cessation of smoking & the limitation of alcohol are the cornerstones of good health. However, atomic chaos? – is that just another name for Brownium motion?

Lisa

Moderator

Quote:

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Lisa_W]

I am sorry Jennifur but you are wrong. The dose of hormones in trangendered people taking HRT is similar to or higher than natal women on the “the pill”.

The HRT dose for post menopausal women is a lot lower. You cannot compare a post menopausal woman on HRT with a transgendered person on HRT. The transgendered person is like the teenage girl who has just commenced her post pubertal life with cyclically increased oestrogen & progesterone levels. The TG “girl” is in fact having a second puberty (if you like) but this time with female hormones.

The article is headed, “the pill increases your risk of cancer”. Sarah as far as I am aware, blot clots are not a cancer. There are many other posts that discuss the total risks of Microgynon & other forms of “the pill” not just cancer risks.

[Lisa_W]

Thanks Maddy
I already have 2 of them in my butt! But via my endo. I do not think that anyone should try to self medicate with these – ie; insert them yourself.

The Sydney made ones are cheaper than those now made in Adelaide. That is another bonus.

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

I know you were only joking Amanda, but the other surgeon is Dr Ceber – who does most if not all of Australia’s SRS surgery.

Other conference topics include, mental health, ageing & trans people, HRT, young trans, exploring sex, where do we want to be etc & workshops on transmen, sistergirls, counselling etc.

That is only a sample of the varied topics on offer.

Also Amanda thanks for putting this in the correct place & cleaning it up.

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

Amanda, I agree that this is a very important topic & should be fully discussed.

Unfortunately you have misinterpreted my argument. I repudiate the binary theory. There are too many variations in gene expression to be accommodated by such a restrictive theory. Let alone accounting for the effects of variations of hormonal concentrations on the developing brain at critical times in uterine life. The genetic cause if GID is not proven, but that is the direction of current scientific thought & appears to be backed up by hard data.

If our thoughts, & gender identity is among them, is determined by the hard wiring of our brain then are we able to change them? History is littered with many examples of intersex people who have been asigned a particular sex purely on the appearance of their external genitalia. One boy was even asigned a female role simply because his cricumcision was botched & his penis was fried! This determination is often reinforced by hormonal treatment. Despite this determination the child’s true thoughts about gender identification – in line with their genetic expression – eventually emerges.

If it is accepted that there is a gender spectrum, which we both seem to agree upon but from different view points, why do we need a scale? You suggest that we need an appropriate scale to assess where someone “actually sits” so that appropriate medical,legal & social decisions can be made. Why? Unfortunately the use of such a scale will inevitably lead to the use of labels – which I have heard you rail against in the past.

Why can’t I be accepted as female, you androgenous & the next GID person be accepted as whoever/whatever they think that they are without the use of scales? What is the benefit if scales, except to stratify people?

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

I have been thinking about the two first posts all day & therefore I will address those. I am unable to think of too much at once – hence I must be a male.
What you two ladies seem to have forgotten is the new reasearch which shows that Transexualism & GID seems to be a genetic disorder or at least mediated by changes in the hormonal milieu we encounter while in utero.

The GIRES – UK website has some very interesting articles which I suggest that we all should read.

So what I think is; that it does not matter what we think; we are programmed to think that way from the beginning. To argue otherwise is pure Sophistry.

If we are pre-programmed to think in a particular way does it really matter what scale is used to assess how far we are along a certain pathway?

In a recent Australian court case the judge summed up; that gender is determined by what is in the brain not what is between the legs.

In my opinion if I think that I am a woman – then I am a woman. Full stop – no further discussion needs to be entered into. That maybee too black & white for some people for such a grey area, but that is how I feel.

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

I have a slightly different view.
I had my ears pierced at different times & with the gun. The first time on impulse in Hobart & the second time in rural NSW. I only used the studs because I thought trying to put a sleeper into a hole that has not epithelialized could cause more trauma & increase the risk of infection.

However I did make sure that I pushed the stud in & out & rotated it. I “sterilised” the stud with those little alcoholic steriwipes that they give you before & after I manipulated the stud.

In my personal trial of 2 – I have a 100% non-infection rate!!!!!!

That’s my view & I’m sticking to it! LOL

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

I am proud to admit that I have 9/10 of those items. But that is only because I trashed the plastic in Sydney this W/E with a style consultant.

I am now much enriched but financially poorer. Hey but that is life – develop your own skills or pay to use the skills of someone else.

Happy shopping ( I loved it)

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

Hi Joanne

I think that you have summed the life of a lot of us. I also live in a small rural community & will have to move to transition. Hopefully soon.

Fortunately my family has been a little more accepting than yours, but it has come at a cost – my marriage & possible loss of 2 of my 4 daughters.

I have thought a lot about what it is like being transgenedered & have come to the conclusion that it is a hard blessing. If I could, would I change anything – the answer is no. I am now a much better person than I ever was. The only thing I would have done differently is not to deny it for all those wasted years.

I will also be at the TF, I hope that you are going. We could compare notes about families & the life of a TG in rural Australia.

Cheers

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

I have written a few posts about the dangers of HRT in the past, especially the unsupervised self administration of HRT.

I have just read another post where someone is advocating such a course. Honestly I do despair. So I have “googled” & “Wiki’ed” the side effects of HRT, so everyone can do it. Below is the list. I have had to look up some of the medical terms & translated them for you, dear reader, but some I could not find a good plain English word substitute, so pardon me if a few medical words do creep in.

Firstly lets start with some of the serious stuff.
Death rate – in 40-44yo smokers the DEATH rate is 117.6/100,000. In non smokers it is 32/100,000.

Blood clots & clots travelling to the lungs is increased & the risk is increased with increased dose. Clots travelling to the brain & causing strokes are increased by 3-9 times.

Known ABSOLUTE contra-indications are;
– Previous blood clots
– Previous strokes
– Coronary artery disease
– Cancer of the breast
– Oestrogen dependent cancers

Now for the more general side-effects;
– Raised blood pressure – in 5% of HRT users
– Impairment of glucose tolerance – therefore a tendency to diabetes & so should not be used in diabetics
– Elevated liver enzymes – therefore a type of hepatitis
– Cholestatic jaundice – due to increased production of gall stones & inflammation of the gall bladder
– Elevated prolactin level which can cause the development of a pituitary tumour.
– Dyspepsia
– Weight gain
– Migraine
– Sicle cell anaemia
– raised cholesterol
– Should not be used up to 2 weeks prior to elective surgery – but check with your surgeon

Do I take HRT? – of course I do & I greedily gobble up those tablets every morning. But do I take HRT unsupervised? – not on your “Nellie” – who ever she maybe?

I do not think that I am smart enough to monitor all those potential side effects by myself & therefore leave it up to an expert to supervise my dosage & side effects.

This is my last word on the subject – I just can’t keep writing this stuff.

Lisa

Moderator

Quote:

WARNING
TgR is not a medical forum and any comments you may read in TgR forums are only the opinions of the member posting. You should not assume that a posting on TgR implies any verification or independent review and whilst the advice is honestly offered it is made without knowledge of your particular medical conditions. You should always seek professional medical advice before taking any action that might affect your health.

[Lisa_W]

Hi Jasmine

I will title this post “what is a life worth?”.

In the past I have advised a number of parents looking to buy a pony for their child, who has fallen in love with horses & wants to learn to ride. Of course the parents want the best for the child but not more than $500. How much do you value the life of your child I ask, because as soon as they put their foot in the stirrup the life of the child is dependent on the behaviour of the pony.

The same can be said for drugs. Yes hormones are drugs – very powerful ones at that.

Questions to ask – where are OS drugs made? What are the quality controls? What is the purity of the components? What is the bio-availabilty of the drug? Is it equivalent to similar drugs in Australia?

That is just about about the drugs themselves. What about analysing the risk/benefit profile? Who is going to monitor the side-effects? The dosage to take? The drug levels themselves?

Hormones are not party lollies. They can be very dangerous. I recently heard of a lady who was taking HRT from a “friend” & developed a milky discharge from her breasts – she was unaware that that could indicate a brain tumour.

I ask again – how much is a life worth? In some OS countries – not very much. How much is your life worth? I will let you decide that one.

Please take hormones under medical supervision.

Lisa

[Lisa_W]

Jeorjette

I am not going to argue the merits or otherwise of what you have posted. It would take too long and bore a lot of people.

I have carefully read the article that you extensively quote. The up shot of that article is that if you take genistein then you will be well & will prevent breast cancer.

There is no evidence that HRT or any other form of oestrogen causes breast cancer in transgendered females.

When I searched the “Life Extension” web site I found 4 products that they are selling which contain genistein. Hence what they have to say about genistein has to be taken with a grain of salt as they have a financial interest in the product.

Plus in their disclaimer page I found this;

Health-Related Information
The information contained in the lef.org Web site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by your doctor or other health care professional. You should not use the information available on or through the lef.org Web site (including, but not limited to, information that may be provided by healthcare and/or nutrition professionals employed by, or contracting with, Life Extension) for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration unless specifically so stated. Please read our disclaimer.

And the disclaimer reads as follows;

Disclaimers
The dietary and other substances discussed on this site may not have undergone evaluation and/or testing by the United States Food and Drug Administration or like agency of any other country. Risks that might be determined by such testing are unknown. Where these substances are dietary supplements, they are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. In some jurisdictions, some of these substances may be considered prescription drugs, controlled or contraband substances. Since the information published on the Life Extension web site is accessible to anyone throughout the world, Life Extension does not give legal advice that may apply to any particular consumer. Consumers are cautioned to check with local, regionalized legal counsel and/or health care professional(s) before making any purchases of membership, products and/or services on the lef.org Web site

With these dislaimers & provisos in place Jeorjette, I would be very careful about what you claim & selectively quote.

Finally, you extensively publicise the products of “life extension”, this raises an ethical question – do you have any financial arrangements with this company – yes, it is just another multipharma drug company trying to make a profit – that you have not shared with us?

Lisa