Commencing HRT

I began HRT (hormone replacement therapy) today, Aug 5 2021, with the good folks at Planned Parenthood. They were excellent.

Rather than saying: you have to present as a woman for a year, you have to have letters from two psychotherapists, etc, (which is a gender gatekeeping function), you have to have a note from your spouse... the folks at Planned Parenthood use a different paradigm: informed consent.

In informed consent, you make an appointment, you see a clinician qualified to evaluate and treat you, and you tell them your story. They make sure you understand what you're asking for: what is and what is not reversible, possible side effects, risk factors for other bad outcomes. And if you're grounded in the facts and demonstrate that you've done your homework, you're going to leave that office visit with prescriptions in hand.

It was not an exercise in pencil-whipping: they were thorough and I was convinced that if I wasn't sure of what I was asking for, I wouldn't have gotten it.

I love Planned Parenthood for treating septagenarian me like a competent human.