Medical transition 

• So you’re an adult you want to medically transition, here’s some examples of pathways
  • Mental health
    • link to https://mainequeerhealth.org/standards-of-care/
    • Many trans people find it useful and sometimes necessary to include work with a mental health professional, such as a psychologist, counselor, or social worker, as they pursue medical transition.
    • Frequently, the support of a mental health professional can help trans people process, cope, and think deeply about the many challenges that can come up during gender transition.
    • It is the passionate opinion of this resource that trans people do not need a mental health counselor to guide them through transition, but we recognize that it can be helpful.
    • That being said, many insurance companies and medical providers, especially surgeons, will require documentation from mental health providers before providing you with gender affirming care. In some cases, this is merely evidence that you have been evaluated by a mentahl health provider, who will provide a letter of support [link to letters of spport page]. In other cases, you may need to document an on-going relationship with a mental health provider in order to access forms of medical care, especially surgeries.
    • To find a mental health provider in your area, [link to database search]
    • To learn about the different types of mental health providers, go [link].
  • Hormones
    • Many trans people who choose to medically transition will pursue gender-affirming hormone therapy. This comes in roughly three broad types, with lots of room for nuance. The types are: Feminizing hormones, Masculizing hormones, and microdosing either of those types. 
    • Feminizing Hormones
      • This is usually pursued by people assigned male at birth (such as trans women) and typically includes (1) the suppression of testosterone and (2) the use of estrogens. 
      • Bit about suppressing testosterone [from other site, link]
      • Bit about types of estrogens [from other site, link]
      • A note about progesterone: it is sometimes used, but not as common.
    • Masculinizing
      • Usually pursued by people assigned female at birth (such as trans men), and typically is a form of testosterone.
      • Sometimes, progesterone.
      • Sometimes, forms of birth control [IUDs, BC pill no sugar pills, etc].
    • Microdosing
      • This is a broad term for gender affirming hormone care, sometimes pursued by trans people, especially non-binary people, looking for some effects of gender affirming hormone care, but not all.
      • Some resources are [links]
      • Not all providers are willing to prescribe a course of microdosing gender affirming hormone therapy.
  • Surgeries
    • By typ
  • Other
    • Hair removal
      • Laser [better if it works for you, but it doesn’t work for everyone.]
      • Electrolysis [mention insurnace coverage is spotty, unless it’s for a surgery]
      • Usually done in three places: facial hair, genital hair for bottom surgery, or removing a section of hair on the arm or leg in prep for phalloplasty.
      • It takes 8-12 month for complete hair removal, no matter the method.
    • Prosthetics and Garments
      • STPs
      • Binders (!!)
      • Breast forms (medical, not medical)
      • Packers
      • Gaffs
      • Wigs
      • Shapers
      • Silicon Injections [research]