Hormone Replacement Therapy 101 is a simple guide to help you get started. This is not a guide to all the most amazing hormones you might want to try to get, it’s a realistic guide to getting started in the simplest, most hassle-free way possible.
Under New Zealand regulations, all you need to get on hormones as an adult is “informed consent”. Informed consent means demonstrating that you are well informed, and that you have the mental capacity to make your own healthcare decisions.
If your GP is confident, they can give you information at your first visit, and book a follow up. At the second visit, they can assess whether you’ve understood the info, and still wish to proceed. They may need to ask some questions and run some blood tests but should be able to proceed with hormones at this point.
In reality, many GPs haven’t done this before and don’t feel confident. They may ask you to see a psychologist for a “Readiness Assessment” and/or an endocrinologist for blood tests. If they ask for more than this, it may be worth reading the National Guidelines for Gender Affirming Healthcare and giving them a copy.
