New to the community, but lurking for ever and stuck inside my egg for the past decade. I finally hit the wall where I was either going to come out or break down. So far, I’m super lucky to have a fantastic and understanding spouse who has my back, but that’s literally the extent of my support network. I’ve always been pretty shy and impersonal, so I have a very tiny friend group. That said, I’m over 40 and can’t wait to transition any longer. I just can’t seem to find any physicians in my area that I don’t think will either deny me care or treat me like I’m a liar. I’m fine with going straight to an endochrinoligist and signing an informed consent, but I really think I should see a therapist or counselor about some things I’ve been struggling with. I’m just having a difficult time of knowing who I can and can’t trust, and I don’t really have anyone around to ask. The only out transfem I know is a professional acquaintance and I’m way too scared to out myself to her yet. I’ve gone through most of the publicly available lists and tools for finding practitioners but they either don’t take my insurance or don’t cover my area. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this? I want to get started so badly because I feel like I already missed out on so much of life as my true self, but the roadblock now seems to be that I can’t even trust my family physician to know who I really am.
I go through a service called Folx Health. They have been absolutely AMAZING for me. I would highly suggest anyone in the US to look into them. I had one video appointment, and that same day was picking up my HRT. Outside of labs once or twice a year, you’re only required to meet with them again annually for another video appointment. You can definitely setup more appointments and even use them for general care/pcp things - I just had one to get tretinoin prescribed to me. You can use insurance or not; I’m currently uninsured and paying out of pocket, and they have super reasonable prices. They can also provide lists and resources for different doctors if you choose to undergo any surgeries.
You’re the second person to recommend them, so I’ll definitely consider them if I can’t find a local provider. I was just hoping to find a practitioner who knew the area and would be able to also recommend places for other services I (or my spouse! They’re part of this journey, too) may need down the line.
I think the only problem is that Folx and Plume are extremely over-priced. DIY is much cheaper, for example, as is going to a normal doctor with insurance.
That might be the case! It’s been super affordable for me vs the convenience of it all… and I’m currently unemployed and without insurance. I have too much dysphoria and trauma associated with pinning, so injections are a no-go for me. The patches that I am prescribed are just magic 🪄 They also have great discounts for labs, and goodrx super helps with the hrt costs.