Are there any reasons/factors to someone not being able to start HRT? What if they turn me away? What if I'll never be able to start HRT?
the only absolute reasons that a person would be told they can NEVER get HRT is: hormone linked cancer (in themselves, not just one in their family members) or specific types of non-cancerous brain tumor (for MtF). For FtM, there is none- the only thing similar is they can NEVER get HRT (during the length of) while pregnant with a pregnancy they are not intending to abort.
Other than that, there are a handful of conditions that may be required to be under control to a greater or lesser extent, and that extent will depend on your prescribing doctor how much things need to be under control BEFORE starting. Generally, you need to be able to be sane enough to understand what HRT is going to do for you, what it won’t do for you, and to be able to understand what is real in the world and what isn’t (you can have hallucinations and delusions if you can identify that they aren’t real, no worries). This is so the doctor can ensure that it’s really YOU who freely wants the hormones and not a command hallucination. Generally, you need to have moderately well-controlled blood pressure, sleep apnea issues, diabetes, and cholesterol, as hormones (both types) can be a risk for some or all of these things to become less well controlled. Getting them in control to start with makes things easier to keep in control while you stay on HRT. This isn’t mandatory for all doctors, just a “normally”It doesn’t mean you’ll be banned from hormones if you don’t- it usually means they’ll want you to start a med to get things in check if you need one.
very few people have medical or legitimate reasons why they can NEVER start. many many more people encounter doctors who gate keep. you can always seek a different doctor if you feel you’re being stopped for unreasonable reasons.
it’s normal to be worried when you’re waiting around to start, but by and large almost everyone who really wants HRT for actual transgender reasons (defined by that person, i’m not here to define who is trans and not) qualifies for it. it’s just a matter of linking people to the right resources.
mod mayhem
