i cannot emphasize enough how important medical literacy is for trans people. for everyone, really, but especially for trans people.
and i don’t mean that you need to go to med school or become an expert or anything. i mean basic trans medical literacy. i have seen so many posts from trans people (primarily other transmascs) listing things that “no one told them” about surgery or hormones and they make me want to rip my hair out because the things they list tell me that they did absolutely no research about the medical decision they made, nor did they listen to their medical provider about it.
you cannot be serious when you say “no one told you” that anesthesia would make you sleepy or that testosterone would increase your libido. those are things that the bare minimum googling would tell you.
if you don’t know what effects something will have on you, if you don’t know what the process will look like, you can’t make an informed decision. and you also can’t know when something is happening that shouldn’t be. many years ago, a post went around warning transmascs that, among other things, their injection site for t would be red, dramatically swollen, and very painful. that should not happen. if that person had done their research or even just asked someone after it happened the first time, they would know that.
when you pick up your hormones, you can ask the pharmacist your questions. when you get your prescription from your doctor, you can ask them questions. when you book your surgery, you can ask them questions. when you are in the hospital bed before surgery, you can ask questions. if your provider doesn’t know, you can find information online from reputable sources. if you know other trans people who have done what you’re doing, you can ask them.
i know that it can be intimidating to seek out medical information if you’re not used to it, but you NEED to be informed about your own body. ESPECIALLY if your doctor isn’t. everyone should know as much as they can about the healthcare they’re seeking, but trans people especially need to be informed because providers frequently aren’t. don’t just take random tumblr posts as gospel. go look for information off of this site, double check it with other sources, talk to older trans people in real life if you can. there are trans people everywhere, especially transfems, who have been successfully DIYing their hormones for ages, and they can help you.
and remember that this urging for you to be informed is not because hormones and surgery are scary or dangerous or bad. it’s because they are healthcare and all healthcare decisions should be made from the most informed position possible.
