Jump to content
  • Welcome to the TransPulse Forums!

    We offer a safe, inclusive community for transgender and gender non-conforming folks, as well as their loved ones, to find support and information.  Join today!

Finding An Endocrinologist


Guest

Recommended Posts

Many have asked where to find an Endocrinologist. This link allows you to search for one by Zipcode http://www.hormone.org/ . A simple anonymous phone call can tell you if they are Transgender friendly or not. Recent AMA documents have made it illegal to discriminate against Transgender people in medical Care. Most endos will require a letter from a therapist for cross hormone therapy.

Laura

Link to comment
  • 2 months later...
Guest Elizabeth K

Just an observation - it may be difficult to find a sympathetic AND knowlegable Endocrinologist. My wife and I have both been treated by an Endocrinologist for several years (she-thyroid, me-diabetes II) We decided that I would 'come-out' to him to ask for advice on a therapist - and he wasn't sure what to do. He suggested a psychiatrist - when I researched, this psychiatrist specialized in geriatrics.

I am certain he would work with me if I begin hormone treatment, but the point is he had no idea of how to help me GET help.

I believe that this shows it is better to locate and meet with a competent therapist first, one with gender identity disfunction experience, THEN look for an Endocrinologist. In any case, your therapist will have suggestions on an Endocrinologist.

I will probably stay with my current Endocrinolgist as it is important to consider all aspects when mixing diabetes treatments with gender reassignment medication. Most people won't have that complication - so go for it.

This is directed more toward transsexuals or those who want to find out if they are.

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
Guest YaManShane

I don't think is has to be an Endocrinologist to put you on hormones. I think it just gotta be a medical doctor who knows about trans issues. The guy who put me on hormones is just a regular doctor. he deals with adolescents and transgendered patients. is there any advantage to going with an endo though? or is he more likely to put you on hormones than a regular doctor.

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

I started going to an Electrolysis/Laser clinic and she told me about a regular MD in the same area that dealt with transgender patients for HRT treatments. I think that if the doctor is familiar with the effects of Hormone therapy on the male body then it would be alright to go to them rather than an endocrinologist; if not then it would be safer to seek out an endocrinologist who has dealt with transgender patients.

I don't think is has to be an Endocrinologist to put you on hormones. I think it just gotta be a medical doctor who knows about trans issues. The guy who put me on hormones is just a regular doctor. he deals with adolescents and transgendered patients. is there any advantage to going with an endo though? or is he more likely to put you on hormones than a regular doctor.
Link to comment
I started going to an Electrolysis/Laser clinic and she told me about a regular MD in the same area that dealt with transgender patients for HRT treatments. I think that if the doctor is familiar with the effects of Hormone therapy on the male body then it would be alright to go to them rather than an endocrinologist; if not then it would be safer to seek out an endocrinologist who has dealt with transgender patients.

The key issue is a familiarity with transgendered patients. A good doctor who has treated patients with Contra Hormone Therapy can regulate the hormones and analyze the blood work just fine - I just don't want to be the first for any kind of doctor. They should require a letter from a therapist if they don't it is the robot waving his arms and shouting, "Warning, warning, danger, Will Robinson!"

Love ya,

Sally

Link to comment
  • 1 month later...
Guest rayne1

My doctor's office has tried all over the surrounding towns within 70 mile radius and no Endocrinologist feels capable of treating me for HRT and has denied the doctor's referral request. Has anyone living in the Springfield, Gainsville, West Plains, Missouri area had any luck in obtaining a doctor or Endocrinologist who can treat me for HRT? I already have the therapy letter.

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean
My doctor's office has tried all over the surrounding towns within 70 mile radius and no Endocrinologist feels capable of treating me for HRT and has denied the doctor's referral request. Has anyone living in the Springfield, Gainsville, West Plains, Missouri area had any luck in obtaining a doctor or Endocrinologist who can treat me for HRT? I already have the therapy letter.

Hey, Hon....

I live in the sticks of Ohio and maybe you can try what worked for me...I have a GP doctor that prescribes for me and monitors...I couldn't find an Endo so I Googled LGBT sites in Ohio and e-mailed them and got an answer of the Dr. that I go to now..Its 100 miles one way, but it was my best bet...My regular doc wouldn't do it because of the group he is in and liability...yadda...yadda...yadda...

I also Googled "Trans " sites in Ohio and got some answers back...worth a try!

Worked for me, Hon...and I was getting desparate!

Endos are few and far between...mostly in the bigger cities!

Give me a holler, Sweetie...let me know.....OK?

****HUGGS****

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest Little Sara
The key issue is a familiarity with transgendered patients. A good doctor who has treated patients with Contra Hormone Therapy can regulate the hormones and analyze the blood work just fine - I just don't want to be the first for any kind of doctor.

I agree the doctor should be familiar with trans patients. I don't agree that they know their stuff necessarily however, even if they've had experience. Much like a doctor who always prescribed anti-depressants might know nothing about anti-depressants. The first doctor I went to went by protocol tables from studies done in NYC in the 1960s, which have high doses of some types of estradiol, and very low doses of some others. And he won't negotiate, he goes by-the-book with his protocols, wether they're flawed or not he doesn't care.

They should require a letter from a therapist if they don't it is the robot waving his arms and shouting, "Warning, warning, danger, Will Robinson!"

In my opinion they should not require a diagnosis. The doctor I mentioned who is rigid about his dosages? Dozens of people go see him every week, and at least a few dozen of trans people go there every 3 months to see him (and get refills). He doesn't require a diagnosis...and that's the main reason trans people go see him. Getting a diagnosis is VERY hard here, and most people in their 15-25s don't have a fortune to spend on weekly sessions to see a therapist do umms and aahhs and wonder about the meaning of life, for 150$ an hour.

Link to comment
Guest rayne1

Donna Jean:

Thank you for your suggestions.

I too live in a rural community away from everything. I did try to contact some of what are supposed to be support forums in Springfield that I found on the internet, but no reply from any of them so far. I did find one Endocrinologist 234 miles one way in St. Louis, but that is ridiculous to drive that far each time. I did see one forum comment about a GP that they had gone to in Springfield, which is 65 miles one way for me, but how much they are familiar with transsexual patients. I will try and call her tomorrow to see if she will be able to see me and prescribe the hormones and doing the necessary blood tests to monitor them. If that does not work out I am stumped as to where to go. My family physician does not know anything about it and so I cannot get anything from her.

Hey, Hon....

I live in the sticks of Ohio and maybe you can try what worked for me...I have a GP doctor that prescribes for me and monitors...I couldn't find an Endo so I Googled LGBT sites in Ohio and e-mailed them and got an answer of the Dr. that I go to now..Its 100 miles one way, but it was my best bet...My regular doc wouldn't do it because of the group he is in and liability...yadda...yadda...yadda...

I also Googled "Trans " sites in Ohio and got some answers back...worth a try!

Worked for me, Hon...and I was getting desparate!

Endos are few and far between...mostly in the bigger cities!

Give me a holler, Sweetie...let me know.....OK?

****HUGGS****

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

Rayne...I became fairly freaked out when I realized that I had hit a dead end...and I was looking in surrounding states..I mean REALLY far...Pittsburgh, Pa.....Wheeling W.Va......Indianapolis, Ind..Northern Kentucky..I wasn't going to be stopped, but I lucked out...

I think that it is just a matter of lots of networking and keeping track of what you're doing..Once I got my Doc...I just completely went limp!....lol

Let me know how it's going.....OK?

HUGGS

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest rayne1

Yes, I know what you mean. You get to this point and there is another stumbling block

I ran across one person who had gone to a GP , but when I tried to get in touch with the doctor, I was told they don't do feminizing HRT. I google one site Nationwide Synergy which is a e-mail doctor doing HRT. I heard back from him and he wants medical history faxed to him by my local GP. I just e-mailed him back to be sure that he was aware of my circumstances and the type of HRT I wanted him to do. I can get the necessary blood tests from my local clinic. We will see what kind of response I get from him later.

Rayne...I became fairly freaked out when I realized that I had hit a dead end...and I was looking in surrounding states..I mean REALLY far...Pittsburgh, Pa.....Wheeling W.Va......Indianapolis, Ind..Northern Kentucky..I wasn't going to be stopped, but I lucked out...

I think that it is just a matter of lots of networking and keeping track of what you're doing..Once I got my Doc...I just completely went limp!....lol

Let me know how it's going.....OK?

HUGGS

Donna Jean

Link to comment
Guest Donna Jean

Rayne......

OMG...I know where you are at, Hon...I really do.....

Let me know what he says....OK?

Wishing you VERY MUCH LUCK!!!!!

Huggs

Donna Jean

Link to comment
  • 1 year later...
  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...
Guest jennifer normal

After reading how many of us are working the maze I realize how fortunate I am. I feel so bad for all of those still in the search. I would definitely give endorsements but can't say how ethical that would be. I want to say,and they very well may visit here how much I appreciate their care. I'll have to check but I hope I can share it with you. With loving thoughts,Jennifer

Link to comment
  • 5 months later...
  • 9 months later...
Guest kimberly5669

Donna i saw where you live in ohio and i am a mtf wishing to start on hrt and i was wondering who you went and saw to get started i also live in ohio

Link to comment

Rayne:

I work for Family & Community Medicine at the University of Missouri Hospitals & Clinics here in Columbia, Mo. We have 3 Family Practice Doctors who prescribe HRT for transgendered males and females. Dr Amanda Swenson and Dr Anne Fitzsimmons both practice on the Green Team at Green Meadows Clinic 3217 S Providence Road. To call for an appointment: 573-884-7733. Dr Swenson has agreed to treat me with HRT. Dr Fitzsimmons is out on medical leave following surgery. Dr Carrie Reust who practices at our Keene Family Medicine Clinic, 305 N Keene St, Suite 203, Columbia, Mo. To call for an appointment call 573-882-8000. I know all three doctors both professionally and personally and all three have extensive experience treating Transgendered patients and are both great Doctors and kind, understanding people. Dr Swenson moved to Columbia from Madison Wis where she treated many Trans people at University Hospital and Clinics in Madison Wisconsin for seven years prior to moving to Columbia two years ago. I know she is accepting new patients. PM me if you need any additional information, Hugs Kathryn Julia

Link to comment
Guest ValerieD

My therapist recommended that I start searching for an endocrinologist that knows about trans issues so she has someone to write the letter to when she does that. Any idea of how to find one? I'm in the Potsdam, NY area most of the time so there isn't much around (I can't even find anything with the site on the first post because I can't expand the radius beyond 10 miles and there's nothing found for either Potsdam or Massena).

I technically live in Rochester which would have a better chance of finding someone, but I'm home so rarely that it would be a good idea to get someone in the north country if I can. Theoretically I could attempt a day trip to Syracuse but it wouldn't be fun (would have the advantage that it would matter less if I was in Rochester or Potsdam).

Link to comment
  • 2 months later...

Does Green Meadows Clinic in Columbia require a letter from your therapist?

They do before they will start HRT. Having a good therapist in your corner will help make transitioning easier and help you understand your gender issues better. HRT therapy also requires medical monitoring and lab tests to ensure that you are not damaging your liver. They also monitor lipid levels as well as a complete blood chemistry panel to watch for over production of certain blood cells or abnormal clotting which could lead to a clot which could lead to a stroke or heart attack. On a personal note, my GP knows my medical background and I have built up a level of trust with him. I consult with Dr Swenson about HRT dosages and forward her recommendations on to my GP doctor. Dr L my GP monitors my lab levels and I share them with Dr Swenson on a regular basis. I also have juvenile diabetes, wear an insulin pump and this adds a complication to my medical care. I take my medical care very seriously. Work closely with physicians that I trust and I tend to take a conservative approach to HRT Therapy. Hormones are very powerful drugs that can hurt you, so no buying them from overseas sources. Yes, the Standards of Care can be a pain sometimes, but they are in place to keep you safe. I pm'd you with my therapists information. She is extremely good and very easy to work with. Therapists can generally help you understand you better and whether it takes a month or three months before they make the decision to recommend HRT Therapy, that time is well spent in preparing you for a life long decision that is going to radically change relationships you may have. It may affect jobs, marriages go sour, and a host of other issues that you have to face along the journey to a final destination of living as your true self. We tend to focus on the prize and forget about the issues that occur along the way to the prize. I waited decades to arive where I am at today. Hard, you bet. Do it alone, no way. This journey requires bringing supporters along the journey. It's hard. It's a decision that nobody would make if they didn't need to. But there comes a point in your life that you can't live the lie any more. You want to come out of the shadows. If you are at that point in your life, all of us on Laura's stand ready to support and help you. Just ask. KathrynJulia

Link to comment
  • 9 months later...
Guest sophia.gentry58

I wished I'd come across this post before spending all afternoon today looking for an Endocrinologist, to no avail. :( Tomorrow I will look for an MD who is experienced in Transgen issues and is sympathetic to my needs and concerns.

Sophia

Link to comment
  • Admin

Sophia, I just posted this link in your HRT Regimen Post, but here it is again, these folks are in Tulsa http://www.lgbtcenters.org/Centers/Oklahoma/90/Oklahomans-for-Equality.aspx They may know where a local person is that can help you. Your actual in office visits with and Endo will probably be one or two per year, and they may be able to work with your GP to supervise you on a more frequent basis.

Link to comment
Guest sophia.gentry58

Thanks so much Vicky! Please forgive me for having you to repeat yourself. There is such a wealth of information here I feel like being in a maze. I'll have to do a better job a tracing my steps so as not to get lost. :)

Sophia

Sophia, I just posted this link in your HRT Regimen Post, but here it is again, these folks are in Tulsa http://www.lgbtcenters.org/Centers/Oklahoma/90/Oklahomans-for-Equality.aspx They may know where a local person is that can help you. Your actual in office visits with and Endo will probably be one or two per year, and they may be able to work with your GP to supervise you on a more frequent basis.

Link to comment
  • Dev unpinned this topic

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Who's Online   2 Members, 0 Anonymous, 96 Guests (See full list)

    • Pip
    • Betty K
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      80.5k
    • Total Posts
      767.2k
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      11,942
    • Most Online
      8,356

    taxicab
    Newest Member
    taxicab
    Joined
  • Today's Birthdays

    1. Amyjay
      Amyjay
      (58 years old)
    2. bettyjean
      bettyjean
    3. Breanna
      Breanna
      (52 years old)
    4. Emily Ayla
      Emily Ayla
    5. JET182
      JET182
  • Posts

    • Susan R
      Love it! This is great news. We need more of this to combat the excessive hate-filled rhetoric and misinformation. 👍
    • Susan R
      The experience was the same for me @April Marie. I slept much deeper and I woke up each morning feeling so much more restful sleeping with forms solidly in place. For me, wearing breast forms at night started when before I was a teenager. I had no access up to modern breast forms and certainly no way to buy mastectomy bras back then. I wore a basic bra my mom had put in a donation box and two pairs of soft cotton socks. I have some crazy memories of things I did in my youth to combat my GD but regardless, these makeshift concoctions helped me work through it all.   All My Best, Susan R🌷
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Colorado isn't exactly a Republican place, and won't become one anytime soon.  I think those folks might be better off not spending their time playing Don Quixote.    We certainly have our share of California "refugees" moving into where I live, so I wouldn't be surprised to start seeing Coloradans too.  I suspect the trend over the next few years will see the blue areas getting more blue and the red areas getting more red as anybody who can relocate tries to find a place where they fit better.   
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      Well, at least it'll be a place some folks could choose.  Options are a good thing.
    • awkward-yet-sweet
      My family would have gobbled that jar up in a minute or two.  When we do have pickled herring, its usually for Christmas.  I didn't grow up with that particular dish, but I grew up in a Greek family so I like just about any kind of fish if I can get it.  However, ocean fish and freshwater fish taste so different.  We usually have more catfish and tilapia to eat than anything else.    What I can't quite get used to is the tons of cabbage my GF insists on eating.  When you live with a Russian, there is always cabbage soup.  Always.  When I first moved in with her, breakfast was "shchi" for soup and either bread or "kasha" which is a bowl of boiled buckwheat with butter and salt.  Those dishes can be made in any number of ways, some are better than others.  In the winter, it can even be salty and sour like kraut.  Not exactly sauerkraut, but packed in tubs with vinegar and salt so it keeps partially for the winter.  But I drew the line when the cabbage soup included pieces of fried snake one day.  😆
    • Ashley0616
      Good evening to you as well @Mmindy   That is awesome that you have support from her side. My dad has communicated with me once and that was because he was forced to. His new wife wanted to spend time with my kids. He hated me so much he was in the process of taking my rights away as a parent to my two boys. He was talking to a lawyer and I called him out on it. I don't love him at all. I'll respect him because I wouldn't be here without him but I wished I had another father. My uncles don't talk to me and unfriended me on Facebook. Almost all cousins except for two are still Facebook friends but they don't give me any support. My mom said she won't support me with that but she has said that she loves me. I have nieces and nephews that are still Facebook friends but they have yet to talk to me. I have one sister that supports me out of three. The other's disrespect me by deadnaming me. They have never called me their sister. I think for them they think it's still a phase. They don't ask questions about me being trans. I have to bring it up and on the look of their faces they don't look comfortable about it. 
    • Mmindy
      Good evening @Ashley0616,   I just got offline with HP tech support trying to get my printer tool box icon locked to my tool bar. This is one of the most important features of my printer that I like because it keeps track of ink, paper, and scanned documents. I'm diffidently not a computer geek.   I'll catch up with the other bookmarks next week. We leave to go home for the Easter Holiday with our families. Saturday with her side, and Sunday with my side. What's odd about that is I'm out to more of her side and they're reluctantly supportive. My side on the other hand are less supportive, and my sister just under me in age will not acknowledge my being there. She will be constantly moving to keep from dealing with me. I'm dead to her.   Hugs,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋  
    • Ashley0616
      I used to follow baseball and the team I would cheer for is Boston Red Sox. My favorite player was Papi. He was an awesome guy and even held a child during the National Anthem. I haven't watched baseball for a long time. It just died off to me. 
    • Ashley0616
      That stinks that nothing transferred, and no bookmarks were saved! 
    • Ashley0616
      I'm doing patches for now but I think soon I'll go to shots because it's hard to alternate when you are doing two xx patches at once. Unless she gives me Estradiol and progesterone
    • Sally Stone
      Go Cleveland Guardians!  I love baseball and I loved playing it when I was younger.  
    • Sally Stone
      My view is we are "dependent" on government, because as a society, we are too lazy to stay actively involved. So, we let politicians do our bidding for us.  I think we'd be in a better place government wise if we policed the actions of our politicians.  We elected them; they work for us.  Sadly, we are allowing them to run amok.  We are where we are because we have chosen to let politicians make all decisions without us.  Remember "by the people, for the people?" That was the intent of our democracy.  Today, however, it is "by the politicians, for the politicians," the people be damned. 
    • Mmindy
      "Play Ball! Batter Up!" is the closing line of the National Anthem as far as I'm concerned. It's the call of the Home Plate Umpire and signals the start of the game. I grew up in the TV and Radio broadcast of the St. Louis Cardinals. Harry Caray, Jack Buck, Tim McCarver, and Mike Shannon, were the voices on my transistor radio. KMOX 1120 AM pushing 50,000 watts of Class A clear-channel non-directional signal. It could be picked up all across MO, IL, IN to the East. KS, OK, CO to the West. IA, MN to the North, and KY, TN, AR to the South. There has always been a rivalry against the Chicago Cubs, in the National League. As for the American League, I have to pull for the Kansas City Royals. I've also been a Little League Umpire, and fan of everything the Little League stands for. Going to Williamsport, PA and seeing the Little League World Series is in my top 10 things to do on my bucket list.   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • Mmindy
      Good evening everyone,   I don't think my mother ever cooked a meal that I didn't like. We also had a kitchen where mom fixed the food, dad filled your plate, and you eat it. It wasn't until our baby brother was born that we could have Pop-Tarts for snacks. Before that all snacks had to meet mom's approval, and in her opinion wouldn't prevent you from eating supper.   Well my day started off on a good note, but has become frustrating because my IT person didn't transfer my saved videos I use for teaching. Then I found out that they didn't save any of my book marks for websites I use frequently.   Best wishes, stay motivated,   Mindy🌈🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋
    • MaeBe
      The number is relative to method of deliver, the time of the dose, and when the blood is drawn. However, I do want to keep away from DVT and other potential issues. I assume I may be getting backed down from my current dose, but my doc told me to stick with the higher dose, so? I also wonder if this has anything to do the my breast growth and mental changes that have been happening over the past few years, like I have some estrogen sensitivity so a little goes a long way or something? I don't have enough data to postulate, but who knows!   With weekly, subcutaneous, shots you expect to see big swings of serum level estradiol from shot to peak to trough. My doctor is interested in mid-week testing (for E and T levels only), which would be post-peak blood serum levels but they will be higher than trough. Most, if not all, resources I've seen online is to measure at trough (which I might do just to do it next time) along with a SHBG, LH, and other metrics.   This is from transfemscience.org for Estradiol valerate in oil, which is very spiky compared to some other estradiol combinations. It's also for intramuscular, which will have a slower uptake and is usually dosed in higher volume due to the slower absorption rate from muscles. They don't have subcutaneous numbers, which I would expect to see similar spikes but higher levels at similar doses due to the relatively higher absorption rate direct from fat.   Are you doing pills, shots, or patches? And when you do get your levels checked are you getting that done when your levels are lowest or some other time?
  • Upcoming Events

Contact TransPulse

TransPulse can be contacted in the following ways:

Email: Click Here.

To report an error on this page.

Legal

Your use of this site is subject to the following rules and policies, whether you have read them or not.

Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
DMCA Policy
Community Rules

Hosting

Upstream hosting for TransPulse provided by QnEZ.

Sponsorship

Special consideration for TransPulse is kindly provided by The Breast Form Store.
×
×
  • Create New...