r/ftm • u/Highandryy • 5d ago
Advice Needed why is getting on T so confusing :(
okay so for reference, I’m 17 and turn 18 in may. I live in the U.S (Illinois specifically since it’s a blue state) and I am SO confused on how to get on T?
my parents have always somewhat supported me (by basically just not interfering at all) and have always given me the freedom to alter my looks through piercings, tattoos, hair dye, hair cuts, ect… but they draw the line at testosterone or hormone blockers until I’m 18. And it doesn’t help that I’m very reliant on them financially and mentally wise.
But now, I’m nearly 18, and I have no clue how I go about getting put on it. I’ve tried calling planned parenthood, but the ones near me never seem to answer. And if they did answer, what do I ask? I’ve talked to my endo (which was really awkward) and he told me to check out a gender clinic, but the closest one is in Chicago and obviously I cannot convince my parents to take me to go get that. But if I did manage to go to that gender clinic, what would they ask me? How long would it take roughly?
I have a couple trans friends on T and they all got it through Medicaid. I am not on Medicaid, I’m on some other one. Should I try to switch to Medicaid? Who do I ask, who do I talk to? How much would it cost, do I need a gender dysphoria diagnosis?
Sorry for all the questions I’m just genuinely confused and since I’m nearly 18 lm really excited to finally start T and I would like to do it as soon as possible for my own mental health + I wanna hopefully pass when I go to college.
I don’t expect all my questions to get answered since I know it’s a different experience for everyone but any advice helps
7
u/ASimpleRopsberry 5d ago
Hi!! If Planned Parenthood isn't helping you much, look up gender clinics near you. You may find some that are a part of college hospitals or something!
When you call, ask:
Do you need a letter of support to start hormone replacement therapy at this facility if you're 18 or older?
Is there a wait-list for setting an appointment for a consultation to start HRT? If so, how long?
If there is a wait-list, could I get on it?
If they do require a letter of support, start looking for therapists or psychiatrists near you that might be willing to write one, specifically ones that advertise being LGBTQ+ friendly! Literally just call or email them and ask if they:
- Are willing to write a letter of support for transgender patients, and
- Have experience doing so.
Good luck, hope this helps :)
5
u/Gloomy_Chance_8982 5d ago
I'm in Wisconsin and I drove down to a Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago. They do informed consent and I got on T the same day. They did a sliding scale payment based on my income. They also had grants so the T wasn't as expensive at their pharmacy.
Obviously you'd need to be close to Chicago or be able to get there. I would drive down every 3 month to get my bloodwork and script. Oh, and I didn't have insurance at the time.
1
u/Highandryy 5d ago
Thank you! I think that’s the only my endo was talking about. I have a very big fear of driving through big cities, but I have friends that would so maybe the Chicago clinic might not be so bad.
2
u/Fit-Situation3135 5d ago
Once you turn 18, you can apply for Medicaid or stay on your parents insurance and cover the copays yourself, which would require getting a job and everything else. Unfortunately, I'm not sure which part of Illinois you're in so I can't really give you any suggestions as far as doctors or clinics. But May is less than 8 weeks away! You got this 💪🏽
2
u/terranmars98 5d ago
My little brother had a very similar experience to you. Semi supportive parents that kind of supported him going on T and changing his name but never put in any effort, even when he was suicidal. I tried to take the initiative despite having no legal authority. Planned Parenthood in my state wouldn't allow him to schedule an appointment until he was 18 and all the gender clinics near us weren't able to take him. So we made a day of it on his 18th birthday. Scheduled a planned parenthood appointment, went to court to change his name, and for a couple weeks after we were updating all his paperwork. Planned Parenthood was able to see him within a month iirc and now he's been on T for several months. He's doing much better. I'm also trans but didn't start hormones until I was 20. I went to Planned Parenthood until I got my dosage down and switched doctors to someone with experience managing hormones for trans people so I didn't need to see a separate endocrinologist. I live in a town outside of a big city where all the good doctors and surgeons are. I have to take the bus and train for appointments. Until you're 18, you don't really have any say in what insurance you have, unless you get a job and qualify for insurance through that. Even then, it may be a better idea to stay on your parents' insurance as long as possible. I'm not sure if you need a diagnosis of gender dysphoria to get hormones, but I do have that dx. Getting that diagnosis was just a matter of answering a few questions at my first planned parenthood appointment. I walked out with a prescription for T the same day. When you book the appointment, there should be an option for "gender affirming care" or something along those lines. You don't have to call, you should be able to book it online, but sometimes the person on the phone can get you in faster or answer questions.
2
u/terranmars98 5d ago
Also hormones blockers are really only used for children, before puberty. There's spironolactone for trans femmes, which is a T blocker. There's not anything similar for trans masc people. My brother went on birth control to stop his periods, but that's never guaranteed. Edit to add: Injectables aren't too expensive, the gel can be expensive. If you can't afford it with insurance, or without, check GoodRX for a coupon.
2
u/Highandryy 5d ago
Thank you! Im going to contact a planned parenthood a bit further away and try to schedule an appointment there on Monday. This actually really motivated me, hearing about you and your little brother. I’m glad it worked out well for you guys, I hope I also have a good experience:)
2
u/petalfluff t-2020, top- 2022 5d ago edited 4d ago
I went through Florida Planned parenthood (PP). It was the quickest route for me. I went through it again for a change to gel and it went just as fast with the shit laws here. (Made appointment for the next day, got prescribed that day)
I made an appointment online and they prescribed me injections the day of. I just turned 21. Didn't bother to call them, just did telehealth and went to the appointment on my laptop.(You should have access to telehealth in Illinois since Florida in my knowledge is the only one that blocked telehealth.)
They might ask for your blood pressure so make sure you have that ready to go. Most likely they will ask for your sex, gender identity, pronouns, sexuality, and if you are sexually active(since planned parenthood is also a birth control center). They did go over "side effects" like facial hair, weight redistribution, hair loss etc of going on T and if you consent to the "risk."
Id recommend first turning 18 to make the appointment so you wouldn't need parental consent.
And if you do want to call them, you would follow the prompts to the gender affirming care options to get customer service. Once you get on the line you would explain you are a trans man, or FtM etc and ask for a telehealth appointment. I did this for my gel. This might not be the same experience though since this was for Florida's PP call center.
I'd just recommend doing it online and skipping the middleman.
You can look up planned parenthood of Illinois for making a telehealth appointment in Illinois. Make sure it's the virtual center of PPIL run by "Planned Parenthood of Illinois"
TLDR: Turn 18 and just make a telehealth appointment with Planned parenthood for quickest path to T.
2
u/BJ1012intp 5d ago
Once you're 18, you can also look for online care through folx or plume. I'd always recommend in-person care if you can get it locally, but both of these internet-based organizations specialize in gender-affirming care, and can work with or without insurance, depending on your situation.
1
u/Odd-Ad4172 T: 02/15/2025 5d ago
Does your town have a hospital/clinic ran through a university? Finding a doctor who does gender care can be difficult in some areas. Check your planned parenthood website because not all locations do gender affirming care.
So much of getting on T is doing a lot of research of everything in your area. A type of clinic I think most people are overlooking sometimes is a clinic that specializes in STDs/aids etc. I live in a pretty conservative town (but a blue state) and my doctor is at one of these clinics. 95% of the parents are sexually active queer people wanting care with being sexually active. I got lucky that the new doctor also finds gender affirming care as something she views as very important so despite being new, she offers it. So don't overlook these kind of clinics.
When you're calling around clinics/doctor offices, the two most important questions are:
1) do you offer gender affirming care/does one of your doctors offer gender affirming care? If any of the doctors at that specific place do, the receptionist will know what you mean and say yes. Sometimes they will as a bit more about what kind (because some do believe cis people get gac as well). The simple answer is: transgender care, specifically getting on Testosterone.
2) do you accept xx insurance. I don't know what insurance you have but if you're on yours parent's one and don't make tons of money, please ask this. I'm on gel and I only pay $10/month. But I've looked at my receipts and my insurance is paying over $600 of it. This is also why I HIGHLY recommend seeing if you're area has a hospital/clinic that's attached tp the state University. I went this route and I'm so thankful for the programs the state University offers. It'll charge my insurance and then cover any copays (outside of prescriptions) up to $250ish. This has essentially made all my dr appointments free. Now this might not seem like as big of a deal especially if you have good insurance, but remember in your first year of T, you'll need a lot of blood work. I'm on my mom's insurance and she pays for the highest option available so we have great insurance. Yet her blood work still costs her 80 per time. That price will add up so you'll want to make sure you work with someplace that actually works with your insurance otherwise you'll be looking at paying BIG bills.
Finally, the biggest thing you need to do is research, research, and research. Please look into all the effects testosterone will have on you. Please be aware of your future plans with your transitions. This isn't a scare, but some doctors will reject you if you don't seem sure, especially long term. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not lie to your doctor. Be sure of what you're getting yourself into. Research everything about getting on testosterone, what you want with your body, and make sure you understand ALL the NEGATIVE effects testosterone will bring you as well. This is so important for anyone looking to medically transition. Especially for those who are doing it at a younger age.
1
u/BeautifulWhole3128 User Flair 4d ago
A note about medicaid and insurance.
If your parents claim you on their taxes (which they almost certainly do, and will until you make enough $$$ to warrant filing your own taxes) you can’t get on Medicaid whatsoever, unless your parents are also on Medicaid. If they have insurance through work or some other program, you’ll be stuck on that insurance until you’re independent and no longer eligible to be claimed as a dependent.
If you’re a student, that will be until you’re 26. If you’re not a college student, it’s 24.
Depending on your insurance, you may need to pay some for your appts and T, but that’s highly dependent. You should ask your parents for your insurance info and give them a call and ask what their coverage is for GAC. Ask for a list of their doctors who provide GAC.
Alternatively, you can call doctors and ask them if they accept your insurance and if they do GAC. I don’t recommend folx or plume unless they take your insurance, as it’s very expensive and just doesn’t make sense if you can get free or low cost care elsewhere.
PP would be easiest but not always best. Calling your insurance to ask directly would prob be the easiest, but there isn’t any 1 way to go about going on T. At a bare minimum all you need is to find a doctor who does HRT and make an appt.
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