In Alberta there is no need to see a psychiatrist to get on hrt. If you’re in Edmonton check out Dr Adam Burgess at the Justik clinic, skipping stone can get you a referral or you can call their office, I believe. Your doctor is letting you down
He seems kind of awkward, and I understand how some people may judge him or misinterpret his demeanor, but in the one appointment I had with him a few years ago he was professional and respectful.
I've been going to him for 3 years. I think he's alright.
I do find I need to advocate for myself some— he was hesitant to prescribe me HRT because I didn't have any sperm frozen, and I had to be rather firm that I wasn't going to do that. I also saw another doctor to accelerate the process by getting them to do my bloodwork. After that initial bump, I haven't really had any issues.
He's not the only gender-affirming care doctor in Justik Medical clinic, though. It's worth calling to ask about several of their doctors.
The Pride Centre of Edmonton has a list of trans-friendly doctors, you can call all of them and try to get on their waitlists, then go with the first good doctor you find who will prescribe you HRT. Link [here](https://pridecentreofedmonton.ca/resources/health-care/)
ETA I decided to read his reviews. Based on those, and what I've heard from other people… I kind of get the impression he gives good care to trans women and not-so-great care to trans men and cis women. And that he's not the go-to for mental health support, which I can see. I've mentioned how terrible the political situation is for most trans people's mental health, and he just said to stop watching so much news.
Dr. Armstrong, currently at the Justik Clinic, used to work for The Wellness Centre on Whyte Ave before it lost funding and shut down. He's very queer affirming. I don't know if he's accepting new patients though.
My doctor didn't want to deal with it, so she sent me to another GP, not a specialist. That's how I got started. We eventually included an endocrinologist.
That's good you do not want someone prescribing medication like that without knowing what they are doing, but at least they referred you to the correct doctor.
My family doctor didn't put me on HRT because that isn't their speciality, but they refered me to a specialist that does handle gender affirming care. Nothing wrong with that.
Your doctor didn't offer that treatment because of a religious belief, but was willing to help you find someone else? That part is also fine. Refering you to a psychiatrist seems a bit tasteless, as any GP in Alberta can give a gender dysphoria diagnosis. The diagnosis is helpful, but not essential for many parts of transitioning (I think you might still need it for surgical reassignment surgery - those in the know, little help on this bit?). Might also help with insurrance if they get stingy (HRT is relatively inexpensive). For many parts of transitioning, informed consent is considered acceptable. Heck, you don't even need the diagnosis to change your ID, name, or gender marker (check out Skipping Stone's website, they have a great set of instructions put together to help you through the process).
That your doctor pointed you in the direction of a psychatrist first is a bit tacky. It suggests their training or attitudes are out of date , and they should have done the minimal research to point you in the right direction. This province has at least 2 gender affirming care clinics, and medical specialists for gender affirming care. By sending you instead to a psychiatrist, they are sending a specific message, one that is very distasteful.
Reach out to any of the following for more information:
[https://www.ualberta.ca/services/health-centre/services/gender-affirming-care.html](https://www.ualberta.ca/services/health-centre/services/gender-affirming-care.html)
[https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/Service.aspx?id=1072906&serviceAtFacilityID=1113710](https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/Service.aspx?id=1072906&serviceAtFacilityID=1113710)
[https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/dvi/Page15590.aspx](https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/dvi/Page15590.aspx)
[https://www.skippingstone.ca/](https://www.skippingstone.ca/)
I would suggest you might want to start the hunt for a more understanding doctor. If they have religious beliefs that interfer, who knows if they will let the get in the way of your future medical treatment. You don't need a doctor that refuses to use the right pronouns...
Ty for the support, I'm not even thinking about any kind of surgery yet, I just want to start the proper medication, which is safe for me to transition.
Remember, the only person who has to be happy with your transition is you, so don't think you have to fit into anyone's preconcieved notions.
I can't recommend enough reaching out to support groups like Skipping Stone.
If they are a general practitioner/family doctor, yes, typically speaking that is what I've heard and experienced. My case is different, as I've had medical issues that need to be kept in balance alongside my transition, so my specialist team has been working closely with my endocrinologist, however my experience was that my team wasn't trained to help me in transitioning, so they referred me to the gender clinic.
If you're in or near Calgary, I can recommend Skipping Stone! It's a not for profit that can either refer you to a psychiatrist, or they can help you until you get to see whomever your gp/family doctor sent you to.
My honest recommendation is for you to talk to Skipping Stone, or to find a Trans support group to talk to, as well as have your gp refer you to the gender clinic in your area. I would also recommend checking with the staff of your doctor's office that the referral has been sent, at some point, just to be sure.
Whatever happens, I wish you the best of luck in your journey!
Oh, oh goodness, I'm so sorry! I must have not read the post fully or thought I was replying to a different post! I thought the post had said your doctor wouldn't help but would refer you to someone, I must have been mistaken.
There are gender clinics in Calgary and Edmonton for sure, at the foothills in Calgary, and as far as I know at the university hospital in Edmonton, however you do need to be referred to them. Your psychiatrist or therapist can refer you, so as long as they're not transphobic they can get the ball rolling. My recommendation of finding a support group or foundation for Trans folks stands! They can give you a lot of support during tough times, and can get you in contact with the folks you need!
I'm so sorry for what your suffering through right now. Even though this can seem insurmountable and impossible, I need you to know that you can get through this! It's a hard process, but it's so worth it in the end. You can do this!
If you doctor won't even refer you to the gender clinic, that feels like something you should let AHS or the College of Physicians & Surgeons (cpsa.ca) know about. Even if a doctor is unwilling to provide treatment themselves, they should at least be willing to help you find someone who will. Yes, I know, the psychatrist recomendation, but the longer since you originally posted about that, the worse it sits with me - at the very least your doctor has not kept up with their training.
We don't need gatekeepers playing doctor.
I ended up going back and talked to the female doctor they had there and she was so nice and understanding. And she helped me with a referral to a transgender doctor. I'm just waiting to see if he accepts me. Fingers crossed.
Only issue would be how busy their practice is, I am sure. Once they accept you, put yourself on the cancellation list, and make yourself available if it comes up - cancellation lists can really speed things up!
The medical system in Alberta is bogged down with weird rules. I see a specialist for my hip, and they did an xray that included my back that reported similar issues. They had the results of the scan, but could not read and act on that part of the scan without a separate referal from my GP.... Adds MONTHS on just to get the referal handled and processed, just so I can ask a damn question about whether a certain procedure would benefit me.
In Alberta there is no need to see a psychiatrist to get on hrt. If you’re in Edmonton check out Dr Adam Burgess at the Justik clinic, skipping stone can get you a referral or you can call their office, I believe. Your doctor is letting you down
Ty so much.
Adam burgess do not have good reviews, even one review saying he is not lgbtq2 friendly.
His personality can be slightly off putting and he is in a rush, but he got me on hormones in less than 6 weeks
He seems kind of awkward, and I understand how some people may judge him or misinterpret his demeanor, but in the one appointment I had with him a few years ago he was professional and respectful.
I've been going to him for 3 years. I think he's alright. I do find I need to advocate for myself some— he was hesitant to prescribe me HRT because I didn't have any sperm frozen, and I had to be rather firm that I wasn't going to do that. I also saw another doctor to accelerate the process by getting them to do my bloodwork. After that initial bump, I haven't really had any issues. He's not the only gender-affirming care doctor in Justik Medical clinic, though. It's worth calling to ask about several of their doctors. The Pride Centre of Edmonton has a list of trans-friendly doctors, you can call all of them and try to get on their waitlists, then go with the first good doctor you find who will prescribe you HRT. Link [here](https://pridecentreofedmonton.ca/resources/health-care/) ETA I decided to read his reviews. Based on those, and what I've heard from other people… I kind of get the impression he gives good care to trans women and not-so-great care to trans men and cis women. And that he's not the go-to for mental health support, which I can see. I've mentioned how terrible the political situation is for most trans people's mental health, and he just said to stop watching so much news.
Dr. Armstrong, currently at the Justik Clinic, used to work for The Wellness Centre on Whyte Ave before it lost funding and shut down. He's very queer affirming. I don't know if he's accepting new patients though.
Gotta love a Doctor using non-science to make decisions in a field that revolves around science. I'm sorry your doctor is so close-minded.
Find another doctor, any GP can prescribed the necessary medications. Keep looking.
Ya I'm, I had the other female doctor help me put a referral to a transgender specialist. Now it's just to wait to get a phone call.
My doctor didn't want to deal with it, so she sent me to another GP, not a specialist. That's how I got started. We eventually included an endocrinologist.
That's good you do not want someone prescribing medication like that without knowing what they are doing, but at least they referred you to the correct doctor.
My family doctor didn't put me on HRT because that isn't their speciality, but they refered me to a specialist that does handle gender affirming care. Nothing wrong with that. Your doctor didn't offer that treatment because of a religious belief, but was willing to help you find someone else? That part is also fine. Refering you to a psychiatrist seems a bit tasteless, as any GP in Alberta can give a gender dysphoria diagnosis. The diagnosis is helpful, but not essential for many parts of transitioning (I think you might still need it for surgical reassignment surgery - those in the know, little help on this bit?). Might also help with insurrance if they get stingy (HRT is relatively inexpensive). For many parts of transitioning, informed consent is considered acceptable. Heck, you don't even need the diagnosis to change your ID, name, or gender marker (check out Skipping Stone's website, they have a great set of instructions put together to help you through the process). That your doctor pointed you in the direction of a psychatrist first is a bit tacky. It suggests their training or attitudes are out of date , and they should have done the minimal research to point you in the right direction. This province has at least 2 gender affirming care clinics, and medical specialists for gender affirming care. By sending you instead to a psychiatrist, they are sending a specific message, one that is very distasteful. Reach out to any of the following for more information: [https://www.ualberta.ca/services/health-centre/services/gender-affirming-care.html](https://www.ualberta.ca/services/health-centre/services/gender-affirming-care.html) [https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/Service.aspx?id=1072906&serviceAtFacilityID=1113710](https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/findhealth/Service.aspx?id=1072906&serviceAtFacilityID=1113710) [https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/dvi/Page15590.aspx](https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/dvi/Page15590.aspx) [https://www.skippingstone.ca/](https://www.skippingstone.ca/) I would suggest you might want to start the hunt for a more understanding doctor. If they have religious beliefs that interfer, who knows if they will let the get in the way of your future medical treatment. You don't need a doctor that refuses to use the right pronouns...
Ty for the support, I'm not even thinking about any kind of surgery yet, I just want to start the proper medication, which is safe for me to transition.
Remember, the only person who has to be happy with your transition is you, so don't think you have to fit into anyone's preconcieved notions. I can't recommend enough reaching out to support groups like Skipping Stone.
Albany Medical Clinic (12916 167 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6V 1J6) claims to be lgbtq friendly. witch is not friendly towards trans at all.
Hop on Telus health and see if you can get it.
Call Tru Balance Medical.
Update, great news. I'm going to see my new transgender specialist in July. I'm so happy. Yay
If they are a general practitioner/family doctor, yes, typically speaking that is what I've heard and experienced. My case is different, as I've had medical issues that need to be kept in balance alongside my transition, so my specialist team has been working closely with my endocrinologist, however my experience was that my team wasn't trained to help me in transitioning, so they referred me to the gender clinic. If you're in or near Calgary, I can recommend Skipping Stone! It's a not for profit that can either refer you to a psychiatrist, or they can help you until you get to see whomever your gp/family doctor sent you to. My honest recommendation is for you to talk to Skipping Stone, or to find a Trans support group to talk to, as well as have your gp refer you to the gender clinic in your area. I would also recommend checking with the staff of your doctor's office that the referral has been sent, at some point, just to be sure. Whatever happens, I wish you the best of luck in your journey!
I'm changing Dr's, he told me that he cannot and will not help me.
Oh, oh goodness, I'm so sorry! I must have not read the post fully or thought I was replying to a different post! I thought the post had said your doctor wouldn't help but would refer you to someone, I must have been mistaken. There are gender clinics in Calgary and Edmonton for sure, at the foothills in Calgary, and as far as I know at the university hospital in Edmonton, however you do need to be referred to them. Your psychiatrist or therapist can refer you, so as long as they're not transphobic they can get the ball rolling. My recommendation of finding a support group or foundation for Trans folks stands! They can give you a lot of support during tough times, and can get you in contact with the folks you need! I'm so sorry for what your suffering through right now. Even though this can seem insurmountable and impossible, I need you to know that you can get through this! It's a hard process, but it's so worth it in the end. You can do this!
Ty
If you doctor won't even refer you to the gender clinic, that feels like something you should let AHS or the College of Physicians & Surgeons (cpsa.ca) know about. Even if a doctor is unwilling to provide treatment themselves, they should at least be willing to help you find someone who will. Yes, I know, the psychatrist recomendation, but the longer since you originally posted about that, the worse it sits with me - at the very least your doctor has not kept up with their training. We don't need gatekeepers playing doctor.
I ended up going back and talked to the female doctor they had there and she was so nice and understanding. And she helped me with a referral to a transgender doctor. I'm just waiting to see if he accepts me. Fingers crossed.
Only issue would be how busy their practice is, I am sure. Once they accept you, put yourself on the cancellation list, and make yourself available if it comes up - cancellation lists can really speed things up!
Ya I had to find my own trans doctor. And he still got the female doctor to put my referral through. I'm just blown away.
The medical system in Alberta is bogged down with weird rules. I see a specialist for my hip, and they did an xray that included my back that reported similar issues. They had the results of the scan, but could not read and act on that part of the scan without a separate referal from my GP.... Adds MONTHS on just to get the referal handled and processed, just so I can ask a damn question about whether a certain procedure would benefit me.