My therapist recommended that I speak with a specialist about HRT, the impacts it might/might not have, and discuss a plan. I tried Planned Parenthood, but it’s not covered by my insurance. My insurance provider (UHC) seems to only provide me with references to surgeons for MTF surgeries, which I’m not interested in. I just want to speak with someone who can have a discussion about how HRT might work and how - in particular - it might impact my fertility. I want to know what options are available to me to increase the likelihood of maintaining my fertility.
Are there online services available to help me ask these questions and get answer specific to my goals? Does it make sense to try and sign up for Plume (which is covered by my insurance) for this kind of thing?
I would start with your primary care physician to be honest. In a lot of cases (far from most, but still), PCs can at least make referrals to the right people. Plus if it’s your PC and assuming your PC is covered, then they’d likely also suggest providers in network.
If you feel safe then they should at least be brought into the conversation at an early stage. If you do t feel safe then time for a new PC.
Good luck. It can be overwhelming, but certainly not insurmountable.
Also to add that, while I’m not a doctor, HRT will affect your fertility in nearly all cases. If one day having biological children is something important to you, you should look into freezing sperm before starting.
This is probably what I should do. I didn’t consider it because my PC was kind of weird for me. I didn’t enjoy talking with him and he kind of had some less-than-progressive takes. I’m going to find a new PC and setup an appointment with them. Maybe I can even do a virtual visit.
I had a lot better luck finding a good PCP through Zocdoc than through my insurance company’s directory. If you have trouble I recommend checking it out.