Gender Identity Service

Welcome to the Healthcare Professional Hormone Support Hub.

We understand that there are challenges for primary care health professionals in prescribing hormones for transgender, non-binary and gender diverse people. The aim of the content of the website is to support and guide health professionals through common queries and presentations in this group. We want to work in collaboration with GPs and are committed to supporting GPs develop expertise and confidence in hormone prescribing.

• What we can help with
• What we can’t help with
• Consent forms for service users
• Further information and guidance from the hormone clinic

What we can help with

• Advice and Guidance Service for GPs.
• Providing patients with information regarding what to expect from cross sex hormones, common side effects and complications.
• Ensuring patients are given accessible information to make informed decisions about gender affirming hormone treatment.
• Provide GPs with patient-specific written ‘prescribing guidance’ and advice around hormone care.
• Offer advice on dose titration, administration, initiation, duration of treatment, monitoring, advice on the interpretation of laboratory results and likely treatment effects.
• Review our patients in clinic until they are well established on hormones then discharge the patient back to primary care with further information regarding monitoring and ongoing care. We also provide advice and guidance where possible.
• Considerations of other aspects of long-term care for transgender and non-binary individuals
• Contraception and Fertility Information for Trans and Non-Binary People

What we can’t help with

• We cannot prescribe hormones
• We cannot request blood testing. Results need to be sent to us, whilst the patient is under our care.
• We cannot provide or arrange any other investigations.

Consent forms for service users

Here is a copy of our detailed consent forms which also has information regarding what to expect from cross sex hormones, common side-effects and complications:

• Information about treatment with estradiol for the purpose of making a declaration of consent to treatment
• Information about treatment with testosterone for the purpose of making a declaration of consent to treatment

Further information and guidance from the hormone clinic

The following guidelines are here to support you with making decisions around hormones:

• Shared care Interim Guidance
• Information about hormone regimens
• Initiating Feminising Hormone Treatment
• Initiating Masculinising Hormone Treatment
• Information about treatment with Leuprorelin for transwomen
• Self Injection Testosterone

Commonly Encountered Hormone Related Issues:

• Information about bridging prescriptions
• Information about prescribing on the request of a private provider
• Information about self-prescribing
• Information about Progesterone
• Information about restarting hormones
• Primary care approach for a new patient taking hormones
• Vaginal atrophy
• How to approach vaginal bleeding for transmen and non-binary individuals on testosterone treatment
• Requests for hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (HSBO)

Hormone Equivalent Doses:

• Information about changing testosterone preparations
• Estradiol equivalent doses

Gamete Storage

• Fertility preservation or gamete storage