Gender Affirming Care

We accept most major insurance plans and can help you understand the costs of services. Our patient navigators will work with you to determine how to pay for hormone therapy, whether you have insurance or not. We believe that everyone should have access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health care, regardless of insurance status. 

Hormone Therapy (HT) is one way for transgender people to feel and look more like the gender with which they identify.  Gender affirming hormone therapy consists of either feminizing (estrogen) or masculinizing (testosterone) hormones.  Many transgender people take hormone therapy to help their bodies and appearance align with their gender identity.

PPAZ offers referrals for more comprehensive care, should our patients request it. 

Transitioning, or a gender transition, is the process some people may go through to live as the gender with which they identify, rather than the sex assigned to them at birth. Transgender people have a range of experiences with transitioning, including: 

• Medical transitioning - this can involve medical treatment and hormones 
• Legal transitioning - this can involve legally changing name
• Social transitioning - this can involve changing name and pronouns, altering appearance and dress, or coming out to your friends and family.

Transgender people may transition socially, legally, and medically, some may transition only socially, and some may not do any of these. 

Hormone therapy can be an empowering way to make informed decisions about your body and life. Hormone therapy may make you feel more at ease with yourself, both emotionally and physically. You may be experiencing discomfort because you are not happy with your appearance, or in your gender role. Perhaps your appearance and your gender role are in conflict with your inner sense of gender identity. If this is how you are feeling, hormone treatment may help you to overcome your distress.

No, many transgender people transition without surgery. Some have no desire to pursue surgeries or other medical treatment. If you're interested in surgical options, we can refer you to other health care providers. 

Hormones are helpful in making your appearance more masculine or feminine. Beginning gender affirming hormone therapy has many similarities to going through puberty.  Although hormones taken in adulthood can help to keep your bones healthy, they can't alter your skeletal shape or your height.  This process takes time, and you may not have immediate changes to your appearance. The expected time for maximum effect of hormone therapy is six months to three years. 

• Fat may be distributed on the hips.
• The size of the penis and testicles may be slightly reduced.
• Erections and orgasms may be harder to achieve.
• Muscle bulk and strength may be reduced.
• Breasts may feel tender and lumpy and may sometimes increase modestly in size.
• The growth of facial and body hair may slow.
• Androgenetic alopecia (baldness) may be slowed or stopped.

Estrogen is available in various forms; oral, patch and injection. Teaching for injection is possible. 

Expected time for maximum effect of hormone therapy is 6 months to 3 years, ao, if you wish to maintain the effects of hormone therapy, you will need to take hormones for the rest of your life.

We do often adjust medication to achieve desired results. Once those results are achieved, dosage usually stays constant. The goal is to use the lowest possible dose necessary to achieve goals, to limit potential side effects. 

Testosterone is available via injections, topical gel, or patch. Teaching for injections is possible.

• Beard and body hair growth will be promoted.
• Androgenetic alopecia (baldness) may develop.
• The clitoris increases slightly in size.
• Libido may be heightened.
• Muscle bulk increases.
• The voices deepens.
• Periods may change or stop, and there may be some breakthrough bleeding. But we recommend using consistent birth control if you have sex with someone with a penis. 
• Some individuals develop skin oiliness/acne.