: My doctor says he's not qualified to prescribe HRT I'm a pre-transition transwoman living in Northern Illinois, US, and have been for years. Recently I went to my doctor's office to be prescribed to HRT medications, but my

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Many primary care practitioners have not received training in the evaluation and treatment of patients who are transitioning.

I went to my doctor's office to be prescribed to HRT medications, but my doctor said he's not qualified to prescribe it. Is that possible?

Yes, it's possible in that he may not believe he's qualified to prescribe HRT for a transitioning female. Treating transitioning females hormonally is not a common occurrence, and doctors are allowed to refuse to treat conditions they're unfamiliar or (medically) uncomfortable with.

Transsexual patients often have difficulty finding care because many physicians are not comfortable prescribing appropriate hormone regimens. Management of hormones for transsexual patients is not difficult, and these medications are safer than many therapies routinely prescribed by the primary care physician. The diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID) must be established by an experienced mental health professional prior to consideration for hormonal management.

Once this has been done, a specialist can easily communicate the treatment regimen to be followed, but it's really up to the individual physician to do so. Most will. Some won't. In that case, a reasonable physician will refer to a colleague who does do so.

There should not be any financial repercussions for you.

Clinical Update: Medical Care of Transsexual Patients