What is hormone therapy and how can I access it?

• Any physician or nurse practitioner can administer hormone therapy, including your primary care provider, family doctor, endocrinologist, general practitioner, or community clinic nurse.
• The process involves your doctor performing a hormone readiness assessment, prescribing the drug, and monitoring your physical and mental health throughout the process.
• While MSP will cover the doctor who administers your hormone therapy, MSP does not cover hormone therapy medications. Many extended insurance plans that cover standard medications do cover hormone prescriptions, and Fair PharmaCare also covers most hormone prescription options.
• NO gender counselling, timeline requirement, or other gender policing of any kind is mandated by the provincial guidelines. ANY person experiencing discomfort with their current secondary sex characteristics can qualify for hormone therapy, not just binary trans people. If you encounter inappropriate or transphobic behaviour from a health professional, refer to TransCare BC's trans advocacy resource guide.

INITIATION: The Hormone Readiness Assessment

Starting the conversation with your doctor

This section lists three important steps that will help you initiate the hormone therapy referral and approval process. Further details and guidance can be viewed by clicking on the triangular arrows to the left of each step.

• Step 1: Obtain a general practitioner, endocrinologist, or nurse practitioner who you are comfortable approaching about hormone therapy.
• Step 2: Ask your chosen clinician if they are comfortable helping you complete the Hormone Readiness Assessment, which must be filled out and sent to TransCare BC before a prescription can be filled.
• Step 3: Familiarize yourself with the four criteria that the Hormone Readiness Assessment uses to assess eligibility for hormone therapy in BC. Don't worry if the criteria seem intimidating; the next section will go over each one in more detail.

Eligibility criteria

Read TransCare BC's description of the hormone readiness assessment here. The length and depth of this interview may vary depending on how well your doctor already knows you. If you are anxious about the assessment, toggle the triangular arrow for each of the criteria below to get a sense of the questions that your doctor may ask. Writing down your answers beforehand, or discussing them with a trusted friend or family member, may help alleviate some anxiety:

• Persistent, well-documented gender dysphoria.

1. Capacity to make a fully informed decision and to consent to treatment.

• Do you know what this treatment entails? Read about the available medications for feminizing therapy and masculinizing therapy.
• Do you know the risks of the treatment you are interested in? Read about the risks of feminizing therapy or masculinizing therapy.
• Do you know what the intended outcomes and possible side-effects of the treatment you are interested in? Read about the physical changes you might experience on feminizing therapy or masculinizing therapy.
• Being of the age of majority (in BC, the age of majority is 18).