Most of the healthcare you'll run into will follow the WPATH standards of care. At the time of writing, this involves going to a therapist who specializes in LGBT issues, getting a letter of approval for hormones, and going to an endo that specializes in trans care. This is to ensure that the patient is of sound mind, and that they won't regret the permanent aspects of HRT.

This might be difficult to track down, usually your closest city's LGBT center will have a list of people they can refer you to. If that doesn't work, sometimes you can use your insurance's provider search to track someone down. If you live in the southern US, Southern Equality has a map for finding caregivers.

If a therapist/endo is cost prohibitive, or the one you have is overly gatekeep-y for no good reason, this is your next safest option.

If you live in the US, this reddit post has a full list of informed consent clinics, which will order bloodwork and write prescriptions for you.

Another alternative is GALAP, which can get you a letter to give to an endocrinologist.

If you need to hide things from transphobic family/housemates, here's some tips.

If you're worried about bills getting sent to your house, you can get a PO Box at the post office, or a cheap virtual mailbox service such as Anytime Mailbox or USA2Me.

If you use a parent's insurance, they will likely get an invoice, but your endo might be able to bill it under something discrete such as "Polyglandular Dysfunction".

The people you live with will likely not notice much of a change since they see you everyday, but as things progress it might become difficult. If possible, try and figure out some way of becoming independent, this way you can safely come out without fear of retaliation.

This should be your absolute last resort, only do this if you've exhausted the other options and it's either DIY or suicide. Endocrinology is complicated, and it's not uncommon for things to go wrong. Anecdotally, spiro wasn't enough to get my T down so I needed to take progesterone, which led to a thyroid issue. Things become even more complex if you're currently going through puberty, so again please do your research if you go this route.

Resources:

• https://www.reddit.com/r/TransDIY/wiki/index
• https://hrt.cafe/

When you're on HRT, it's very common to gain weight. If you haven't had to think much about your diet before, it might be helpful to start learning about the basics like caloric restriction so you only gain a healthy amount of weight.

Sometimes weight gain is a good thing if you're already underweight, but keep in mind that rapid weight gain in a short amount of time could lead to stretch marks. Make sure you're taking care of your skin if you're experiencing this! Some common treatment options (besides staying hydrated) would be retinoid cream, laser therapy, and glycolic acid. Your dermatologist or GP may have better suggestions.