Dangers of Self-Medication With Hormones

Q.

Response by Chrysalis

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A.  Yes, you must definitely see a physician before using male hormones. To self-medicate when it comes to hormones is playing 'Russian Roulette' with your life. They are extremely powerful drugs and the unsupervised use of them can be very dangerous.
In order to protect yourself and ensure the eventual success of your transition, you really need to obtain and follow the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care. This document may be found on nearly any web-site that deals with Transgender/Transsexual issues, it is in our Library.
Some of the surgeries that you need to consider are a bi-lateral mastectomy (breast removal and reconstruction) this can be done by any qualified surgeon and can possibly be covered by medical insurance if justification can be found for the procedure due to a familial history of Breast Cancer. The cost of this surgery can vary tremendously depending upon the size of your breasts and the individual surgeon, a reasonable estimate would be in the 3 to 8 thousand dollar range.
Next would be a complete hysterectomy and bi-lateral orphorectomy (removal of the uterus and ovaries), again this can be done by any qualified gynecological surgeon and again may possibly be covered by medical insurance if justified on the basis of familial history of cervical or ovarian cancer. Again a reasonable estimate would be in the 3 to 5 thousand dollar range.
Finally would be the construction of a penis (phalloplasty) which conceivably could consist of multiple surgeries to obtain the desired result. This should only be done by a reputable plastic surgeon experienced in the procedure. Cost for this operation or series of operations can easily reach the $25,000 and above range depending upon the number of surgeries needed and any complications that may arise.
I do not know of any surgeons in Virginia or Italy that are currently doing this type of SRS/GRS procedures.
One source of information dealing with FtM Transsexuals is the TransMan Project (URL http://www.transman.org ) or the FtM Informational Network (URL http://www.ftminfo.net ) both of these sites should be able to steer you to specific information concerning your issues.
In order to minimize your breasts, binding with an ACE wrap and wearing loose shirts are about the best ways short of surgery to deal with that situation.
 
Good luck on your journey
 
Chrysalis