In order to transition from female to male, transmen take one hormone for the rest of their lives: testosterone.This is usually the first medical step on your transition journey after changing your name and possibly living as your preferred gender for a short period of time. The Female to Male guide has detailed information about testosterone here. It is a US based guide so be aware that the pages about cost do not apply in Jersey and the UK.

Your GP or doctor in Jersey is very unlikely to prescribe hormone therapy for you. They will not have the necessary skills in gender care to decide whether hormone therapy is right for you. It will be your gender therapist who will start you on testosterone. However, they will need to send their recommendation for your starting dose and the subsequent progress of your dose to your GP or psychiatrist in Jersey. Depending on what version of testosterone you have been advised to take, your GP or psychiatrist may be able to write the prescription for you or arrange for you to see the island’s endocrinologist, either privately or through the health service, who will write the prescription for you. Testosterone is a life-long commitment for transmen and the cost of the hormone is not cheap so the majority of transmen will elect to get help through the States of Jersey’s usual free prescription scheme.

There are a number of different forms in which testosterone can be administered (injections (monthly or quarterly), subcutaneous slow-release capsules, gels, patches) and Jersey offers most of the versions available. However, not all the versions of testosterone delivery are on the GPs’ list of drugs they can prescribe. The States of Jersey’s endocrinologist has access to a much wider range of testosterone delivery methods through the hospital’s pharmacy.

Whether your GP or psychiatrist can prescribe the type of testosterone delivery recommended by your gender therapist or not, they will almost inevitably have to refer you to Jersey’s endocrinologist at some point for monitoring of your hormone levels. The endocrinologist is based at Overdale in the Department of Metabolic Medicine or can be seen privately at the Little Grove, St Lawrence.

Even if you start by seeing the endocrinologist privately, you can ask them to refer you through the health service for all follow ups. You will need to see the endocrinologist regularly, at least to begin with. The endocrinologist will monitor your blood to ensure that the testosterone is being absorbed and used correctly by your system. They will ask you to ask your GP to arrange to take blood tests as needed. The results will be returned to the endocrinologist who will then discuss them with you. Once your hormone levels are steady and at the same level as a natal male, your visits to the endocrinologist will become less frequent and you need only telephone their office to request repeat prescriptions, which are sent down to the hospital pharmacy where they are filled within about 48 hours and where you collect them.