Preparing for your Hormone Readiness Assessment: Informed Consent HRT Canada
It has been almost eight years (and still counting) since I first delved into the world of gender identity and personal exploration. I still remember the confusion navigating the landscape of mental health care in Canada.
Folks who did not feel at home in their bodies wanted to make some changes. Though how to go about making those changes.
There are different needs, all sorts of different terms and steps to take.
Some folks feel that they would feel better if their body or parts of their body looked different, which means that they might need to get into hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
So, for those who are curious about this topic and have been seriously mulling over getting HRT. This article is for you. I will share a few important tidbits on how to get ready for your hormone readiness assessment, which could then help you access HRT.
Two of the most confusing pieces about getting started with HRT are:
How to get started with HRT?
Do folks need to sign an informed consent HRT form to start hormone therapy in Canada?
What is informed consent HRT in Canada?
Informed consent is a piece of legal document that outlines some important things that would happen during our meeting. The informed consent form lays out the topics we will cover like certain procedures or treatment plans.
As a gender therapist I believe that it is super important to offer informed consent when I meet with clients who would like to embark on their hormone replacement therapy (HRT) journey.
Before meeting with a client, I always encourage them to have a read through the information in my informed consent form before signing it.
By signing this informed consent HRT document, the client confirms that they are fully aware of what we will be doing and discussing during our meeting, as well as risks and side effects of pursuing certain paths.
For those of you who think very systematically and will benefit from step-by-step guideline, this is the pathway folks typically go through:
STEP 1: Read and sign the informed consent HRT form
STEP 2: Meet with me for the hormone readiness assessment
STEP 3: I will produce a letter of assessment within 2 weeks (if not less).
QUICK NOTE ABOUT INFORMED CONSENT PRACTICE:
As a licensed mental care professional, I think it is pretty common (and actually important) to practice informed consent based care in Canada.
The way I see it is, we are in this process together, and as a trained gender therapist, I feel more at peace completing certain treatment plans or performing certain assessments when clients are fully informed of the intention of our meeting and what’s next.
I believe in empowering clients to practice their autonomy and express their voice.
It is common practice to ask clients to sign informed consent HRT documents before completing the hormone readiness assessment for the purpose of getting prescribed hormone therapy.
I’d say most healthcare professionals (and future prescribers) will ask you to read and sign an informed consent HRT form before starting any treatment or procedure. So, I hope it won’t be a surprise to you if someday, down the line you desire to transition, and whoever prescribes your HRT will ask you to also sign an informed consent HRT form before starting your hormone therapy replacement procedure.
Depending on the kinds of transitions you desire, the informed consent HRT form your prescriber covers may look different. One thing for sure is that the informed consent HRT discussion will cover the hormones you are taking during this HRT process.
If you identify as non-binary, your future prescriber will provide you with informed consent HRT document based on the hormone and dosage they prescribed for you.
Informed consent HRT for folks who are 18+ in Canada
I only offer hormone readiness assessments to folks who are 18+, so in other words I also can only offer informed consent HRT support for someone who is 18+ to support their hormone replacement therapy process.
For more of a deep dive on anything and everything to do with Hormone Readiness Assessment, check out my service page
Folks who are not 18 yet aren’t able to sign their own informed consent HRT document and will need their parents or caregiver or legal guardian to sign on their behalf. There are some exceptions to this in situations where we have youth in care, though gotta say this is a whole new topic in itself because there are so many nuances worth clarifying.
Do you need a therapy letter before signing an Informed Consent HRT form in Canada?
I’d say it’s pretty common for some HRT providers (doctors, nurse practitioners, and endocrinologist) to prefer having folks bring in a hormone readiness assessment letter before starting their transgender HRT process.
Some providers shared that having a mental healthcare (such as myself) provider write a hormone readiness assessment is helpful.
In my HRA letter, I typically outline clients’ mental and physical health history, their gender identity and self exploration history, personal goals, current living situations and support system available.
If you’re curious about hormone readiness assessment, feel free to take a look at my service page where I shared comprehensive information on all things to do with HRA.
Embarking on HRT can be taxing. Some folks describe the process as going through their SECOND PUBERTY.
Hormones deal with our biology and impact certain physical functions.
This is why prescribers think that it is helpful getting a snapshot of clients’ mental health state and level of readiness before transitioning.
I’d say that all in all, it is not necessarily a formal requirement per se.
When it comes to transitioning, most folks have felt the misalignment for a long time, and more often than not have lived with this dysphoria for so long.
Though, overall I think it is greatly helpful (and important) to have a hormone readiness assessment done before starting your HRT.
What is the informed consent HRT process involved?
Informed consent HRT review
Before meeting with a client, I draft a personalized informed consent HRT document and ask them to have a read and sign before our meeting.
During our meeting, I will go over the points mentioned in the informed consent HRT document they have signed.
The informed consent HRT form lays out the content covered during our meeting, risks, benefits, and expected timeframe for changes to happen.
Next steps after signing your informed consent HRT document in Canada
If and when you see your prescriber for your HRT, they will definitely ask you to also sign another informed consent HRT document. From what I have seen over the years, it also typically involves a schedule of follow-ups, meetings and bloodwork to monitor your progress.
These follow-ups are super important to make sure how your body has been responding to the hormone. Your prescriber will monitor the side effects from the hormones. During your follow-ups, typically they will also check-in to see if they need to make any adjustments to the dosage based on what happened.
One final reminder about informed consent HRT for your gender journey
Transition looks different for different folks. It all depends on your goals.
That is one thing I always share during my meetings with clients.
If and when you have found a prescriber, they will go through a similar informed consent HRT document before starting your hormone replacement therapy.
If you need to administer certain medication, they will provide you with necessary information to administer your medication safely.
Hello, I’m Nita Agustin
Registered Clinical Counsellor based in Burnaby, BC
My jam is helping curious and questioning queer youth and young adults move from confusion to clarity.
Most of my clients shared feeling overwhelmed by the messages the world told them how they’re supposed to be. They do not want to be defined by what society told them about themselves.
In our work together, I guide clients in figuring out who they are, who they want to be, and how to get there. We do this by processing how their past impacted the way they live out their life today. From our work together, I noticed clients develop better self-awareness and experience improved quality of life as they can show up differently in their relationships.
I offer virtual and in-person sessions in Brentwood, North Burnaby. In the summer I also offer walk-and-walk in Confederation Park.
I am licensed to practise in BC, as well as all across Canada, so I support clients all over BC, all the way from Vancouver to Kitimat. Other than working with clients who reside in BC, I also can support clients who reside in Yukon Territories, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Newfoundland.
Check out my About me page to learn more about what I do and have to offer for you. Also, explore my Services page to see how I can guide you in making shifts in your life today. If you feel ready to discover ways to live life on your own terms, I welcome you to book an initial intake session. I am so stoked to meet you and start figuring out how you can show up as your best self!
Throughout this pandemic, I witnessed telehealth virtual sessions become more of a norm, and it has been super transformative seeing clients can access mental health services from the comfort of their home.
There are lots of different stereotypes out there, and society tells us who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to do in the world. It can feel very overwhelming and confusing to compare our personal experience against those ideas. The thing is, you no longer have to be defined by what society tells you. It is your life to live, and you get to decide who get a say about your life.
