Hormone Therapy

Getting started on hormone therapy requires three different appointments. These are your initial consultation, your hormone initiation appointment and a medication check-in appointment. In some cases, you may need more than one check-in appointment. Our clinicians will let you know if this is the case.

You can only book one appointment at a time (after your first appointment you’ll be able to book and pay for your second, and so on).

When you book your first appointment, you can select which clinician you’d prefer and pick a date and time that works for you. Afterwards, you’ll receive confirmation and welcome emails along with a short pre-visit questionnaire.

The best place for your virtual appointments is somewhere quiet, private and indoors. Since our appointments are video calls, you’ll need a device with audio and video (like a laptop or smartphone) and a stable, private internet connection.

Your first appointment with Foria is 45 minutes long. This is a chance for you and your clinician to get to know each other. These longer appointments let you talk about your health and gender history in depth, along with any goals and expectations you may have. The aim of these appointments is to see if hormone therapy is right for you.

If you’re a good fit for hormone therapy, you’ll be sent some documents after your consultation. These will arrive through secure messaging in your online patient portal. We will also send you a link to book your second appointment.

The first document we’ll send you is a lab requisition for some blood tests, which you can print or email to a lab of your choosing (if you’d like, we can send this directly to the lab for you). We will also send you a questionnaire to confirm that you consent to hormone therapy.

You’ll also receive a questionnaire about your blood pressure. This will ask you to measure your blood pressure, which you can do with a blood pressure cuff (these are available online or at pharmacies). If you don’t have one, you can get your blood pressure measured at a pharmacy or doctor’s office.

Your second appointment with Foria is also 45 minutes long. This appointment is usually about six weeks after completing your lab tests.

In this hormone initiation appointment your clinician will review your lab tests and you’ll have a chance to talk about hormone therapy in more detail. If you and your clinician decide to move ahead with hormones, you’ll explore the different options – injectable, oral or topical medication, depending on your treatment plan – and any potential side effects.

Once you’ve decided on a medication, we can send your prescription to your preferred pharmacy. If you’d like, we can send your prescription to Foria’s partner pharmacy, Affirming Care, which offers free and discreet shipping of your prescriptions.

After your appointment we’ll send another lab requisition for more blood tests, which you can print or email to a lab. This will arrive through secure messaging in your patient portal. We can also send this directly to a lab for you. You should do your blood tests 10 weeks (two and a half months) after starting your medication.

Your third appointment with Foria is 20 minutes long. This is usually three months after you started medication.

In your check-in appointment you can talk to your clinician about your medication and any side effects you’re having. They’ll review your lab tests and can adjust your dose if needed. Depending on your treatment plan, they might recommend more than one follow-up appointment.

Follow-up appointments are a chance to talk about your medication and your health with your clinician. These appointments are 20 minutes long.

Generally you will do blood tests before these appointments. Your clinician will then review your lab results, and if you’re experiencing any side effects or have any questions, it’s a great time to discuss them. If needed, your clinician can adjust your dose.

The frequency of follow-up appointments will vary depending on your treatment plan, but if your dose is stable then these will be every six months to one year for most people.

If you are transferring your care to Foria, your first appointment is 45 minutes long. This is a chance for you and your clinician to get to know each other. This appointment lets you talk about your health and gender history in depth, along with any goals and expectations you may have. The aim of these appointments is to explore how we can support you.

After you book your appointment we’ll send a lab requisition for blood tests, which you can print or email to a lab. This will arrive through secure messaging in your patient portal. We can also send this directly to a lab for you. You should do your blood tests at least one to two weeks before your appointment.

Follow-up appointments are a chance to talk about your medication and your health with your clinician. These appointments are 20 minutes long.

Generally you will do blood tests before these appointments. Your clinician will then review your lab results, and if you’re experiencing any side effects or have any questions, it’s a great time to discuss them. If needed, your clinician can adjust your dose.

The frequency of follow-up appointments will vary depending on your treatment plan, but if your dose is stable then these will be every six months to one year for most people.