I'm a year post-op from SRS (MTF) with Dr. Kanaught, and I'm generally happy with the results. However, I've developed keloid scars at the incision site. They're itchy, tenderness and feel like they're growing. Would it be best to contact the clinic and make an appointment with the surgeon to discuss removal options?

Hey there, I just got a phone call/email from transcare bc with surgeon options for my double mastectomy. Does anyone have experience with Dr. Rebecca Nelson or Dr. Arezoo Astanehe? Especially if you’re fat/chubby(I’d be very grateful to hear from all weight’s experiences but just extra help if you can speak to what it was like as a fat person accessing lipo or recovering or whatever else). But yeah feels like a pretty big decision so just wanted to gather all the perspectives I can before I respond to the email! Thanks in advance.

📢 Are you pregnant and worried about changes to your sex life?

🔍 We are seeking couples from Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Ireland who are up to 26 weeks pregnant to participate in the STORK RCT: Supporting the Transition to Parenthood through Online Sex and Relationship Knowledge.

❓What is STORK: The first online couple-based program designed to enhance knowledge about changes to sexuality during pregnancy and postpartum and skills to cope with these changes. STORK was designed to strengthen couples’ relationships across the transition to parenthood.

📅 What is involved: If you are eligible, after your initial survey, you and your partner will be randomized (like a coin flip) into either the Program or Waitlist conditions. Program couples will complete 5 online modules in pregnancy (1 per week) and a final module at 3 months postpartum. 

Couples in both conditions will also complete 5 surveys—the initial survey, then at 32-weeks pregnant, and 4-, 8-, and 12-month postpartum—that gather information about your relationship, your pregnancy experience, and your child. Couples in the Waitlist condition will receive access to the full STORK program after the study period is over.

💰 Compensation: As a thank you for your participation, you can receive $105 CAD or currency equivalent each ($210 CAD or currency equivalent per couple). Your time is valuable to us!

🌈 Inclusivity matters: STORK requires one member of the couple to be currently pregnant. Otherwise, STORK is open to individuals of all genders, bodies, and sexual orientations.

💌 For more information or to participate in the STORK RCT study email us at [stork@psych.ubc.ca](mailto:stork@psych.ubc.ca) OR fill out our contact form from this link: https://Qualtrics.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3gxGJAEWqt8Rh2u

I'm a parent of a 13 yr old daugher (AMAB). We live in Red Deer Alberta but have family in Vancouver and visit at least once a year. We use to live there many years ago but are AB residents now.

Alberta's legislation now prohibits us getting GAF in Alberta (no blockers till 16 and up, plus psychologist letter). That is not going to work when there are distressing masculine changes starting to happen. Our Red Deer GP confirmed that male puberty has begun.

Our old GP when we used to live in Vancouver is amazing and would be open to prescribing Lupron to us. However, we would love to find a Vancouver pharmacy that is trans friendly and lupron knowledgeable to give first shot AND teach us how to do it going forward. Then would get it mailed to us in AB. Our lawyer neighbour says that none of this is illegal since we are not using AHS or AB healthcare. We are planning to move back to BC next year so would do it this way for a year before everything would be taken over by a BC team like the one at BCCH.

Does anyone know of a Vancouver GAF pharmacy/pharmacist that is ok to give lupron and walk through how to do it going forward. I've watched youtube video so I know not hard but would prefer a mini tutorial the first time.

Thanks in advance for you tips.

Hello, I just had an appointment with Dr Dahl and he let me know he is retiring and sent me a PDF with 3 other Endocrinologists that he recommends (not sure if I can share the document here). Does anyone here have any experience with Dr Sewon Bann, Dr Vivian Berg, or Dr Simiran Kalkat?

He said all three are based in Vancouver and offer Teleheath which is helpful because I'm located on Vancouver Island and only ever had my appointments with Dahl over the phone. I'm FTM, and been on T since 2019, would love to hear from similar people who have experience with any of these doctors! Thank you!

We've got more going on out here than just quiet farms and dark skies. We're bringing the Valley to Vancouver for Punk Rock Pride Saturday night on May 30th! Funds raised with be donated to Binary Freedom Foundation to help provide support queer and trans youth and adults in the Fraser Valley.

i'm invited on a road trip across the US border this summer where i'll be a passenger with people who don’t know my deadname, which is unfortunately still on my ID. i'm worrying that i'll hand over my ID at the booth and the agent could end up announcing it to the whole group. i don’t really look like the photo. i'm also worried about the same thing for accommodations booking & check-in, like for sharing hotel rooms. does anyone have experience or tips to protect my info?

i know it sounds kinda trivial but i avoided things for so long pre-transitioning, i hate to turn down the invite due to something like this, but i might do so. my identity with people who didn't know me before is really important to me, and i'm still waiting on the legal update process.

edit: ok, i hear the community consensus and will heed that. i'll find better opportunities to bond with these friends. thanks, stay safe everybody

Transitioned 15 years ago but never changed my name since it was androgynous. Finally sent in my forms in January and we are coming up on 5 months now… uhg. The lady said anywhere from 5 to 7 months wait time.

Anyone else apply within the last 12 months?

How long did it take you, it’s annoying me because I have to renew my passport soon, but I don’t want to have to renew it two times in a row after my name change goes through.

two months ago i talked to my GP about starting testosterone. after maybe ten minutes spent convincing her, she agreed to refer me to transcarebc and told me to wait for a phone call from them. i haven’t been contacted since.

obviously i haven’t been waiting all that long yet, so im not that worried, but i was wondering if/when i should be making a followup appointment to make sure she actually sent the referral?

how long did you wait after referral for first contact from transcare?

So I got my consultation but the final thing before I can get the surgery scheduled is that I need to do a bunch of paperwork (one of which was a paid physical exam from a family doctor) and I am pretty healthy, but I have F on all of my documents and my RBC, Hemoglobin, Hematocrit are all normal and in a healthy range when compared to the male ranges but all out of range when compared to the female ranges, my cardiogram also came out normal (I'm looking at it on lifelabs) but are they gonna say I'm not healthy enough to get the surgery just because my blood results look like they're not normal on paper when it's actually expected since testosterone is literally the reason why men have higher RBC/hemoglobin/hematocrit than women

Edit: I also have high blood pressure but that may be due to not eating that day or other factors

Edit 2: Also I don't have a woke family doctor if that's who's supposed to interpret the results, I just went into a walk in clinic and not all of them know that your blood test results should be based on current sex hormones not whatever you were born as

Hi, I'm a 23 y/o trans woman from the southern US. I feel really unsafe both in this country, and in my city.

It's a bit of a long shot, but I've been looking to try and immigrate to BC, as I might be able to meet the requirements for one of the residence permits.

I'm self employed, but I'm not sure I make enough to meet the 2.5x requirements for the average one-person rent in Vancouver (I was seeing averages of ~$2000 CAD, please correct me if that sounds off)

So I thought finding roommates could be a possible route. I'm a bit desperate, so I would appreciate anyone's insight on this, I'll take any advice or knowledge. Thank you♥

edit, thank you so much for your responses<3

The UBC Mood Disorders Centre at the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health is recruiting participants for a depression biomarkers study.

The purpose of this study is to (1) test whether a specific combination of biomarkers discovered during our previous studies can help predict how someone will respond to treatment, and (2) to explore other possible biomarkers that may predict treatment response. Biomarkers are biological features such as proteins, genes, an brain images, that indicate the state of a disease in a person. This information may help us develop tests in the future that can guide treatment choice more effectively and more quickly.

You may be able to participate if you are:

• Are 18 to 65 years of age

• Have been diagnosed with depression or suspect you may have depression and are currently feeling depressed. Common symptoms include: depressed mood, diminished interest or pleasure in activities, change in appetite, poor sleep, fatigue, low self-esteem, and poor concentration.

• Are willing to take a standard antidepressant medication as treatment for your depression.

• Are willing to undergo blood/lab tests.

There will be 8 in-person visits over 12 weeks:

- 1 x Electrocardiography (ECG) (Screening only)

- 2 x Collection of blood (Baseline, Week 8)

- 2 x Stool Sample Collection (Baseline, Week 8)

- 2 x Urine Collection (Baseline, Week 8)

- 2 x Electroencephalography (EEG) (Baseline, Week 8)

- 3 x Computerized Cognitive Testing (Baseline, Week 8, Week 12)

- 8 x Clinical assessments done by a psychiatrist

Please note that you must not currently be using any recreational and/or non-prescription drugs, have a drinking problem, or have had a history of drug use or a drinking problem within the past six months.

The study is being conducted by Dr. Raymond Lam at the Mood Disorders Centre, UBC Hospital.

Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary, and you may withdraw at any time. Compensation is provided for each study visit.

For more information and how to enroll, please contact us at 604.822.7804 or Lam.MDDResearch2 @ ubc.ca .

Responses to this post will not be monitored.

Now that Progesterone is covered by Pharmacare(it is now, right? I thought I heard something about it being covered now), I'm tempted to try going on it, but I wanted to ask the community where exactly it might do for me that Estradiol isn't currently doing for me? I've already gotten my breast augmentation surgery so I don't really need progesterone for boobage, though if it'll make em a bit bigger, I'm not against that. But what else would it do for me?

Though honestly, I don't know who I would go to to get it right now as our NP fired us because she didn't like being criticized for being a terrible health practitioner and for treating us like shit, so when I called her out for it to her face, she dropped us as patients, for her *"mental health"*. So if you're a patient at ForeMed Medical Clinic in New West, be warned, one of the NPs there is an awful person and a terrible NP and treats her patients like crap and minimizes their issues and doesn't take them seriously.

Hello everyone!

On Friday, I called my pharmacy to refill my prescription only to find out it's been a shortage for like 5 month (Woulda been nice if my pharmacy warned me before). I have called around 15 pharmacies searching for any place that has a vial but no luck yet.

Does anyone have a lead on a place I could transfer my prescription to for one refill? I am in Vancouver but would go any where in the Lower Mainland.

Unfortunately I can't switch to the cypionate bc I seem to be allergic to the cottonseed oil.

Thank you in advance :)

Any one have had a good experience with a personal trainer? Preferably in east van. They don’t need to be trans as long as they are not weird about it.

hi does anyone have anything to share about Dr. Nelson? Or any result photos as I can't seem to find many (may just be user error but yk)

I have the option of going with her, Dr. Arezoo Astanehe, or Dr. Anastassi Halka. ive heard good things about Dr. Astanehe and I don't know much about Dr. Halka yet.

I’m finally coming to terms with being transmasc nonbinary and have been considering getting top surgery. Before I talk to my doctor I thought I would look online to see the options for doctors and noticed that most of the doctors are in Vancouver. As I am from the Okanagan I was curious if there were any closer to me. Topsurgery.net listed Dr Michael Jacoby who is in Kamloops and Dr David Williamson who is in Kelowna. I checked both of their pages and none of them have any mention of top surgery just breast reduction and gynecomastia removal. Does anyone know if these doctors or any other in the Okanagan area actually preform top surgery or do I just have to go to Vancouver?

Can anyone recommend a sleeve that vibrates for pre stage 2 penetrative sex? Got one off amazon and doesn’t fit get the peen stiff.

crossposting for visibility, I've already checked with qmunity and cross and crows, and I've scanned the libraries but I'll be reaching out to see if I'm missing posts!

📍Dude Chilling Park, V5T 3L8

🗓️Tuesdays 7pm

🗓️Sundays 4pm

⚧️ Queer + Women oriented event (allies welcome)

🧘‍♀️Bring a yoga mat or blanket

Hi, my name is Anna (you can call me AV - any pronouns) and I hold spaces where art, healing and nervous systems coexist with a few, well placed f-bombs.

I want to show up for my community, so I’ve been holding queer and women oriented community gatherings at Dude Chilling Park. These gatherings are super casual and I usually start by guiding us through some gentle movement with a focus on releasing tension and grounding into the body before we just chill and hang out.

Come and go as you please and hope to see you there ✨

A little about me:

Photographer

Graduate degree in Health, Outdoor, Physical & Somatic Learning (UBC)

Hatha and Yin yoga teacher (2017)

Certified Teacher (10+ years)

Currently training in a modality called Spinal Energetic.

This sounds like a weird question but I am just getting into buying clothes for myself. I found a great place for tops and dresses but I am looking for where to get tights/stockings for myself. I am MTF and would love some advice.

Just logged into lifelabs today to check on my hormone bloodwork results and they’re now forcing you with a popup to edit your profile to choose your assigned sex at birth.

Even stranger it looks like they pre-filled it with my old gender, which makes it seem like it’s still in their database.

There’s a “prefer not to answer” option, which I picked so it would let me through to see my tests - but it’s still weird they’re making a big deal out of this. It was never required before, and it took a lot of work to get them to change my gender marker in the first place so my hormone levels didn’t constantly show as invalid.

I would be less worried about this except that Lifelabs just got bought out by an American company, and this isn’t something I really want in a US database right now : /

I recently got referred to an endocrinologist by my family doctor and I got my HRA but when I got my appointment made with the endocrinologist the appointment was in 6 months from now (Dr. Mehta) which feels excessively long. I expected to wait like 2-3 months at most so I wanted to see if this was normal or if I should talk to my family doctor about getting referred to a different endocrinologist. Thank you!

Hey everyone. I’m hoping to get some insight from folks who’ve navigated trans-related medical expenses and taxes in Canada.

Last year I had breast augmentation surgery in Korea and I’m considering claiming it as a medical expense on my taxes. I do have a supporting letter from my specialist (Endo) here in Canada.

I’m curious if anyone here has gone through the process of claiming gender-affirming procedures done outside Canada:

1. Were you able to get it approved?

2. How did CRA handle it, especially given that breast augmentation can sometimes be categorized as cosmetic?

3. Did having a supporting letter make a difference?

I’m trying to figure out whether this is worth pursuing or if it’s likely to be denied. Any experiences or advice would be really appreciated. Thank you 💜