My Journey to getting on Testosterone
COST BREAKDOWN
From my experience with GenderGP in Ireland.
Initial evaluation appointment with GenderGP- £65
GenderGP subscription fee- £195
Monthly GenderGP fee- £30 recurring
Testogel through medical card- €1.50
Testogel without medical card- £67
Self-Injection course- £60
Follow up Review- £30 every 6 months
Sustanon- £43 every 6 weeks
Sustanon supplies- £40 for 100 of each needle & syringe. 1 used every 3 weeks
Blood tests through my GP- Free (through medical card). One every 3 months, 6 months, and a full bloods check annually.
First appointment with GenderGP
First appointment with GenderGP
I had my first appointment on the 9th of November 2020. It was done over Skype because of the Covid pandemic. It went on for about 40 minutes and she told me she had to submit my case for review but couldn't see why I wouldn't get on T. All I needed to do was pay the 195 membership fee and the process would commence.
After roughly 2 weeks I got email confirmation that my case had been reviewed and accepted. My doctor at the time refused to work with GenderGp and I was in the process of changing to a new doctor so I ordered my first bottle through GenderGps pharmacy.
Getting my Testogel
€70 and a further 2 weeks, the testosterone arrived in the post. It arrived in the pump bottle and I started that day.
December 9th
Getting on testosterone injections
To begin the process, I contacted GenderGp through the existing patient contact form and let them know I wanted to change from gel to injections. They asked for bloodwork to be completed first to ensure everything was in order before changing which I had done at my GP office and forwarded on to them. I spoke with my doctor regarding the change over and he said he would help but unfortunately when GenderGp sent through the treatment summary to begin the medication, my GP changed his mind and refused to prescribe it.
Around this time, my medical card ran out and I began preparing for top surgery so I continued on the gel, paying the standard price through GenderGp but missed some time due to lack of funds. After I had recovered from top surgery I decided to look back into getting on the injections as the gel is quite expensive every month and I still had the issue of forgetting to apply it consistently.
I contacted GenderGp and let them know I still wanted to go onto injections but my GP was no longer supporting me. They replied explaining the option not involving GP support included doing an online course with one of their staff on self-injection (£60) and I would need to order the equipment and injections myself. The testosterone injections (Sustanon) cost roughly £43 for 2 vials which last 6 weeks (1 vial every 3 weeks). They sent me a link to the medical supply stores they recommend with a list of what I need to order. This also came to roughly €40 for 100 of each needle/syringe and a sharps disposal box.
When all my supplies arrived, I booked in the self-injection course with GenderGp. The course was 1:1 with somebody else in the room with me to support if needed. The person that carried out the course (Oli) was very friendly, helpful, and patient. There are also now lots of resources and guides on how to do your injections online and on GenderGps website.
I am currently paying for my sustanon through GenderGp but will update if I have any progress with getting it through my GP/medical card.