Start by making an appointment with one of our medical providers at the Clinic to talk about GAH. You can do this by calling us at 615-499-7406.
Gender-Affirming Healthcare
LGBTQ-Friendly Clinic in Nashville, TN
Nashville CARES is committed to improving the health of trans and nonbinary communities. At The Nashville CARES Clinic at My House, we offer LGBTQ+ healthcare that addresses the unique barriers faced by adult trans and gender non-conforming clients as well as medical, behavioral health, and case management staff who are sensitive to your needs. Gender-affirming healthcare is only available for those 18 years and older.
Gender-Affirming Hormones (GAH)
Patients receive Gender-Affirming Hormones (GAH) when a medical provider gives them prescriptions for hormones that their body doesn’t make and/or when they get medicine that blocks the hormones that their body does make. Taking hormones changes your body (sometimes permanently) and can affect your emotions, thinking, and behavior. Some people will want to take estrogen and/or testosterone blockers (such as spironolactone). Some people may take testosterone. The most appropriate medicine and medicine doses for any given person will be determined through consultation between you and your healthcare provider at The Nashville CARES Clinic at My House. We work with you to choose the right amount of hormones to help you get as close as you can to the body changes you want.
Informed Consent
After studying best practices across the nation, we follow a care model to better serve our transgender and nonbinary patients 18 and older called Informed Consent. Informed Consent is the process that helps us provide you with correct information about GAH and helps us make sure that you understand the information we have given you. The treatment protocol is designed to reduce barriers to care and to provide even better services to our community by shortening the process to receive hormone replacement therapy in an affirming and affordable way. Additionally, Nashville CARES believes that our patients and clients do not require mental health therapy to make a decision about whether hormone therapy is right for them. Instead, people should be given complete, accurate information, and supported in making their own decisions about whether to get hormone therapy or not. However, if a patient chooses to receive therapy as part of their care, we can certainly help them get that set up with an affirming mental health provider on our team.
Bloodwork (labs)
Before starting GAH, all patients are required to have bloodwork (labs) drawn. These labs are to assess your general health before starting GAH and to make sure that starting GAH is safe for you. Blood for lab work is drawn onsite by The Nashville CARES Clinic at My House staff and is not only obtained at the first visit before starting GAH, but is also checked periodically (generally anywhere from every 2 - 6 months) to assess your hormone levels and continued safety.
Medications
At your first visit, we will make sure we have your preferred pharmacy information on file and will send any prescriptions electronically to the pharmacy of your choice.
Gender-Affirming Hormones (GAH)
Patients receive Gender-Affirming Hormones (GAH) when a medical provider gives them prescriptions for hormones that their body doesn’t make and/or when they get medicine that blocks the hormones that their body does make. Taking hormones changes your body (sometimes permanently) and can affect your emotions, thinking, and behavior. Some people will want to take estrogen and/or testosterone blockers (such as spironolactone). Some people may take testosterone. The most appropriate medicine and medicine doses for any given person will be determined through consultation between you and your healthcare provider at The Nashville CARES Clinic at My House. We work with you to choose the right amount of hormones to help you get as close as you can to the body changes you want.
Informed Consent
After studying best practices across the nation, we follow a care model to better serve our transgender and nonbinary patients 18 and older called Informed Consent. Informed Consent is the process that helps us provide you with correct information about GAH and helps us make sure that you understand the information we have given you. The treatment protocol is designed to reduce barriers to care and to provide even better services to our community by shortening the process to receive hormone replacement therapy in an affirming and affordable way. Additionally, Nashville CARES believes that our patients and clients do not require mental health therapy to make a decision about whether hormone therapy is right for them. Instead, people should be given complete, accurate information, and supported in making their own decisions about whether to get hormone therapy or not. However, if a patient chooses to receive therapy as part of their care, we can certainly help them get that set up with an affirming mental health provider on our team.
Bloodwork (labs)
Before starting GAH, all patients are required to have bloodwork (labs) drawn. These labs are to assess your general health before starting GAH and to make sure that starting GAH is safe for you. Blood for lab work is drawn onsite by The Nashville CARES Clinic at My House staff and is not only obtained at the first visit before starting GAH, but is also checked periodically (generally anywhere from every 2 - 6 months) to assess your hormone levels and continued safety.
Medications
At your first visit, we will make sure we have your preferred pharmacy information on file and will send any prescriptions electronically to the pharmacy of your choice.
FAQs
Yes. Please bring any current medication bottles to your first visit with us and be prepared to sign a release of information form so that we may request records from your prior healthcare team (when applicable).
The Nashville CARES Clinic at My House does not provide gender-affirming hormones to people under 18 years of age at this time.