Costs Of Transition

People can be funny about these things, so I've avoided writing about this. But for the sake of openness and to give others who find themselves in a similar position an idea of what to expect, here's some of the costs of various things throughout my transition. Depending on where you are and who you see, these costs and their respective services will vary a lot.

Psychotherapy - Dr Harte charges AU$175 per 45-50 minutes session, most of which is claimable from Medicare, and saw me once a fortnight to begin with, and once every three months when I was into my Real Life Experience. There are also costs associated with seeing a GP for referrals to psychotherapists and other specialists.

Laser Haid Removal - The place I went to charges AU$120 for 10 minutes of laser treatment. I'm not hirsute, but it still took around 80 minutes in total to clear my facial hair. I haven't needed any other lasering or electrolysis, and there hasn't been any regrowth at the treated site in twelve months. (Depending on the SRS surgeon and their technique, you may need electrolysis to clear away genital hair; thankfully Dr Suporn's technique takes care of this during the surgery itself.)

Hormone Replacement Therapy - My prescription of Microgynon 50ED cost around AU$13.50 a box from a wholesale chemist. At two pills a day, a box would last exactly 6 weeks. I was not on any androgen blockers or additional hormone treatments (such as gels or patches).

Thyroid Chondroplasty - My thyroid cartilage reduction operation cost AU$442 for the anaesthetist and AU$1075 for Mr Vallance's surgical procedure itself, all after deductions from Medicare and private health insurance. There was also an AU$50 hospitalisation fee.

Speech Therapy - The La Trobe voice clinic is run for a minimal fee as it is used as a training environment for final year speech pathology students. In my case, whether with the students or with Sheryl, no fee was charged at all.

SRS - Dr Suporn's service is 495,000 baht (about AU$17,700). Plane tickets to Thailand were about AU$900. Accommodation at the Mercure hotel near the clinic is around AU$75 a night for two people in their "business class" rooms. Dr Suporn is certainly one of the more expensive options, and it's possible to see other reputed surgeons in Thailand or elsewhere who charge less. Having a world-class surgeon in your nation of residence obviously also means there is no need for travel and accommodation.

So while it takes a little planning and forethought, if you can manage to hold on to a job whilst dealing with trans issues, transition is financially quite achievable. And of course, not everyone is going to need all of these things, nor in the same amounts.