Jonathan Ashworth parliamentary Qs today

[dustycaramel]

• To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle delays in the supply of HRT medications.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the effect of the nationwide HRT shortage on the health of the transgender community; and if he will make a statement.

• To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of women affected by shortages of HRT; and if he will make a statement.

Not sure why only interested in numbers of women, but impact on transgender community - surely impact is the same on all?

Oh fuck off. Impact on the transgender community - I’ve been struggling with this and frankly people getting these drugs for purposes other than replacement of lost hormones is enraging. Why am I at the back of the queue behind people who’ve imposed this regime on themselves?

I also know a 21 year old woman on these drugs due to a complex med condition that she has for life. She needs them. I need them for bone health and to be able to sleep. We are not the afterthought here.

The clue is in the question.
HRT, R - replacement
HTH

Once again menopausal women, the people in need of HRT, get treated as second class citizens and yes an afterthought. FFS

I presume we are talking about transmen here - so women who identify as men? I just think the impact is presumably exactly the same? Not sure I can see how they would be impacted more? And the third question is about numbers of women, whereas the second question is about impact on TG. I just don't understand.

They mean oestrogen I think, I wasn't aware of any shortage of testosterone.

I’m stuck on crap HRT because there is a shortage of my usual brilliant one. I assume that is the order of the question? Nice to see women are below the transgender community in importance 🙄

I presume we are talking about transmen here - so women who identify as men?

Nope, men who identify as women. HRT for menopausal women is used ‘off label’ as ‘Cross Sex Hormone Therapy’ to make adult males grow breasts. Both oestrogen and progesterone drugs are used (progesterone less commonly in the U.K.) patches and gels are preferred.
Women who identify as men take testosterone, I don’t believe testosterone is experiencing the same shortages as women’s hormones.
Men who identify as women are often also prescribed testosterone blocking medications. Some of these are drugs designed to treat certain cancers, when used on children they are called ‘puberty blockers’.

The priority should be younger women who are experiencing premature menopause due to early hysterectomy etc (as the absence of hormones could cause them serious long term health problems), then older women experiencing difficulties with natural menopause.

Males who have chosen to have their testicles removed obviously need some kind of hormone for protection against osteoporosis, so they should be prioritised over those who haven’t.

Of course, it doesn’t work like that. Pharmacists fill repeat prescriptions for whoever presents them, as long as the medicines are in stock. There is no way to prioritise a particular patient group.

Gosh. I just assumed we were talking about women who identified as men but who haven't transitioned therefore still require HRT....

Good spot OP. If you see the answers on Hansard, please post them here. Thanks. I agree that menopausal women should definitely be prioritised above males who are simply using these drugs to grow breasts (i.e. it's elective, cosmetic and possibly a fetish)

I am certain that the few pounds a month it costs to replace menopausal women's oestrogen and progesterone is a fraction of the cost of treating their osteoporotic fractures, and their painful skin conditions, and of the loss of working hours due to memory problems, and of the damage to children due to the emotional struggles of these older mothers.

HRT for menopausal women of any age is a fantastic investment with huge returns.

But trans ideologists shout louder.

To be fair, the shortages aren’t caused by NHS cost cutting, it’s some kind of manufacturing issue and it’s affecting more than the UK.

Yes you’re right DuMonde is a manufacturing problem that’s been going on a long time

It's been going on for months now.

In a way, I'm glad that he separated women on HRT and male transpeople on cross sex hormones, they are not the same group with the same medical needs or impacted the same way by the shortage.

I eye-rolled at first thought going to male transpeople rather than women, and I think it would be interesting to know how many people in each category are affected and how.

The phrasing could lead to the a long impact assessment for males, and just a number for women. I don't know if that was the intention.

Zutt ‘The phrasing could lead to the a long impact assessment for males’

I think that just about sums up the whole shit show

Yes you’re right DuMonde is a manufacturing problem that’s been going on a long time

From what I understand, it is the combination of various manufacturing problems coming together, along with cock-ups on the government pricing agreements front, which is why it is so much worse in the UK.

There's some interesting stuff here, for me I see it as:

Something that is required to prevent immediate and long term symptoms of a biological reality, that impact day-to-day functions and reduce physical discomfort

And

Something that is requested and agreed by a doctor so to meet the choice that someone has made, so to make physical changes to their body so to meet their mental view of themselves

They are very different.

This article explains government pricing for incompetence as the main cause of the HRT shortage.

Article on Apple News today said the demand for HRT has doubled over the last 5 years.

btw, trans men who use testosterone get bad vaginal atrophy which I presume would be treated with HRT, Buck Angel, a trans man (and activist hated by TRAs) talks about this.

Whoops, forgot to attach link, sorry for the length:

www.tortoisemedia.com/2019/11/28/the-great-hrt-scandal/?sig=Z7V8nuuP3aHGHU7BUVMJcGeYzW1L2GWk9SkQsqiAZZ0&utm_source=Tortoise+Members&utm_campaign=3247177e1c-SENSEMAKER_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_efeb5ec230-3247177e1c-138423175&mc_cid=3247177e1c&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

hmm, the link got broken, trying again:

www.tortoisemedia.com/2019/11/28/the-great-hrt-scandal/?sig=Z7V8nuuP3aHGHU7BUVMJcGeYzW1L2GWk9SkQsqiAZZ0&utm_source=Tortoise+Members&utm_campaign=3247177e1c-SENSEMAKER_DAILY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_efeb5ec230-3247177e1c-138423175&mc_cid=3247177e1c&mc_eid=%5BUNIQID%5D

Arghh! The article is called:

“Solving the great HRT mystery” - Thursday 28 November 2019

tortoisemedia.com

Oh fuck off Ashworth. Seriously.

I've had my ovaries and uterus surgically removed for medical reasons and have spent years chasing round making sure I can get HRT (a) prescribed, and (b) supplied by a pharmacist. That is hormone REPLACEMENT therapy, you woeful muppet.

I've had a lovely Mumsetter offer me her spare patches, bless her. Such small acts of solidarity among women mean more than any of Ashworth's parliamentary posture questions.

Fucking hell, what a world. What a time to be alive.