Gender Affirming Care at UHS

Our continued commitment to providing safe access to health care

University Health Service (UHS) affirms our position that health care services should not discriminate in any way, whether this be on age; race/ethnicity, sex; sexual orientation; gender (including gender identity); marital status; physical size; religious, spiritual or cultural identity; psychological/physical/learning disability; socioeconomic status; or veteran status. This is consistent with the long-held values of cultural inclusion, respect, and equality that UHS holds.

UHS and the University of Michigan remain committed to our non-discrimination policy, which outlines that patients and employees cannot be discriminated against based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. UHS will continue to provide safe access to affirming, inclusive, quality health care for our University of Michigan campus, including all LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff.

Our goal

Our goal is to provide high-quality, affirming, accessible care to trans and gender-diverse patients in a comfortable, inclusive environment. Learn more about our specialized services for trans and non-binary patients below.

The Gender Affirming Care team

The Gender Affirming Care team is a group of health care providers at UHS specifically trained in providing affirming care to trans and gender-diverse patients. You can schedule with one of the providers at the bottom of this page for a general health care visit, to discuss goals for affirmation, to initiate or continue hormone therapy, and/or to receive referrals for gender-affirming services outside of UHS (e.g. surgery, voice coaching).

We know that supporting trans and gender-diverse health means so much more than gender-affirming care, and you are invited to schedule with these or other UHS providers for your general primary health care needs.

Gender Affirming Care team services

  • Well-person visits (physicals, annuals, or health maintenance exams)
  • General primary care (for urgent and non-urgent health concerns)
  • Initiation and continuation of hormone therapy (also known as hormone replacement therapy or HRT)
  • Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment
  • PrEP and PEP
  • Pelvic exam and cervical cancer screening
  • Pregnancy prevention

Frequently asked questions

Call 734-764-8320 to see your options. You can specify if you would like a visit to discuss affirmation goals (including initiation of hormone therapy), a visit to continue hormone therapy that was initiated elsewhere, or an appointment unrelated to affirmation goals. You can also specify if you’d like to be seen in the Medical Clinic or the Gynecology and Sexual Health Clinic. Being specific about the kind of visit you’d like will ensure that you are scheduled with the correct provider and that enough time is scheduled.

After publication of WPATH Standards of Care Version 8, UHS follows an informed consent model, which allows for patients to access hormone treatments without automatically undergoing mental health evaluation or referral from a mental health specialist (WPATH letter). The patient describes their goals, and the UHS Gender Affirming Care clinician will discuss all of the information needed about the proposed treatment plan. This includes benefits, risks, and expectations surrounding affirmation effects. A decision can then be made collaboratively on how to proceed with treatment, using a combination of the patient’s own understanding of their situation and needs and the clinician’s medical opinion on safety and effectiveness.

  • The informed consent process for HRT is offered for patients over the age of 18.
  • Every individual's situation will be assessed and discussed during the initial appointment, taking into account your medical history and affirmation goals. 
  • Before your second appointment, you will likely need to complete lab tests (which requires taking a blood sample) in the lab on the 2nd floor of UHS.
  • To obtain a letter of support from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): Schedule an initial consultation appointment at CAPS. During this consultation, inform the clinician that you would like to meet with a CAPS clinician in order to obtain a letter of support regarding gender affirmation. Like all CAPS services, appointments for letters of support are free. CAPS is only available to students who are currently enrolled in classes. Learn more about CAPS services for trans and gender-diverse students.
  • To obtain a letter of support from an off-campus mental health provider: UHS Social Workers can refer you to off-campus therapists who specialize in providing affirming services, including letters of support, to trans and gender-diverse clients. You can also use online therapist directories like the U-M Community Provider Database or Psychology Today.

Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti (serves patients ages 12-25) provides hormone therapy using an informed consent model. 

The Michigan Medicine Department of Ob/Gyn provides hormone therapy using an informed consent model.

Planned Parenthood of Michigan also providers hormone therapy using an informed consent model.

Yes! Any Gender Affirming Care provider can take over management of hormone therapy initiated elsewhere. We will review any records available, but if possible, it's best to send the following from your current provider: initial visit summary, most recent visit summary, and most recent lab results. Records can be sent in advance to UHS Health Information Management. If that's not possible, you can bring them with you to your appointment.

The Comprehensive Gender Services Program at Michigan Medicine offers gender-affirming services including hormone therapy. Another popular choice is Corner Health Center in Ypsilanti (serves patients ages 12-25).

The Comprehensive Gender Services Program at Michigan Medicine offers a range of gender-affirming surgeries as well as other services to meet your individual needs. This includes fertility preservation, hair removal, and voice therapy resources. Please note that all services obtained outside of UHS are not included in the Health Service Fee.

Most currently enrolled students on the Ann Arbor campus pay the health service fee as part of tuition, which funds clinical services at UHS, as well as well-being services to improve campus health and wellness.

See Costs for Non-students for information for non-student patients and students who are not currently enrolled.

The cost of hormones and gender-affirming services like surgery is dependent on one’s health insurance coverage and varies widely. You can contact your insurance company directly for more information. For employees with U-M health plans, the University has published a website and guide to affirmation that may be useful.

UHS Social Workers can assist with navigating your health insurance benefits and finding alternative resources for those individuals who do not have access to health insurance.

The UHS Managed Care and Student Insurance Office has certified Health Care Navigators who have received training in affirming care for LGBTQIA+ patients and can help you enroll in health insurance if you do not currently have coverage. They can also answer questions about coverage under the Domestic and International Student Health Insurance Plans.

U-M faculty, staff, and dependents (as well as students enrolled in GradCare) with questions about coverage can contact Brian Vasher at [email protected].

IN YOUR MEDICAL RECORD: To provide UHS with your name, pronouns, sexual orientation identity and/or gender identity, log on to your patient portal and navigate to Health → Questionnaires → Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Form.

If you do not yet have access to the patient portal, you can call 734-764-8320, visit UHS Registration in person, or ask any UHS provider to update this information during a visit.

Once your health record is updated with this information, it will be used in all future communications and visits.

We affirm that this information may change over time and are happy to update your record as needed. Please note if your gender marker in our system is not consistent with the gender marker on record with your health insurance, claims for some services such as cancer screenings may be denied. You can file an appeal if this occurs.

Please note that UHS shares a medical record system with University of Michigan Health.

ON CAMPUS: Information about updating campus records is provided by Spectrum Center here.

LEGAL DOCUMENTATION: Information about changing name and/or gender marker on state ID and federal documents can be found here.

Washtenaw County residents can obtain a free Washtenaw County ID card, which does not have a gender marker and has the option of adding a preferred name.

UHS Social Workers are available to assist with name and/or gender marker change processes.

If your previous provider(s) are not able to provide documentation for you, this is a service we can provide. You will need to establish care with one of the Gender Affirming  Care providers. The provider will need information regarding your “transition-related treatment” (see National Center for Transgender Equality for details). Usually 1-2 visits and a review of outside medical records from your past provider(s) will satisfy this requirement. You can send your medical records to UHS Health Information Management or bring them with you to your appointment.

UHS Social Workers are available by email or appointment to discuss both on-campus and off-campus resources.

Prior to formalizing the Gender Affirming Care team, UHS clinical and clerical staff participated in a 5-hour training series focused on providing affirming care and service to lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans and non-binary patients. All of the bathrooms in the building are gender-inclusive. We have created new workflows to provide multiple avenues for sharing pronouns, name, and gender identity with staff and taken steps to ensure they are easily visible to all staff. We require all UHS clinicians to have continuing education about inclusive care.

We welcome your feedback so we can continue improving our services. Visit Feedback for online, in-person, or phone-based options.

 

Additional Resources

 

Related Staff

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