Washington, DC – Slowly but surely, the United States is becoming more receptive to the struggle and needs of transgender individuals. However, a new survey published by the journal Endocrine Practice In Press reflects that transgender people may still encounter difficulties when trying to obtain the necessary hormones during their transition.

When it comes to transgender individuals, endocrinologists are key healthcare providers, as they specialize in the endocrine system that regulates the body’s hormones. In turn, endocrinologists prescribe sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone to transgender patients in order to help them develop the physical characteristics that fit with their personal gender identity. Typically, hormones like testosterone are administered to individuals with low T, a common condition where a man suffers from irregularly low levels of testosterone.

But according to the survey conducted by Michael S. Irwig, the associate professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., a third of endocrinologists are unwilling to provide care for patients who are undergoing a transition. Additionally, nearly half of endocrinologists report that they feel somewhat incompetent when it comes to providing that type of care.

“There is still a big access problem,” said Irwig. “The fact that 30 percent won’t see transgender patients wouldn’t happen with any other diagnosis.

“Basically, nobody had really done a similar survey before,” Irwig continued.

For the study, Irwig interviewed 80 endocrinologists from Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., asking them to fill out a 19-item survey. Around 80  percent of the endocrine care specialists participated.

According to the results, 58 percent of respondents reported being less comfortable with their transgender patients compared to cisgender patients, or patients whose gender identity correlates with the gender assigned to them at birth.

Training on transgender care appeared to be extremely uncommon, with fewer than one-third of doctors surveyed trained at all.

Irwig hopes that more training and experience might improve healthcare access for transgender individuals.