General Health
a. Anal care
Transgender women – if you still have a penis – need to stay on top of your health and protect yourself throughout your life. There are a number of precautions you can take to prevent contracting a sexually transmitted infection, and if you are concerned you can easily take tests to find out your status.
All transgender women should be tested regularly for STDs, including HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhoea.
If you have had sex with someone you don’t know well, or have casual sex with multiple partners, you should be screened more often for STDs and may benefit from getting tested for HIV more frequently.
It is important to have an open conversation with your doctor about getting vaccinations for Hepatitis A and B, and HPV – there are a number of vaccines that can help to protect your health.
You can do many things to protect your sexual health. For example, you can learn about how STIs are spread and how you can reduce your chances of getting an STI. Have open and honest conversations with your partners about your risk of being infected with an STI. You can also talk to your doctor about PrEP, which may be appropriate if you have many partners.
b. Vaginal care
Transgender men – if you still have a cervix, and unless you have had a complete hysterectomy, are still at risk of cervical cancer and ovarian cancer. Your risk of cervical cancer, or HPV, relates to your past and current sexual practices, but even people who have never had a penis in contact with their vagina may still contract an HPV infection. The HPV vaccine, can greatly reduce your risk of cervical cancer, and you may want to discuss this with your doctor. Pap smears are used to detect cervical cancer or pre-cancer conditions such as an HPV infection. Your doctor will make a recommendation as to how often you should have a pap smear.