The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has asked all ob-gyns to either prepare to provide routine treatment and screening to transpeople or else refer them to other physicians in order to address health care disparities and improve our access to care.
In a Committee Opinion published November 22, The College also states its opposition to discrimination on the basis of gender identity and supports both public and private health insurance coverage for treatment of gender disphoria.
Transgender patients have many of the same health care needs as the rest of our patients. It would be wonderful if all transgender patients had the resources to be seen in a specialized clinic, but the reality is that many forgo care because they don’t. By increasing the number of ob-gyns providing care to transgender patients we can help improve the overall health of the transgender community.
–Eliza Buyers, MD, former member of The College’s Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women, who helped develop the new recommendations