LGBT+ people access their GPs for traditional medical issues such as back problems, colds, flu and general ill health, but tend not to use them for counselling or any LGBT+ specific issues. This is often because they feel their doctor is ill-equipped to deal with their needs or are concerned that they might receive a judgemental service. This can affect the way LGBT+ people feel about themselves and how they think others perceive them, causing low self-esteem and low levels of confidence. This can lead to putting themselves in risky situations to counter these feelings.
GUM clinic support
If you think you have a sexually transmitted Infection (STI) and do not feel as though you can go to your GP, there are genito urinary medicine (GUM) clinics locally. They will give you the support and help that you and your partner/s need.
These clinics offer a confidential service. If it is your first visit you will be asked to fill in a form with basic information about yourself. Information given here is not passed on to your GP unless you want it to be.
All of the information that you need about sexual health services and how to access them is available here: https://www.sexualhealth.cnwl.nhs.uk/ You can order self-testing kits from this website.
The services that GUM clinics provide are non-judgmental and this makes it easier for you to be truthful about how you may have put yourself at risk. This will make sure you get the right tests you need, and allow the service to give you advice on how to keep yourself safer while having sex.
Cervical cancer in lesbians and trans men
Lesbians and transgender men sometimes get mixed messages as to whether they should have smear tests or not. If their GP is aware of their sexual orientation or gender dysphoria there may be an assumption that they do not have penetrative sex and therefore do not need to have a smear test. However, this is not necessarily true – even if you have never had penetrative sex there is still a risk of cervical cancer.
Not all trans men feel the need to have their cervixes surgically removed. This can make it difficult for GPs to offer appropriate support.
Therefore, if you have a cervix and you are not offered a routine smear test, you need to ask for one – it’s important that you have one regularly, regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity.
Prostate cancer in men and trans women
One of the most common types of cancer is prostate cancer. The prostate is a gland that produces and stores a fluid that gets mixed with sperm to create semen. It is also recognised as an erogenous zone, particularly for gay men who enjoy anal sex.
There is currently no NHS-wide screening programme, so if you have a prostate you should look out for changes associated with urinating such as:
- needing to urinate more frequently
- difficulty in starting or straining to urinate
- weak flow of urine
- feeling that your bladder has not emptied
Early detection of prostate cancer is essential as this can avoid the need to have the gland removed for survival. Due to its close relation to sexual function its removal can lead to changes in sexual response during anal sex and to the ability to ejaculate. However, if the cancer is left for too long even removal of the gland may not be enough to save the person’s life as the cancer can spread.
Transgender women are still a risk of prostate cancer and should look out for the symptoms. This is because most trans women will still have a prostate gland post-surgery. They may see their prostate as a link to their past gender identity, and that may make them reluctant to discuss it, but if you have any of the symptoms please contact your GP as soon as possible.
Breast cancer
Everyone is at risk of breast cancer. However, people who have both the milk producing gland in breasts and ovaries are most at risk. This is because breast cancer is fuelled by a hormone oestrogen that these body parts cause to be made.
People who have had mastectomies, such as some female-to-male transgender people, will have a reduced risk of breast cancer, as do people who have had their ovaries removed. However, it has been shown that those male-to-female transgender people who are taking high doses of the oestrogen hormone to transition can increase their risk of developing breast cancer.
If you are invited to breast screening you should attend and you should perform routine self examinations.
Disclaimer
The information on this website is an overview and should not be taken as a substitute for professional medical advice. Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. If you have any concerns regarding your own health or that of any other individual you should contact your GP or a GUM clinic as soon as possible.