Blood tests for trans people in Edinburgh

We're raising money for a pilot scheme to provide free blood tests to trans people in Edinburgh who need them.

Trans healthcare systems are in crisis, and many people are taking hormones without access to regular monitoring. This includes people who are self-medicating, people in private care who can't afford tests, people whose GPs refuse to help, and people on impossibly long Gender Identity Clinic waiting lists.

However people are transitioning, regular blood tests for hormone levels and basic health functions are a vital harm reduction measure. People still transition without them, but their transitions are riskier. However, in Edinburgh trans people have been excluded from the local harm reduction service.

Edinburgh Trans Community Health is a grassroots team of trans people raising funds to address this community need. Working with Sapphic Bison, a non-profit group who've been providing blood tests to the trans community for the past year, we will run a pilot scheme that will demonstrate how to achieve regular blood tests for all trans people. The tests will be UKAS accredited and bloods will be taken by registered professionals.

After successfully running a first pilot day, we're continuing to raise funds to run additional pilot days over 2025 and 2026. Each day costs roughly £1200, paying for 20 tests, including hiring a phlebotomist, paying for analysis, and purchasing materials. We will use this pilot scheme to attract further support, with the aim of achieving long-term provision.

We’re living in a difficult time for trans people, with a state that seeks to remove us from public life, but through solidarity and community organising we can work together to meet each other's needs. This mutual aid project will help trans people look after each other take power over our own lives.

We have a sister project run by Trans Healthcare Access Glasgow and House Ball Scotland aiming to do the same thing over there that we are doing here in Edinburgh. You can find their fundraiser here: https://gofund.me/2a3efdce