Health Companion

Your General practitioner or HIV specialist is the first point of contact for all health concerns. General practitioners have an overview of the medical landscape and can refer to other specialized physicians and therapists as needed.

You can usually get most vaccinations (e.g. Hepatitis A&B) here. In addition, there is the possibility of having an initiated hormone replacement therapy accompanied by one’s own general practitioner in the long term. This is advisable if your general practitioner is well versed in this area.

Surgery deals with the surgical treatment of diseases and injuries. One branch of surgery is plastic surgery, which mainly involves the creation or reconstruction of body parts. This includes gender reassignment surgery.

Dermatology is the branch of medicine that deals with diseases of the skin, hair, nails and skin glands such as sebaceous and sweat glands. The field of activity includes treatment, follow-up and rehabilitation of skin diseases including skin diseases caused by allergy. In addition, dermatology includes the field of venereology, which deals with the diagnosis and treatment of venereal diseases. Feminizing treatments such as epilation of facial or body hair are performed by dermatologists (or so-called electrogolists), among others.

Specialists in (sexual) hormones, e.g. also reproductive medicine (infertility). Hormone replacement therapies can be started or continued by endocrinologists (see also gynecology / general medicine).

Almost every organ of the body, every function, is controlled by hormones. Therefore, endocrinology should be seen as a kind of network that interferes with all other medical specialties.

Gynecology represents a binary specialty (women). However, all persons can go here if they have a concern that revolves around sexual organs, e.g. vulva, uterus, penoid, neovulva, breast, etc.. It does not matter what gender identity the person has. Men and non-binary individuals may also seek gynecology consultations. Typical gynecology services include screening (e.g., breast cancer or cervical cancer), contraception, menstrual cramps, childbearing, pregnancy and childbirth, and menopause. Vaccination against HPV is available in most gynecology offices. Sexually transmitted infections can also be addressed here. Gynecologists can also provide hormone replacement therapy if they are knowledgeable in this area.

You can find queer-friendly gynecologists at gynformation.de (Weiterleitung).

HIV specialist practices often cover the spectrum from general medicine to internal medicine and infectious diseases. In addition to more general concerns, they specialise in counselling and treatment for HIV, hepatitis and STIs. They give out PrEP and PEP and provide information on all questions that may arise in the context of HIV and sex. Possible concerns can be:

• Tests for HIV and STI,
• Treatment of HIV,
• PrEP,
• PEP,
• Vaccinations such as Hep A/B, HPV, etc…,
• Consumption patterns, interactions with HIV medication.

You can find HIV focus practices near you by using the following search engines:

• HIV&more doctors directory
• Physicians directory of the dagnä

ENT practices take care of the throat, nose and ears. In addition to the treatment of diseases, referrals to speech therapy are also available (e.g. in the context of gender reassignment).

Everything to do with (end) bowel diseases is the speciality of proctology, e.g. genital warts, haemorrhoids, anal fissure, prolapse or carcinoma or anal incontinence. If there is discomfort or pain in the anal region, a proctology practice should be consulted.

Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental illnesses – unlike psychotherapists – especially with medication. Psychotropic drugs such as antidepressants are available on prescription. Psychiatrists often offer accompanying counselling.

Literally translated, psychotherapy means “treatment of the soul” or treatment of mental problems. LGBTI* people are particularly often affected by mental stress (Source). Behavioural and depth psychological counselling therapies, psychoanalysis and systemic therapy (individual or group therapy) are financed by health insurance funds. Non-medical practitioners and therapists without health insurance approval who offer psychotherapy usually have to be financed on your own.

Psychotherapy is a prerequisite for the assumption of costs for medical transition steps by the health insurance.

The first point of contact with special contacts can be the counselling team of the Gay Counselling Berlin, the LGBTI* counselling centre near you or Queermed .

You can find psychotherapists in your area using the following search engines:

Search for doctors and psychotherapists by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung)

Search for counselling centres and therapists of the association for lesbian, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer people

Addiction physicians diagnose and treat addictive disorders and their accompanying mental illnesses. The focus is on substitution treatment and medically supervised withdrawal. Most addiction medicine wards with outpatient and/or inpatient services are located in hospitals. Outpatient care is also possible through practices with a focus on addiction medicine.

Urological practices deal with changes and diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract (e.g. bladder infections or incontinence) as well as the genitals, especially the testicles, prostate and penis. Prostate cancer screening is offered in urological practices, among others. From the age of 45, you are entitled to an annual screening examination. The sooner changes in the prostate are detected, the greater the chances of successful treatment. Sexually transmitted infections can also be addressed here.

If you need PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) quickly after an HIV risk contact, it is sometimes not possible to come to your HIV focal point practice. Emergency rooms are open 24 hours a day – you can also get your PEP here at night, at weekends and on public holidays. Usually you only get the most necessary supplies until the next working day. As a rule, a diagnosis and counselling interview must then be made up for at your HIV specialist practice.

Here you can find PEP jobs in Berlin.

Click here to go to the nationwide PEP job search of the Aidshilfe.

First point of contact for HIV/STI counselling and testing on presentation of the health card or anonymously (usually for a fee, sometimes free of charge for low-income earners). Other services may also include PEP and PrEP provision and hepatitis A/B vaccination.

You can find offers in Berlin here.

Outside of Berlin, you can enquire at the nearest Aidshilfe.

• Complain on the spot in the practice or hospital. Most hospitals have an internal complaint form.
• You are free to choose which practice you go to. If there are alternatives in your area: Change the doctor.
• File a written complaint. You can do this with the associations of physicians and dentists affiliated with health insurance funds in the respective federal states, as well as with the state medical associations and state dental associations. For specialties such as psychology, the respective psychotherapists’ associations (for Berlin, see here) are responsible.
  Please note: these associations are not independent bodies—they review the facts of the case internally and request statements from the practices.
• Complaints against health insurance funds, hospitals or in general can also be made to the respective state health ministry.
• You can report violations of data protection (e.g. disclosure of HIV status) to the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection.
• Get support and advice.
  • The LGBTI* counselling in your area can help you.
  • You can call in theFederal Anti-Discrimination Agency. Here, lawyers give free advice and check the possibilities of taking action against discrimination.
  • In case of HIV-related discrimination, the local AIDS support and the contact point for HIV-related discrimination can help.