There are many people who struggle with gender identity, and this struggle often begins when they are children. They feel “trapped” in a body that simply does not feel right to them. They identify as being a male when they are female, or female when they are male, for example. This feeling does not go away, and it will often intensify as a person gets older. Because they have conflicted feelings, it can often lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. They may end up being diagnosed with gender dysphoria and having a medical intervention could be quite helpful. Many, therefore, end up undergoing transgender reassignment surgery.
How Does the Transition Happen?
It is important to remember that the transition will often, but not always, happen on two fronts. There is the social transition that takes place. During this transition, the individual may choose to wear different clothing, use new pronouns, and choose a new name. There is also the medical transition, which this article focuses on. The medical transition will often include hormone therapy and then transgender reassignment surgery. The path can vary for every individual.
The start of transgender reassignment surgery will often start with psychotherapy. This is to ensure that the person is ready for the hormone therapy and the surgery that will follow. To be a candidate, the individual is going to need to be diagnosed as having gender dysphoria. They can then move on through counseling and hormone therapy.
It tends to be a long process, and there are often several types of surgeries that will need to be performed to complete the transition. For trans men, those who were assigned as female at birth, these include a bilateral mastectomy, complete hysterectomy, genital reconstruction, ring metoidioplasty, scrotoplasty, vaginectomy, and phalloplasty. In some cases, there will be a penile implant and testicle implants added to the penis and testes that have been reconstructed.
For trans women, there are also many surgeries. They include facial feminization surgery, clitoroplasty, labiaplasty, orchiectomy, prostatectomy, urethroplasty, vaginoplasty, and a penectomy, which is the removal of the penis.
Learn More from Your Doctor
If you are considering transgender reassignment surgery, you are going to want to make sure that you speak with your doctor. Write down any questions you might have, no matter how minor they might be, and have medical professionals answer them for you.
