If you or the ones you love are thinking about sex change surgery, you should take some measures before performing the surgery. In this article we review the necessary items of being a good candidate for gender affirmation surgery, the possible good points, side effects of hormonal therapy, the kinds of surgeries which are available for people and etc.
Overview
Sex change surgery or gender affirmation surgery is done to align individuals with their true gender.
Males or females who have problem with their existing gender may wish to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Years ago, medical community used the term “transsexual” to describe those who underwent sex change surgery. Yet, this term is no longer used by the members of trans community. Although several trans people are generally considered as “transsexual”, it is better to call the members of this community “transgender”.
Transitions process
Transitioning can be divided into 2 kinds which are reviewed below:
Social transitioning: For social transitioning you should change your style, have a new name and etc to affirm your new gender.
Medical transitioning: For medical transitioning you should take hormones, remove hormones by surgery or change genital and reproductive organs
Reasons of undergoing gender affirmation surgery
Tons of transgender individuals experience an obvious incongruence between their sex and their assigned gender at birth and this is identified as gender dysphoria by APA.
Gender dysphoria is kind of a depression that some trans people experience when their appearance does not match their sex. It can be the result of mental problems or cause mental problems in transgender individuals.
For the people with dysphoria social transitioning, hormone therapy and gender change surgery allow the appearance to confirm their real gender.
Preparing for gender affirmation surgery
- Before the surgery discuss with your plastic surgeon about the specific procedure, the general level of your health and the goals of the surgery.
- Before the surgery the doctor examines you to see if you are qualified for the gender affirmation surgery.
- You may be asked to undergo preoperative anesthesia to ensure you are cleared for anesthesia.
Expectations after gender affirmation surgery
First of all, you should ask one of your friends or family members to stay with you and takes you home after the surgery. You stay in hospital a day or two and when the doctor ensures that you are recovering properly, you can return home.
Two weeks after surgery, somebody should take care of you regularly until you can perform everyday tasks. Avoid intense activities after surgery and rest as much as you can.
Normally, a complete recovery lasts almost 6-8 weeks, yet the patients can return home between 2-4 weeks after the surgery.
Measures before the surgery
As well as total conception of the process, hormones, and other risks involved in gender change surgery there are other actions to be done before the surgery. These measures are one way that the medical community and insurance companies limit access to sex change procedures.
- Steps feature the items below:
- Mental health assessment: A mental health assessment is done to distinguish any mental- related problems that affect an individual’s mental state, and to evaluate a person’s preparation to undergo the physical and sentimental stresses of transition.
- Obvious and constant evidence of gender dysphoria
- A “real life” experience: The transgender person takes a role of their gender in daily routine.
Initially, all of the transgenders do not experience physical body dysphoria. The “real life” experience is also rather perilous to perform, for trans gender people are supposed to make themselves vulnerable in public to be considered for affirmative process. Once trans individuals are not identified as their gender, they can be thought to be clocked which endangers them for violence and discrimination.
Asking the trans people to do a “real life” test in spite of the persistent violence transgender people confront is really dangerous, especially when some transgender people want surgery to reduce the danger of experiencing transphobic violence.
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy includes taking progesterone, estrogen and testosterone. Those who want to have gender affirmation surgery must undergo hormone therapy a year before the surgery.
The goal of hormone therapy is to modify the physical look to show the real gender identity.
Testosterone effects
Once a trans person starts taking testosterone, changes feature both a decrease in assigned woman sexual behavior and an increase in assigned male sexual behavior.
Physical change may involve the items below:
- Beard and mustache growth
- Voice deepening
- Clitoris enlargement
- Rise in number of red blood cells
- Body hair growth increase
- Increase muscles and power
- Having acnes that are similar to male puberty
- Uterus and ovaries atrophy results in an inability to have children
- Baldness
*characteristic change features aggression and increased sex drive
Estrogen effects
Once a trans person starts taking estrogen, changes feature both a decrease in assigned male sexual behavior and an increase in assigned female behavior.
Physical change features the items below:
- Breast growth
- Erection loss
- Acne reduction
- Facial and body hail reduction
- Muscle mass and power reduction
- Softer skin
- Slowing hair loss and balding
*characteristic change features decreased sex drive and mood swing
When do we notice the effects of hormonal therapy?
The effects of estrogen on females and testosterone on males is probable to appear after the first dose, although it may appear several years before the person is satisfied with their transition.
Surgical process timeline
Surgery is postponed until at least 2 years after hormone therapy or one year after mental health assessment. When the surgical procedure starts, the time of completion relies on the number of desired procedures, recovery time and etc.
Sources https://www.https://www.beverlyfischer.net/blog/prepare-gender-affirmationverywellhealth.com/gender-affirmation-surgery-2710288
