Transsexualism and the Sex Change Operation

13.08.2010 | By: P.D.

Do you know what happens after a transsexual person decides to have a sex change operation?

Many experts who evaluate and follow the passing procedure are involved in the sex change. (Photoxpress)

Reasons for sex change

Each one of us feels unhappy about a certain part of the body. The muscles are not big enough, the butt is too full, the breasts are too small, etc. But what to do if you're unhappy with your whole body, you whole look and even your own gender?

If a transsexual wants to change gender, the procedure involves taking over a completely different identity. It can be connected with homosexuality or not, but it is fore and foremost a desire to be accepted and live as a member of the opposite gender.

Nowadays there are several ways how to achieve this goal, but most of them are difficult and tiresome. The decision mostly depends on how strong the person's desire is and there are more 'phasing phases' before the transformation is complete.

Public recognition of a different sexual identity

It is an important step for a transsexual person to be recognized as a person of the opposite gender in everyday life. A person is recognized as a male or female because of a combination of an appearance and behavior.

Every individual decides to what degree they want to hide their original sexual identity. Many decide to hide it in public or at work, but are honest about it with their close friends and family. This also depends on society they live in. For example, Billy Tipton, an American jazz musician, kept his true female sexual identity a secret until his death, even in front of his female partners, but he never had any kind of surgery or treatment.

Real life experience before the sex change operation

Transsexuals undergo the so-called real life experience before the operation, which is a period when a transsexual leads an ordinary life as a member of the preferred gender. Usually it is advised by the doctors or therapists, before they give the sex change operation a green light. In the US the obligatory passing phase was recently shortened to 3 months, while it remains 24 months in the UK.

Many transsexuals decide against the sex change operation after the passing phase, also because of financial reasons.

Those who see the passing phase only as a step further towards reaching their goal, usually complement their real life experience with hormonal treatment. Trans women (born as men) are prescribed a combination of hormones, mostly estrogen, which cause the breasts to grow, less hair on the body, smaller testicles and more difficulties with reaching an erection. Trans men (born as women) can expect more hair on the body and on the face, but less hair on the scalp - hair loss, increased sexual desire, deeper voice and larger clitoris.

Sex change operation

Sex change operation is a combination of more operations which adjust the appearance of a transsexual person to that of the preferred sex. Besides operation of sexual organs, a person undergoes other surgeries as well: jaws, cheeks, lips, nose and vocal chords and removal of the Adam's apple, removal or enlargement of breasts, removal of fat tissue on the bottom with trans men, etc.

Trans women undergo one or more surgeries where the surgeons create a vagina, clitoris and vaginal lips. The method which works best is the removal of the erectile tissue of the penis which is then used to form the inner part of the neo-vagina and the penis glans is used to form a clitoris.

Penis construction surgery is much more difficult and the results are less satisfying. Neo-penis is created out of a tissue from the forearm of a patient or some other part of the body. But the erection can be achieved only with an penile prosthesis.

Sex reassignment surgeries are very risky and can bring a lot of complications. Even though the Western countries are relatively tolerant towards sex change operations, the countries who perform the most operations are Iran and Thailand, especially because of their intolerance of homosexuals. Thailand is a very popular destination for the Westerners because they have experienced surgeons who are much cheaper than in the US or elsewhere. Homosexuality in Iran is unwanted to a degree that the state pays for all the surgery expenses.