Treatment FAQ

what is gender confirming treatment

by Dr. Horacio Eichmann Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Supporting evidence for providing gender-affirming treatments and procedures

  • Medical interventions. Gender-affirming hormone therapy is the primary medical intervention sought by transgender people. ...
  • Surgical interventions. A wide range of gender-affirming surgeries are available to transgender people. ...
  • Other interventions: Transgender Health Information Program. [cited 2014 Jan 21]. ...

Full Answer

What is gender-affirming hormone therapy?

Feb 24, 2022 · Gender-affirmation care refers to treatments, ranging from surgery to speech therapy, that support a transgender or nonbinary person in their gender transition. Transgender people identify with a...

What is gender confirmation surgery?

Today, many transgender people prefer to use the term “gender confirmation surgery,” because when we say something like gender “reassignment” or “sex change,” it …

What are the treatment options for transgender people with gender dysphoria?

Nov 15, 2021 · Gender-Affirming Care Is Patient-Centered Care The first U.S. gender clinics only accepted patients who would complete a social, legal and medical transition that resulted in a perfect binary: a heterosexual man or woman who "passed" as such in society, and who retained no reproductive capacities associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.

What is gender-affirming care?

Apr 06, 2021 · The law bans so-called cross-hormone therapy, a gender-affirming treatment that allows for trans people to change their physical appearance to be more consistent with their gender identity. In this...

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What are gender confirmation treatments?

Transgender individuals may seek medical gender confirmation treatments (GCTs), including administration of hormone therapy (HT) to achieve desired masculinization or feminization, and/or surgical change of the genitalia and other secondary sex characteristics.Feb 17, 2018

Why is it called gender confirmation surgery?

Today, many transgender people prefer to use the term “gender confirmation surgery,” because when we say something like gender “reassignment” or “sex change,” it implies that a person's gender changes when they have surgery.

What is the most common treatment for gender dysphoria?

Medical treatment of gender dysphoria might include:Hormone therapy, such as feminizing hormone therapy or masculinizing hormone therapy.Surgery, such as feminizing surgery or masculinizing surgery to change the chest, external genitalia, internal genitalia, facial features and body contour.Feb 26, 2022

Can you change your gender without surgery?

The Beyond Gender Project states that nonmedically transitioning, or social transitioning, means that a person begins living as their gender without medical procedures, such as hormones or gender-affirming surgery. A person may socially transition by changing their name or modifying their appearance.Apr 5, 2021

What is bottom surgery?

The goal of transfeminine bottom surgery, or feminizing genital surgery, is to reconstruct the male genitalia into female genitalia. Transfeminine bottom surgery is typically performed as a single stage procedure.

At what age is gender dysphoria most common?

age 7The study findings revealed that 73% of the transgender women and 78% of the transgender men first experienced gender dysphoria by age 7.Jun 16, 2020

Can gender dysphoria go away?

Transitioning is a long, challenging road Transitioning is also not a cure. I needed gender-affirming surgery to alleviate gender dysphoria and feel as comfortable in my body as possible, but there is no cure for gender dysphoria — you can only treat the symptoms, and our ability to treat the symptoms is limited.Mar 7, 2016

How do I start HRT?

To start HRT, you will need 1 referral letter from a licensed mental health provider that addresses the WPATH Standards of Care guidelines. What are my next steps to start HRT? 1. Meet with your licensed mental health provider to obtain a referral letter and sign a Release of Information Form for them.

How long does a male to female transition take?

Some of the physical changes begin in as little as a month, though it may take as long as 5 years to see the maximum effect. For example, men transitioning to women can expect A-cup and occasionally larger breasts to fully grow within 2 to 3 years.Apr 22, 2015

How is gender change operation done?

An incision is made into the scrotum, and the flap of skin is pulled back. The testes are removed. A shorter urethra is cut. The penis is removed, and the excess skin is used to create the labia and vagina.Aug 26, 2013

What is affirmation surgery?

Gender affirmation surgery refers to procedures that help people transition to their self-identified gender. Gender-affirming options may include facial surgery, top surgery or bottom surgery. Most people who choose gender affirmation surgeries report improved mental health and quality of life.May 3, 2021

Why do people have gender affirmation surgery?

People may have surgery so that their physical body matches their gender identity. People who choose gender affirmation surgery do so because they experience gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria is the distress that occurs when your sex assigned at birth does not match your gender identity.

What is gender surgery?

Gender affirmation surgery refers to procedures that help people transition to their preferred gender. Gender-affirming options may include facial surgery, top surgery or bottom surgery. Most people who choose gender affirmation surgeries report improved mental health and quality of life.

What is the difference between gender nonbinary and transgender?

The term transgender describes someone whose gender identity is different than their sex assigned at birth. Gender nonbinary describes someone whose gender identity does not fit within traditional female or male categories. People in either of these categories may opt for gender affirmation medical treatment or surgery.

What do transgender women do?

Cheekbones: Many transgender women have injections to enhance the cheekbones. Chin: You may opt to soften or more prominently define your chin’s angles. Jaw: A surgeon may shave down your jawbone or use fillers to enhance your jaw. Nose: You may have a rhinoplasty, surgery to reshape the nose.

What is the procedure to remove breast tissue for a more masculine appearance?

Common transgender surgery options include: Facial reconstructive surgery to make facial features more masculine or feminine. Chest or “Top” surgery to remove breast tissue for a more masculine appearance or enhance breast size and shape for a more feminine appearance.

How many people are satisfied with their surgery?

Depending on the procedure, 94% to 100% of people report being satisfied with their surgery results. In general, people who work with a mental health provider before surgery tend to experience more satisfaction with their treatment results.

Does insurance cover gender affirming surgery?

A healthcare provider can help you understand the risks and benefits of all surgery options. Many insurance companies require you to submit specific documentation before they will cover a gender-affirming surgery. This documentation includes: Health records that show consistent gender dysphoria.

Why do transgender people use gender confirmation surgery?

Today, many transgender people prefer to use the term “gender confirmation surgery,” because when we say something like gender ...

What is the procedure to create a penis?

Phalloplasty. A graft is taken — typically from the forearm, thigh, or back — and used to create a penis. Depending on the type of surgery, the urethra may be linked to allow urination through the new penis, and an implant may be installed to allow the penis to become erect.

How much does it cost to have a transmasculine bottom surgery?

Transmasculine bottom surgery: Starts around $4,000 for metoidioplasty and goes up to $22,000 for phalloplasty. Transfeminine top surgery: Ranges from $3,000 to $11,000, depending on surgeon and location. Transfeminine bottom surgery: Starts around $4,000 for orchiectomy and goes up to $20,000 for vaginoplasty.

What are the options for AFAB trans?

Hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and vaginectomy. AFAB trans people have a number of options when it comes to their reproductive organs. This includes removal of the uterus ( hysterectomy ), removal of one or both ovaries ( oophorectomy ), and removal of the vagina.

What is top surgery?

Top surgery is a procedure to remove the chest tissue and reconstruct the chest to have more of a masculine appearance.

What is the difference between silicone and saline implants?

Silicone implants tend to be softer and more realistic. Saline implants are typically less expensive. This surgery is great for anyone who wants to have a larger chest.

Where is the double incision?

Double incision. With this procedure, incisions are typically made at the top and bottom of the pectoral muscle and the chest tissue is removed. The skin is pulled down and reconnected at the sight of the lower incision. The nipples are also removed and used to create a graft that has the appearance of a nipple.

What Is Gender-Affirming Care?

Gender-affirming care describes an array of health services that alleviate the suffering associated with gender dysphoria, defined in the latest edition of the ​ Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ​ (DSM-5) as clinically significant distress or impairment related to a strong desire to be of another gender.

Who Needs Gender-Affirming Care?

As we mentioned, gender-affirming care directly benefits people with gender dysphoria. About 44 million people worldwide have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, according to ​ The International Brazilian Journal of Urology ​ paper mentioned above. But estimates like these likely underreport the true figures, according to WPATH.

Gender-Affirming Care Is Patient-Centered Care

The first U.S. gender clinics only accepted patients who would complete a social, legal and medical transition that resulted in a perfect binary: a heterosexual man or woman who "passed" as such in society, and who retained no reproductive capacities associated with the sex assigned to them at birth.

The History of Gender-Affirming Care in the U.S

The concept of gender-affirming care first reached most Americans in 1952 when Christine Jorgensen 's transition from male to female made headlines. The first gender clinic in the U.S. opened in 1966 at Johns Hopkins.

Innovations in Gender-Affirming Care

Both acknowledgment by the medical profession that gender-affirming care is medically necessary and laws preventing discrimination against TGNC people have led to an increase in gender-affirming services, according to a February 2018 article in ​ The Washington Post ​.

Surgical Advances

In the late 1960s, transgender patients were warned their surgical outcomes from what's collectively called "lower surgery" or "bottom surgery" would not resemble the genitals of cisgender women and men. For trans women, a vagina that could be penetrated by a penis was considered the only functional goal of surgery.

How to Access Gender-Affirming Care

The people who responded to interview requests for this article reported starting their search for gender-affirming care with a primary care physician, or through a clinic for underserved sexual minorities. Callen Lorde in New York City, Lyon Martin in San Francisco and Tapestry in Greenfield, Massachusetts, all came up in interviews.

What state has the first law prohibiting transgender people from providing gender affirming treatment?

GOP governor threatens to arrest Democrats who left state. Jim Acosta's father fled Cuba. Hear his plea to Biden. (CNN) Arkansas became the first state in the US to prohibit physicians from providing gender-affirming treatment for trans people under age 18 after the state's General Assembly voted Tuesday to override the governor's veto ...

Which state outlawed gender affirmation?

Arkansas becomes first state to outlaw gender-affirming treatment for trans youth. By Devan Cole, CNN.

What is Trevor Project?

Following the veto override, the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, warned in a statement that trans youth in the state "would be put at significantly increased risk of self-harm because of legislation like HB 1570 pushing them farther to the margins of society.".

What is the law that bans transgender people from using hormones?

The law bans ​so-called cross-hormone therapy, ​ a gender-affirming treatment that allows for trans people to ​change their physical appearance to be more consistent with their gender identity.

Who override the veto of HB 1570?

The state's Republican-controlled House voted 71-24 to override Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson' s veto of HB 1570 Tuesday afternoon, with the Republican-controlled Senate overriding his veto by a vote of 25-8 shortly after.

What is the HB 1570?

Some medical groups, including the American Psychiatric Association, have come out against laws like HB 1570, with the group saying last week that "patients and their physicians, not policymakers, should be the ones to make decisions together about what care is best for them.".

What is the goal of feminizing and masculinizing hormone therapy?

For both masculinizing and feminizing hormone therapy, most endocrinologists aim to get blood levels of the various hormones into the same range that would be expected for a cisgender person of the same gender identity as the individual being treated.

What is masculinizing hormone therapy?

Masculinizing hormone therapy uses various types of testosterone to promote masculinizing changes in both binary and non-binary individuals. Testosterone is most often given as an injection, but other formations are available, including pills and creams.

What are the two types of hormone therapy?

Hormone Therapy Types and Variations. Gender-affirming hormone therapy fundamentally comes in two types—masculinizing hormone therapy and feminizing hormone therapy . Puberty blockers, which are used to delay the onset of puberty in young, gender-diverse people before the start of hormone therapy, affect the hormone system ...

What are the effects of feminizing hormones?

Changes that can be induced by feminizing hormone therapy include: 1 Breast growth 2 Softening of the skin 3 Fat redistribution 4 Reduction in face and body hair (but not elimination) 5 Reduced hair loss/balding 6 Muscle-mass reduction 7 Sweat- and odor-pattern changes 8 Decrease in erectile function 9 Testicular size reduction 10 Possible changes in emotions or interests

Is gender affirming hormone therapy good for you?

Access to gender-affirming hormone therapy is associated with significant psychosocial benefits. For transgender and gender-diverse individuals, being able to socially and medically affirm their gender can be critical for physical and psychological well-being. 6 

Do transgender people use hormones?

However, many transgender people, particularly binary transgender people, will use hormones to affirm their gender. The 2015 National Transgender Discrimination Survey found that 95% of transgender men and women, and 49% of non-binary respondents, were interested in hormone therapy. 1 .

Is hormone therapy a medical intervention?

Furthermore, hormone therapy is the only medical intervention that many gender-diverse individuals either want or need. Improving access to gender-affirming medical care, and reducing barriers to competent care, has the potential to profoundly improve people's lives.

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