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 gender different from the one they were assigned at birth. Nonbinary people have gender identities that fall outside the categories of male and female.
Full Answer
What is gender confirmation surgery?
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.
What is gender-affirming hormone therapy?
Gender Affirmation (Confirmation) or Sex Reassignment 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.
What are the treatment options for transgender people with gender dysphoria?
Nov 15, 2021 · Gender-affirming care allows a patient to change their sex characteristics, bringing their minds and bodies into greater alignment, while continuing to receive a lifetime of competent care from providers who recognize that the challenges people who are trans and gender-nonconforming or nonbinary (TGNC) face are not just medical, but social.
What is gender-affirming care?
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
What is the purpose of gender therapy?
Gender therapy can help anyone questioning and exploring their gender identity, feeling uncomfortable with aspects of their gender, or seeking gender-affirming interventions. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to identify in a way other than cisgender to reap the benefits of gender therapy.Aug 24, 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?
While dysphoria is an experience many trans people have, the important part is working on ways to feel more comfortable over time. Lots of trans people can attest to dysphoria going away completely once we affirm who we are in the ways that work best for us.
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.
What questions do they ask in gender therapy?
Questions for the therapist Are you LGBTQ affirming? How many transgender or gender nonconforming clients have you worked with? How do you support and advocate for your transgender or gender nonconforming clients? Do you write letters of recommendation for medical transition?Nov 15, 2017
What is meant by gender identity?
Gender identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as male or female (or rarely, both or neither). This concept is intimately related to the concept of gender role, which is defined as the outward manifestations of personality that reflect the gender identity.Dec 9, 2020
How is gender dysphoria treated?
Hormone therapy for adults It's important to remember that hormone therapy is only one of the treatments for gender dysphoria. Others include voice therapy and psychological support. The decision to have hormone therapy will be taken after a discussion between you and your clinic team.
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.
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.
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.
