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Transgender FAQ part 2!

Jaymes

The cake is a lie
The last thread I made ended up with the original post being too long, so rather than just tack extra information on to the end of the post I thought it'd be a better idea to make a new thread. :)

Again, if you guys have any questions feel free to ask!

What's hormone replacement therapy?
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) involves taking sex hormones: Estrogen or testosterone, depending on if you're MTF or FTM. MTF individuals may also take androgen blockers, which stop testosterone from interacting with the body.

What's the point of HRT?
HRT is used to help trans individuals get what are called secondary sex characteristics: breast growth and softer skin are often reported by people that take estrogen and/or androgen blockers, while the growth of facial hair and a deeper voice is the most common effect for people taking testosterone.

Isn't taking hormones like that dangerous?
The short answer for that is "yes and no". Estrogen can be dangerous because it causes blood clots. However, you run into that same risk with people who are genetically female and take things like hormonal birth control pills or are post menopausal and taking an estrogen supplement.

Testosterone can also be dangerous if the blood levels of testosterone aren't properly monitored, as it can cause damage to the liver.

However when properly monitored by a doctor, the risk of these things greatly decrease.

Won't taking testosterone make you angry all the time?
No. Are biological males angry all the time? ;) The purpose of HRT is to mimic the levels of testosterone naturally in a male's body, not to flood the body with testosterone.

Are the effects of HRT reversible?
Except for the formation of breasts, all the effects of estrogen are reversible; even then the tissue of the breasts break down a bit due to the testosterone.

With testosterone, the appearance of facial hair and a deepened voice aren't reversible. Some trans men lose hair or get a receded hair line once they start testosterone, and this isn't reversible either, except through surgery.

What exactly is sex reassignment surgery?
What 'qualifies' as sex reassignment surgery (SRS, also called genital reassignment surgery, GRS) varies from state to state and doctor to doctor. Some doctors or states consider being on hormones enough to qualify as a sex change, while other states may require a vaginoplasty, phalloplasty, hysterectomy, or chest reconstruction.

It's important to note that not every trans man or woman will have every type of surgery possible for them. Many trans men in particular don't want phalloplasties until technology improves more, but that doesn't stop many from going ahead and getting chest reconstruction. Not having a penis or vagina doesn't make any trans man or woman less of a man or woman.

What types of SRS are there?
Vaginoplasty is a surgery that uses the skin, nerves, and tissue of a penis to create a vagina for a MTF patient. Because the vagina is made from the tissue, nerves, and skin of the penis, sensation is retained.

Phalloplasty involves creating a penis from tissue removed from the arm or leg. Because the tissue and skin grafts are taken from other parts of the body, sensation may take a while to form or may not form at all.

Chest reconstruction involves removing much of the fatty tissue of the breasts, resizing the nipples, and reshaping the chest in a way that appears more masculine.
 

Jaymes

The cake is a lie
I asked this on my other Transgender FAQ thread as well, but the tags on this are even more bizarre. "Birth control", "blood", and "sex"?! There has to be something that can be done about this.
 

jamaesi

To Save A Lamb
Wow, that is bizarre, and quite embarrassing for the forums. I hope it doesn't prevent people from reading these FAQs because they are very good and well-written. :( This is something that should be fixed, quickly.
 

Jaymes

The cake is a lie
Wow, that is bizarre, and quite embarrassing for the forums. I hope it doesn't prevent people from reading these FAQs because they are very good and well-written. :( This is something that should be fixed, quickly.
Utterly agreed.
 

Bishka

Veteran Member
I asked this on my other Transgender FAQ thread as well, but the tags on this are even more bizarre. "Birth control", "blood", and "sex"?! There has to be something that can be done about this.

That should be fixed, I know on other forums that use VBullitien software you can choose your own tags.
 

Mike182

Flaming Queer
I asked this on my other Transgender FAQ thread as well, but the tags on this are even more bizarre. "Birth control", "blood", and "sex"?! There has to be something that can be done about this.

i would assume the Mods can edit the tags manually, try dropping one of them a PM?
 

Somkid

Well-Known Member
If you want to see transgender come to Thailand you can't walk down the street without seeing it. Phuket Thailand is the sex change capitol of the world.
 
If you want to see transgender come to Thailand you can't walk down the street without seeing it. Phuket Thailand is the sex change capitol of the world.

I have already seen it thank you. Transsexuals go to Thialand because there is even less medical ethics there then in the United States. You can have your legs amputated in Thialand if you desire and have the money.
 
Wow, that is bizarre, and quite embarrassing for the forums. I hope it doesn't prevent people from reading these FAQs because they are very good and well-written. :( This is something that should be fixed, quickly.

I think it is ironic that part of the truth (birth control, blood, sex) concerning this topic appeared in its title.:yes:
 

Somkid

Well-Known Member
I have already seen it thank you. Transsexuals go to Thialand because there is even less medical ethics there then in the United States. You can have your legs amputated in Thialand if you desire and have the money.

Hummm.... I don't know about the medical ethics part of that statement as I teach medical ethics however; there is the freedom to do as you wish without judgment. Transvestites, transgender and gay people are treated like human beings here (because they are HUMAN BEINGS!) Some people do want a hand or led surgically removed because it bothers them and no amount of psychiatric help or medication will help them. When I lived in the States I worked in a level 1 trauma center and you may or may not be shocked to find out how many people try to remove one of their own limbs because a doctor won't do it. I have met quite a few transgender people here I even had a transgender student and they have been quite happy with their decisions.
 
Hummm.... I don't know about the medical ethics part of that statement as I teach medical ethics however; there is the freedom to do as you wish without judgment. Transvestites, transgender and gay people are treated like human beings here (because they are HUMAN BEINGS!) Some people do want a hand or led surgically removed because it bothers them and no amount of psychiatric help or medication will help them. When I lived in the States I worked in a level 1 trauma center and you may or may not be shocked to find out how many people try to remove one of their own limbs because a doctor won't do it. I have met quite a few transgender people here I even had a transgender student and they have been quite happy with their decisions.

So you teach medical ethics yet approve of the medical amputation of healthy limbs because the patient desires it? That's rich!
 

Hillbilly

Member
Hummm.... I don't know about the medical ethics part of that statement as I teach medical ethics however; there is the freedom to do as you wish without judgment. Transvestites, transgender and gay people are treated like human beings here (because they are HUMAN BEINGS!) Some people do want a hand or led surgically removed because it bothers them and no amount of psychiatric help or medication will help them. When I lived in the States I worked in a level 1 trauma center and you may or may not be shocked to find out how many people try to remove one of their own limbs because a doctor won't do it. I have met quite a few transgender people here I even had a transgender student and they have been quite happy with their decisions.

I'm shocked that a doctor would even consider doing such a thing. :eek: This has me rethinking this whole transsexual thing too. It is looking like medicine is out of control.
 

Jaymes

The cake is a lie
What percentage of those who undergo SRS later regret having done so? Can you provide links to such cases?
Because it's notoriously hard to get reliable studies with trans people, pretty much every statistic you're going to find is going to be crap. I grabbed this from The Advocate, though:

"Research has been scarce because of the stigma of studying transgenderism and because most of the necessary subjects (transsexual individuals) have been highly closeted until only recently. The only contemporary research I could find, a 2002 paper in the International Journal of Transgenderism citing a 1992 study, observed that “the incidence of postoperative regret is generally extremely low...less than 1% in female-to-males and 1–1.5% in male-to-females.”"

I find it funny that people dither about people regretting SRS so much, though. The effect of hormones on the body can be much harder to live with than SRS, if you end up regretting it, especially in the case of FTMs.
I have already seen it thank you. Transsexuals go to Thialand because there is even less medical ethics there then in the United States. You can have your legs amputated in Thialand if you desire and have the money.
"Less medical ethics"? What's unethical about providing SRS to women (predominantly women, I believe; I haven't heard of trans men going to Thailand for surgery) when surgery in the US is stupidly overpriced? It's a matter of being able to live with your own body and mind. And if you think SRS is unethical, I suggest you start your own thread. I started this thread as an educational resource.
I'm shocked that a doctor would even consider doing such a thing. :eek: This has me rethinking this whole transsexual thing too. It is looking like medicine is out of control.
What do you mean by "shocked that a doctor would even consider doing such a thing"? The person you quoted said they did it because doctors wouldn't do it.
 
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