Transgender transition female - to - male, that is, when a woman becomes a man, is considered a classic, true form of transsexualism.
Gender reassignment from male to female is a more diffuse form in which false cases are more common. But, nevertheless, more often than not, sexual transformation occurs in the form male – to – female, that is, from male to female. The stages of both types of transitions are identical in principle. This includes a change of image according to psychological gender and social adaptation of a person in a new role, as well as physical transformation of the body under the influence of hormone therapy and plastic surgery.
Newly minted men who are happy in their new look
The world is rich in stories about the successful sexual transformation of a woman into a man. These people are incredibly happy and satisfied with their new life. They remember their existence in a biological body with a shudder.
Leith Ashley, born a girl, already felt discomfort from his body from the age of 5. At the age of 19, he made the transformation into a man. Leith worked a lot on his body: he took hormones and trained in the gym. Now he is a fairly successful model, he has worked with such famous designers as Calvin Klein, Versace.
Some transgender men even manage to carry and give birth to a child. Trystaine Reese became a man under the influence of hormone therapy. He did not resort to castration surgery, that is, removal of internal organs, which allowed him to become pregnant and subsequently give birth to a healthy boy.
By the way, before this Tristain had a miscarriage. Currently, in addition to his own son, he and his boyfriend are raising two more adopted children. In the future, the transgender is determined to complete his transformation by adjusting his genitals.
How to change a man's gender: surgery
Those who decide to remove all signs of gender at birth will have to undergo various procedures over the course of several years.
Orchiectomy
Testicular removal is often prescribed before other more serious surgical procedures. This operation becomes an alternative to taking certain medications, because testosterone is mostly produced by the gonads.
Orchiectomy is classified as a simple procedure. The surgeon cuts the scrotum, separates the organ from the blood vessels and vas deferens, and sutures it.
It is possible to perform an orchiectomy using local anesthetics, but it is better to choose general anesthesia if there are no contraindications.
Penectomy
Removal of the body of the penis is a complex invasion and is performed under general anesthesia. The skin of the organ is used to form the vagina.
Mammoplasty
Transsexuals prefer to undergo breast augmentation with implants while taking hormones. This way you can quickly change your appearance from male to female.
Liposuction
The procedure for pumping out or destroying fat cells. During a session of classic surgical liposuction, the doctor makes small incisions in the skin and subcutaneous layers and injects a suspension that liquefies the tissue. Then the fat cells are pumped out through cannulas.
Facial surgery
The doctor makes facial features more feminine by touching the bones of the skull. After plastic surgery, the cheekbones, eyebrows, nose, eyelids, chin, and forehead are modified.
Vaginoplasty can completely turn a guy into a girl when changing gender. After a flawlessly performed operation, there are no scars or traces left on the genitals, and even the gynecologist is not able to determine the radical intervention.
Photos of those who have changed their sex and details of the operations can be found in the article “Sex reassignment surgery, how it is done, before and after photos.”
Features of hormone therapy during the FtM transition
The task of hormone therapy during the transition of a woman to a man is the process of masculinization, that is, the acquisition of masculine traits: a change in voice, the acquisition of masculine body shapes, including the redistribution of fat, hair growth according to the male pattern, the disappearance of menstruation.
This goal is achieved by artificially introducing the main male hormone - testosterone, mainly by injection, but gels and transdermal patches are also used. If menstruation persists, oral forms are used - tablets, capsules.
Testosterone hormone therapy begins with short-acting drugs. This is necessary in order to observe the body’s reaction to the influence of a new substance. Such a drug, for example, is Androgel, which creates a daily concentration of the hormone in the body with a single use.
After four weeks, long-acting testosterone is added. A drug such as Nebido, when administered intramuscularly, retains its effect for 3 months.
During therapy with hormonal drugs, not only the formation of secondary sexual characteristics of the desired gender occurs. Atrophy of the own gonads is observed. Sclerotic cysts form in the ovaries, due to which their activity gradually fades away. They do not fully produce female sex hormones and do not participate in the generation of eggs.
Not every woman who decides to transform can resort to HRT. There are contraindications that strictly prohibit its use. These include malignant tumors of the breast and uterus, and coronary insufficiency. But the very first contraindication to HRT is pregnancy and breastfeeding.
There is also a list of pathologies in which the doctor makes a decision on the possibility of carrying out hormonal replacement therapy based on the individual characteristics of the patient:
- polycythemia - blood cancer, one of the causes of which may be androgens;
- epilepsy due to androgen sensitivity;
- diseases of the kidneys, liver, heart;
- hypertonic disease;
- problems with blood clotting, previous DIC syndrome;
- lipid metabolism disorder;
- aggressive behavior;
- excessive acne;
- migraine.
Here is an example of the dynamics of the development of male sexual characteristics in a girl who decided to become a man and began hormone therapy at the age of 20.
She felt the first changes already on the second day: sexual sensitivity changed. The breasts gradually decreased and the clitoris increased. For several months the changes were quite painful. Next, the fat layer disappeared from the chest and thighs. The contours of the face changed and, naturally, hair began to grow.
The female reproductive system itself is more resilient than the male. That is, if a man takes female hormones and his testicles atrophy, then when it stops, it is quite difficult to restore the former sexual characteristics.
If a woman decides to stop her transformation and stops taking male hormones, she should be prepared for the fact that certain changes are irreversible. These include hair growth, voice timbre, and an increase in the size of the clitoris. And in case of long-term therapy, it is impossible to get pregnant.
Reversible consequences include an increase in muscle volume and a change in body shape, a change in sexual behavior, an increase in body odor, an increase in appetite and an increase in body weight. After cessation of androgen therapy, the menstrual cycle resumes and the vagina returns to its original shape.
Preparatory activities
No matter how much money the patient is willing to pay to “transform” into a girl, he will have to go through a preliminary stage:
- Observation by a psychiatrist, psychologist, sex therapist. There are several methods by which a doctor determines whether it is a reasonable decision to change gender from male to female. For at least one year, the patient lives as a representative of the opposite sex. The doctor monitors how social adaptation is progressing and gives a conclusion based on many factors.
- The plastic surgeon prescribes tests and instrumental examination to exclude contraindications for health reasons.
- No later than 9 months before the operation, the patient is prescribed hormones. The course is prescribed only by a doctor to reduce the risk of side effects. A man needs to reduce testosterone levels and increase estrogen levels. At this time, the voice changes, fat deposits are distributed differently, facial features become more attractive, and body hair partially disappears.
- Under favorable conditions, 1 month before the guy finally becomes a girl through surgery, hormones are stopped until the postoperative period.
After a course of therapy, such dramatic changes occur that more than half of transsexuals consider them sufficient and do not undergo surgery. You can see the effect of taking hormones on a person in the photo.
Prices for gender reassignment surgery to female
After hormonal therapy, about 1/3 of transgender people undergo surgery. The reasons for this are different: some are satisfied with the changes achieved, while others cannot afford surgical intervention financially.
The cost of the operation ranges from 150,000 rubles to 550,000 rubles. In addition to the price, it is necessary to add the costs of consultations, instrumental examination, hospital stay and the purchase of drugs before and after the invasion.
Judging by the reviews, gender reassignment for transsexuals is the only opportunity to feel like a full-fledged woman, to stop waging an internal struggle and waiting to no avail for understanding from others.
Postoperative period of gender reassignment from male to female
Any surgical intervention requires rehabilitation first in the hospital, then at home. Immediately after the operation, you must remain in bed for at least a week and follow the basic rules:
- stick to a menu based on liquid food that does not cause gas;
- treat the wound with antiseptics;
- do exercises with a vaginal dilator;
- do not use caring cosmetics;
- don't take a bath.
- Men who have changed their sex must take hormonal medications throughout their lives.
- Sex is prohibited for 3 months after surgery.
- If sterility is not observed, complications are possible, as after any surgical intervention: high temperature, inflammation, tissue suppuration.
Possible complications after vaginal plastic surgery
This series includes a reaction to anesthesia, bleeding, infection, risk of blood clots, fistula between the vagina and rectum, decreased sensitivity up to anorgasmia, necrosis, reduction of the vagina, loss of its walls from the body, hair growth in the vaginal area. After discharge, the patient also needs to urgently contact in case of fever, rupture of sutures, purulent discharge, release of intestinal gases or feces from the vagina, difficulty in penetration into the vagina, a sharp decrease in the amount of urine or narrowing of the urethra.
Cost of vaginoplasty: penal inversion - from 150 thousand rubles, sigmoid method - from 200 thousand rubles.
History of feminizing vaginoplasty
Surgeries to shape the vagina in MtF patients began to be performed in Europe about 80 years ago. First, skin from the buttocks and thighs was used, and the male genitals were removed in stages. Then there was a period of healing and only then came the turn of vaginal plastic surgery. It was an extremely traumatic operation with a lot of scars, and besides, the skin did not always heal properly. And finally, with the removal of the sensitive parts of the male genitals, there was no hope of physical pleasure from subsequent sexual relations. The revolution in the field of feminizing vaginoplasty was made by a French plastic surgeon in the sixties. It was he who began to perform operations on the tissues of the penis and scrotum, which are practiced in an improved form today.
What's next
Most transsexuals stop at coming out and hormones. And this turns out to be quite enough for them. A very small percentage decide to undergo surgery. There are several reasons for this. One of them is finance. Thus, genital correction costs approximately 500,000 rubles. A complete surgical transformation will cost the trance about 2 million rubles. The amounts are considerable, and not everyone can afford them.
Some decide to modify the breasts and remove the internal genital organs: the uterus, its appendages, and testicles. Fortunately, there are no such strict restrictions for this as for changing genitals.
Having gone through the first two stages of transformation, quite a large number of transsexuals feel great.
Thus, the American girl Susan Angel did not like her body since childhood. And when her breasts began to grow, it completely threw her into confusion. She became addicted to alcohol and drugs and even tried to commit suicide. And all because she didn’t understand what was happening to her.
Fears and doubts stopped when Susan decided to change her gender. She managed without surgery. And now her (or his) name is Buck.
Life after the transformation became different. Buck is a porn actor who also produces similar films. In addition, he is on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Human Sexual Freedoms.
After a gender change, you must document your new identity. To do this, you should contact the relevant authorities to change documents. The basis for this is hormone therapy, as well as surgery, but not even necessarily to correct the external genitalia - this could be, for example, amputation of the mammary gland.
