What is GD?
What is Gender Dysphoria / Transsexualism?
Some definitions of Gender Dysphoria:
- A persistent aversion toward some or all of those
physical characteristics or social roles that connote one's own
biological sex.
suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/mhglossary2.html
- refers to the dissatisfaction with one’s gender
(masculinity or femininity) which is in conflict with one’s physical
sex. The term is usually restricted to those who seek medical and
surgical assistance to resolve their difficulty.
www.northernconcord.org.uk/definiti.htm
- Also body Dysphoria. The state of discomfort felt by
transsexuals and some transgender people caused by the incongruity
between one's physical sex and one's gender-identity.
web.mit.edu/hudson/www/terminology.html
- Gender identity disorder as identified by
psychologists and medical doctors is a condition where a person who
has been assigned one gender (usually at birth on the basis of their
sex, but compare intersexual) but identifies as belonging to another
gender, or does not conform with the gender role their respective
society prescribes to them.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender_dysphoria
The NHS description:
- A person with gender Dysphoria experiences anxiety, uncertainty or
persistently uncomfortable feelings about their birth gender.
They feel that they have a gender identity that is different from
their anatomical sex.This may lead to a fear of expressing their
feelings and a fear of rejection, which may lead to deep anxiety,
leading to chronic depression and possibly attempted suicide.
Sometimes a person, with gender Dysphoria, undergoes hormone and
surgical treatment to physically change their sex. This is called Transsexualism.
It is often reported that approximately 1 in 30,000 adult genetic
males and 1 in 100,000 genetic females seek to change their sex.
However these figures are now accepted to be far too low.
Positive publicity has meant that many more people feel that they
can now express their transsexual feelings.
What Causes Gender Dysphoria /
Transsexualism?
- Little is known about the cause of gender Dysphoria.
There has been some research claiming to show that male and female
brains show some difference in structure and that people with gender Dysphoria
have brains structured like those of their psychological rather than
physical sex. This suggests the cause occurs during the development of
the brain while in the womb, however the research is inconclusive.
Research has also shown that a significant proportion of male
transsexuals have abnormally low levels of HY antigen (This is present
in the cells of males but not in the cells of females)
Many believe gender Dysphoria is caused by hormonal alteration of
the nervous system of developing foetus.
What can be done for those with Gender
Dysphoria?
- Once referred to a gender Dysphoria clinic, alternatives to sex
reassignment are considered. Counseling is offered to the individual
about the range of treatment options and their implications.
Many people will choose to live as the sex they are
psychologically. This can involve counseling, speech therapy,
electrolysis (removal of facial hair) or hormone treatments.
Hormone treatments can play an important role in the anatomical and
psychological gender transition process for properly selected adults
with gender identity disorders.
Sex reassignment surgery, commonly known as a sex-change operation,
is given to people who are convinced that they are of the wrong
anatomical sex. Such people are said to be transsexual. The
transsexual person completes a detailed psychiatric and psychological
evaluation to ensure that the desire is genuine and permanent and has
been present for at least two years.
For a male becoming female, female hormones are taken orally to
produce changes in the secondary sex characteristics, such as body
hair reduction and breast development. Electrolysis and cosmetic
surgery may be undertaken. The person is also required to live as a
female for a minimum of one year before surgery is authorized.
If surgery is approved, the testes and erectile tissue of the penis
are removed under general anaesthetic. An artificial vagina is created
and lined with skin from the penis. Tissue from the scrotum (the sack
that contains the testes) is then used create the labia, and the
urethra (urine tube) is shortened and positioned in the female
location.
For the female to male patient, the process is similar. The
male hormone, testosterone, is taken by injection or patch. It
produces largely irreversibly effects of beard growth and masculine
muscle development, as well as a deepening of the voice. A mastectomy
may then follow and the ovaries and uterus may be surgically removed.
Penis construction, artificial testes implants and operations to
create a male urethra and relocation of the clitoris to the head of
the penis are available but the surgery is complex and costly.
The vast majority of transsexual people experience a successful
outcome in terms of subjective well-being, preservation of bodily
attractiveness and sexual function.
Information from NHS
Direct
Other Information can be found at:
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