All Indian citizens, regardless of caste or creed, have the right to choose their gender. When a person feels that their identity does not correspond to their birth gender, they can undergo gender transformation. Those who are transsexual prefer to transition to another sex medically.
Assisting people to transition to their gender identity is the purpose of gender confirmation surgery. There are three types of gender confirmation surgery: top surgery, bottom surgery, and facial surgery. Most people who undergo gender confirmation surgery report improved mental health and quality of life.
How Does Gender Confirmation Surgery Work?
Individuals suffering from gender dysphoria can permanently change body parts linked to their biological sex through Gender Confirmation Surgery (formerly called gender reassignment surgery).
An individual’s physical appearance can also be altered by hormones. Their appearance will be more like that of the opposite gender. To appear more feminine, males take anti-androgens and oestrogens.
Individuals born as males may undergo surgery to remove their testicles, penis, and, in some cases, prostate glands. As a result of the penis tissue, a clitoris and vagina with sensation are created. Scrotum tissue makes up the lips across the vagina (the labia). There is a shortening of the urethra, the tube that drains urine from the body. In order to keep their vagina open after surgery, the individual uses a vaginal dilator.
Breast implants or changing one’s eyes, lips, Adam’s apple, or nose are among the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures performed to make one look more feminine.
Surgery for sex reassignment from male to female
Candidates for Male-to-Female Sex Reassignment Surgery receive a penile inversion vaginoplasty as well as a neurovascular neoclitoris.
As part of the process, a certified surgeon creates a sensate neo-vagina by utilizing the original penis’ parts. The testicles are surgically removed during an orchiectomy. The labia are created from the scrotum skin. Neoclitoris is made from penis erectile tissue. There is no damage to the urethra and it is functional.
It offers both functional and aesthetic results in a single operation lasting four to five hours. During an individual’s surgical consultation, the recovery course, the details of the process, and the potential complications will be thoroughly discussed.
Sex reassignment from female to male
A phalloplasty is typically performed using the radial forearm flap method for candidates who are undergoing female-to-male sex reassignment surgery.
The procedure can be combined with a vaginectomy or hysterectomy to build an aesthetically pleasing phallus and urethra for standing urination. Scrotum construction with testicular implants is the second stage. An individual’s surgical consultation will include a discussion of the recovery course, the details of the procedure, the potential complications, and the expected results.
Gender Confirmation Surgery: Is it Right for Everyone?
Not everyone is a good candidate for gender reassignment surgery or confirmation surgery. The majority of people are content to only receive hormone treatment or to live with gender dysphoria. It is a significant decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Undoing it is nearly impossible.
International guidelines govern gender confirmation surgery. Before having surgery, you should:
- Gender dysphoria that has persisted for a long time
- The ability to make an educated decision and provide consent
- In India, you must be over the age of 18
- Physical and mental health issues are well-controlled
Hormones must be taken for 12 consecutive months after some gender reassignment surgeries. It may also be necessary for you to have lived with the gender that matches your gender identity for 12 consecutive months.
People planning a gender confirmation surgery are usually advised to seek counseling.
Gender reassignment surgery is medically important and almost always leaves people with gender dysphoria feeling happy and satisfied.
However, gender reassignment surgery can only do so much. After the operation, you may not be satisfied with how you look. It does not solve everyone’s gender dysphoria. Having a discussion with your doctor about the advantages and disadvantages is essential. Asking for pictures of what other patients look like after surgery is a great idea.
Ask your surgeon the following questions:
- Which surgical procedures are available?
- How does each procedure affect me? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
- How will the project be evaluated?
- Complications and risks: what are they?
After Gender Confirmation Surgery, what happens?
To get the best results from your surgery, follow everything your doctor advises and attend every follow-up appointment.
As you adjust to your new lifestyle and body, you’ll need continuous counseling and hormone therapy. You’ll probably need a vaginal dilator on a regular basis if you have a new vagina.
After surgery, some people are discriminated against or socially isolated. In order to overcome social stigmas, you must stay confident despite regretting your decision and the course of the operation. After gender confirmation surgery, if you feel depressed or anxious, talk to your surgeon.
Gender Confirmation Legal Matters
Your state’s birth, marriage, and death registry may record your gender as female, male, or not specified after Gender Confirmation Surgery. To be valid, change of gender in India must be officially announced in the weekly Gazette published by the Government of India’s Publication Department.
To ensure that all legal requirements are seamlessly met, it’s recommended that you seek the assistance of a legal matter expert.
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