My brother is transgender, is he moving too fast
Hello:
I have a brother that is transgender. He will ultimately undergo vaginoplasty sex reassignment surgery (SRS). He has been on hormones since October 2009. He has only been in therapy since Feb 2009. I am looking to understand if he is moving too quickly along this path or if he is moving about average, and if it is according to an acceptable protocol or timeline within the medical community for such a transition.
1) I have heard that transitions take several years. First the individual undergoes extensive psychoanalysis and therapy. Then that person lives as the intended gender for a period of time. Then hormone therapy is introduced and finally, SRS completes the physical transition. What is the recommended time frame for all of this?
2) How long does a transgender individual have to be on hormone therapy before surgery takes place?
3) Is there a website that I can go to to get more information on the entire recommended transition process? From how long the person needs to be in therapy, to how long hormone therapy should be, to how long to live as the intended gender, to how long and how many surgeries are required to complete the transition?
So basically, I’m looking to find out what the general guidelines are for transgender individuals considering SRS? I want to know what is standard practice for physicians. What do physicians require from their transgender patients considering SRS? Do you look for certain things – like how long they’ve been living as their intended gender? What prevents a physician from allowing someone to just jump right into SRS? Like i said, I’m worried that my brother is moving way to quickly and that he will jump into surgery before he is 100% sure that it is right for him. I just want to make sure that he does the transition carefully and correctly. Can you help me?
Thank you,
Phyllis
May 25, 2010
Good morning Phyllis,
You concerned is appreciated and shared. The purpose of WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health) is to establish guidelines for an appropriate transition and is widely respected in the United States, often in Europe and perhaps inconsistently in the Orient.
Minimum requirements are to be living 24./7 in the chosen role, “RLT” (Real Life Test) for 1 year, but truly most confirm their intentions with a lot more time in grade than that. The incidence of remorse is about 3 per cent, but could be a lot less with good therapeutic evaluation.
Our office is available for consultation.
With best wishes,
Harold M. Reed, M.D.
305-865-2000
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