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Revision as of 06:38, 13 December 2002 by 68.11.194.163 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Sexual reassignment surgery (commonly called a sex change operation)(also known as Gender Reassignment Surgery) is the surgical procedure by which a person's physical appearance is changed to that of the opposite sex. This involves surgery on the external sex organs, and removal of the breasts in the case of a woman.
The person will have the apparent external physical characteristics of the new gender and must usually take hormones (testosterone or estrogen) to maintain their new appearance. They are unable to reproduce due to the lack of actual sex glands (testes or ovaries).
Persons who undergo sex-change surgery are referred to as transsexual. Transsexuals who are going to have the surgery are called pre-operative; those who have already had the surgery are called post-operative. Not all transgendered people choose to have sexual reassignment surgery, although they live constantly in their target gender; these are called non-operative transsexuals.
It can be extremely difficult to get sexual reassignment surgery. Most jurisdictions and medical boards require a minimum duration of psychological evaluation and "cross-living" (living as a member of the target gender full time) before SRS is permitted. However, transgendered people are often not allowed to change the listing of their sex in public records until SRS is completed. (See legal aspects of transsexualism.) A person who cross-lives while their genitalia and sex listing does not accord with their appearance can risk harassment and violence. SRS is also very expensive and usually not covered by public or private health insurance. "Gender refusenik" is a slang term among transgendered people for those who are prevented from having SRS by financial, legal, medical, or other considerations.
Most male-to female procedures fall under one of two categories: penile inversion and colovaginoplasty. Either of thse procedures is usually followed by a minor cosmetic surgery called labiaplasty.
Female-to-male procedures rely more heavily on skin grafts and erectile prostheses. These usually include multiple procedures, more expense and a less satisfactory outcome, in terms of replicating nature.