Information and comments about the physical aspects of transition.
Hair removal
Voice
Facial feminization
Hair loss
Reproduction
Hormones
Orchiectomy
Vaginoplasty
Breast implants
Injected silicone
Breast forms
Movement
Tall clothing
Skin care
Makeup
Handwriting
A reader notes: Just saw your posting on puberty blockers and thought you might be interested in a study co-written by Dr. Spack:
After establishment of a multidisciplinary gender clinic, the gender identity disorder population increased fourfold. Complex clinical presentations required additional mental health support as the patient population grew. Mean age and Tanner Stage were too advanced for pubertal suppressive therapy to be an affordable option for most patients. Two-thirds of patients were started on cross-sex hormone therapy. Greater awareness of the benefit of early medical intervention is needed. Psychological and physical effects of pubertal suppression and/or cross-sex hormones in our patients require further investigation. Pediatrics 2012;129:418–425
Pubertal blockade can safely be initiated in pediatric patients who experience gender identity disorder, according to researchers at the Canadian Pediatric Endocrine Group 2012 Meeting. With exposure to hormones such as estrogen or testosterone later in their adolescence, these patients will experience normal metabolic processes.
“If kids are persisting at puberty [about the need to be the other gender], they will almost always persist,” said Daniel Metzger, MD, FRCPC, a pediatric endocrinologist at BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and a clinical professor, division of endocrinology in the department of pediatrics, University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Voice feminization authority Andrea James now offers voice consultations via videoconferencing on Skype, Facebook, or FaceTime. Get a personalized one-on-one consultation to make your voice sound more feminine, more masculine, or just more pleasing to the ear.
I don’t know why I have not sent this to you earlier, but I wanted to give you a link to a blog I did a while back regarding my orchiectomy. I always knew that full SRS was not for me, but I did know I wanted to change “my downstairs” for a couple reasons. With that said, I really had a tough time getting some of my questions answered prior to my orchi. To fill in some of the blanks, I did this blog http://myorchiectomy.blogspot.com/ . I have forgotten the password and email I registered it to, so unfortunately I have been unable to go in and put up an updated photo of myself (after laser hair in that region), but I guess it will have to do. I wanted to pass it to you so that others might be informed and be able to learn from my experience. Hope it helps.
Doctor: Dr. Harold Reed
Date: April 2010
Cost: $4000, but I received $500 back after donation of my testicles to a laboratory that he put me in contact with.
Long-term outcome: I no longer have to take anti-androgens, and have actually stopped all hormones because of my prior use and the now lack of testicular testosterone production.
General impressions: I feel much more confident with myself, was able, per documentation provided to me by Dr. Reed, to chance my gender on all governmental documents and records. My sex drive has changed a bit, to be something more similar to that of a woman. Though I am told not everyone is as fortunate as me, I am fully functional still.
The following is my story of undergoing an orchiectomy with Dr. Fara Movagharnia in Atlanta,GA during Nov of 2010. There are plenty of other resources on line that talk about the pros and cons of orchiectomy. I will not duplicate those terrific efforts. This site is intended to recount my personal experience having an orchiectomy. I will keep this page updated as my healing process continues.
