Surgery, of course, does not really change a biological male into a biological female or vice versa. Raymond (1979) quotes George Burou, a Casablancan physician, who has operated on over 700 American men: transform male genitals into genitals that have a female aspect. All the rest is in the patient's mind". Hormonal treatment and sex change surgery does not alter chromosomal make up or reproductive capacity. Following surgery a male to female transsexual cannot ovulate and become pregnant, and a female to male transsexual cannot produce sperm or ejaculate. Hormonal treatment and sex change surgery can, however, dramatically alter external genitalia and physical appearance.

Description

Since men have more facial hair than women, a male considering sex reassignment will embark on a slow and costly process of depilation via electrolysis. Second, he will be placed on a regimen of estrogen therapy. This will have the following effects: (a) his body shape will be altered ; somewhat in that fatty tissue will be redistributed to the hips; (b) some : slight breast development will gradually take place, but often transsexuals are not satisfied by the extent of such development and request silicone or other forms of breast implantation; (c) body hair will be gradually reduced; (d) testosterone output will decline, and the capacity to have erections may disappear after some time (there may also be some irreversible testicular atrophy); (e) skin texture may become softer and more feminine; (f) muscular strength will diminish. After surgery the transsexual will have to continue with hormonal treatment indefinitely. (Although this remains a disputed topic, there is some suggestion in the medical literature that long term maintenance on exogenous estrogens may increase the likelihood of breast cancer.)

The third step in the male to female conversion process is genital surgery. This has three components: (a) testicular castration; (b) penile amputation and shortening and redirection of the urethra; (c) construction of a vaginal channel, vaginal lining, labia majora and minora. Scrotal and penile tissue are used to fashion the vagina and since these tissues contain erogenous ; sensory nerve endings, sexual stimulation and orgasm are possible, though this seems to vary widely. Although the reconstructed vagina has no natural lubrication, artificial lubricants are available for purchase in any pharmacy.

A major source of postsurgical complication, however, is that the walls of the artificial vagina often narrow even if repeated dilation is provided. This may result in requests for further surgery. Requests for surgery may also not end with vaginal construction. Aside from further surgery to correct complications, some male to female transsexuals seek additional cosmetic surgery for nose, Adam's apple, eye shape, and so on, to try to achieve their idealized body image of a woman.

The female to male transsexual who wants to be reconstructed into a male also receives hormonal treatment prior to surgery. Administration of androgen will have the following effects: (a) facial and body hair will grow (acne may be an unwanted side effect); (b) menstruation will be eliminated; (c) the voice will lower slightly; (d) muscles will grow somewhat and shoulders widen; (e) clitoral size will increase somewhat, but it will not extend to penile size; (f) there may be a minuscule decrease in breast size; (g) hips will be narrowed. As with male transsexuals, hormonal treatment has to be maintained indefinitely.

The most frequent surgical operation for female to male transsexuals is a bilateral mastectomy. Hysterectomies are also common. However, surgical procedures for penile (and testicular) construction are still in an experimental stage. Furthermore, even if a penis is constructed in a cosmetically satisfactory manner, it is not capable of erection without some additional prosthetic device. Since there is also no sexual sensitivity in the constructed penis, the clitoris is usually maintained to provide sensory sexual stimulation.

About The Author
David Crawford is the CEO and owner of a Natural Penis Enlargement Really Work company known as Penis Enlargement Group which is dedicated to researching and comparing penis enlargement products in order to determine which penis enlargement product is safer and more effective than other products on the market. Copyright 2011 David Crawford of Natural Penis Enlargement Tips This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.