Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Information On Transgender Health Services

By Marissa Velazquez


Today, the term transgender is most used by people who feel that they belong to a gender that they were not assigned at birth. Some trans people use hormones or even go through surgeries to feel more comfortable with their body. The number of this class of people is growing on a daily basis and the debate goes on how to best handle them and accommodate them in the society. Thanks to transgender health program, this provides a holistic approach to individual well being. This ranges from behavioral wellbeing to violence recovery program to substance abuse among others.

We know that the male body is made differently from a female body since they were each designed to perform different roles. Therefore, a man seeking the woman body commonly known as a transwoman has to go through a process where hormones are replaced. This process requires a competent expert since it can lead to adverse effects if not handled properly. The hormone replacement therapy is used to alter the secondary sexual characteristics.

Testosterone and estrogen are hormones that men and women have in their bodies in different quantities. Men are known to have a higher level of testosterone to women while women too have a higher level of estrogen to their male counterparts. Therefore, one of the objectives of this treatment is to increase the level of estrogen to bring the levels to that of an individual born as a woman. This is an important hormone in women since it is responsible for regulating the menstrual cycle. It is also known to have a relationship with moods and libido.

Progesterone is given to a transwoman to effect changes like skin appearance, sexual urge and breast development. Some people also undergo surgery to transform their breasts. This has to be done carefully to ensure that mammary glands and alveoli are developing as they should.

To effectively handle the hormone testosterone, substances with anti-androgen effects are used. They are introduced mainly to suppress the male hormone before the client undergoes a surgical process to remove testicles. The production is however not stopped with the presence of the testicles, but it is weakened so that the estrogen can substitute it in binding with the androgen receptors.

Having some hormones replaced does mean that changes that an individual experience during puberty are totally reserved. So things like location of hair body will need a different procedure to deal with. However as the levels of testosterone continue to fall in ones body, the hair continue to diminish. Bones also reach DNA predestined size at puberty so this will have to be checked too.

Therapeutic procedure is not enough for one to experience a complete change. One has to undergo surgery to change the sex organ to the desired gender. This procedure is quite delicate and requires a lot of expertise for optimum functionality of the organ after the surgery.

You will agree that we cannot segregate this people since they are in our midst as family members and friends therefore we should be accommodative and provide good transgender health care to them. Stigmatization may push them to the edge leaving them with no option other than seeking health care from non professionals thus risking their lives. They can also explore herbal options to fulfill their dreams.




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