Sex change

Sex change

ex change in animals

Some species are known to change sex, including reproductive functions, in special circumstances, such as the clownfish. A school of clownfish is always built into a hierarchy with a female fish at the top. When she dies, the most dominant male changes sex and takes her place. See Hermaphrodite for more details.

ex change in humans

Sex Change is a term often used for sex change in humans, that is all medical procedures transgender people may pursue, or specifically to sex reassignment surgery, which usually refers to genital surgery only. It is also sometimes used for the medical procedures intersex people undergo, or, more often, are subjected to as children."Sex change" is sometimes also used for the whole process of changing gender role and the medical procedures associated with it. Since changing of gender role, i.e. "living as a woman" instead of living as a man, or "living as a man" instead of living as a woman, is much more important to almost all transgender people than any medical procedures, this use is even more inaccurate. (Of course, medically induced changes and surgeries are often needed to make a change of gender role at all possible, both socially and legally. Also, they can have a very significant impact on the well-being of people having them.)

Many people also see "sex change" as factually inaccurate. [ [http://www.symposion.com/ijt/pfaefflin/1000.htm] ] Sex in humans is usually determined by four factors:
* Chromosomes
* Gonads (Ovaries and/or testicles)
* Hormone status
* Primary sex characteristics, sometimes also secondary sex characteristics

Not all of these factors can be changed, however:
* "Chromosomes" cannot be changed.
* "Gonads" can be removed, but not replaced
* "Hormone" status is easily changed
* Existing "sex characteristics" can to some extent be changed; existing ones mostly through surgery, non-existing ones can be induced to grow through hormones.
For example: Changing a male genital anatomy into a good or even excellent female appearing and functioning one is complicated, but entirely possible; changing a female genital anatomy into an even reasonably male appearing one however is extremely complicated and not successful very often; function is always limited.Gender reassignment is usually precluded by a period of feminization or masculinization. This is accomplished by the use of either synthetic/natural hormones (such as estrogens, androgens, progesterones and anti-androgens) and/or through special herbsFact|date=June 2008.The most common period before reassignment is two years either taking hormones and/or living 'full-time' (in the 'target gender' roll full time). The increase from the one-year by the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care had more to do with controversy surrounding a small minority of patients which proved to have regretted the transition, than the necessary shrinkage which easier facilitates the removal of male genetalia.Fact|date=June 2008

Some transgender people refer to feelings of being like a woman trapped inside a man's body, or vice-versa. There is evidence that various physical conditions can produce this. Assuming the absolute idea that if something "can" be wrong with somebody, we have no problem in seeing that a person's hormones may be in disconcordance with their physical gender. Further, the natural introduction of certain hormones into the unborn child at key developmental stages can differ in as many as one in five people to produce inverted brain sex in one fifth of the population. While this is twice as common as left-handedness (and so relatively normal) for a proportion of these people it may produce effeminizing behaviour, attraction to the same sex (bi-sexual and homosexual) and in fewer still, identifying as the 'opposite' sex and the desiring to alter sex. Transwomen (born male) that have had sex reassignment surgery were found to have a smaller interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalimus similar to cisgendered women (though doubtless having other cerebral mental characteristics).Fact|date=June 2008

The use of computer "brain sex tests" is one way to get a feel for the orientation of a brain, though they can be misrepresentative by failure to account for the presence of hormones in the opposite sex brain. For example, it is unknown how much the presence of testosterone in a female brain temporarily masculizes it to some degree, thereby masking the natural gender function of the brain.

Only a small proportion of people (about 10%) enquiring after gender reassignment go on to have the operation.For anybody who is gender dysphoric, this can be an extremely stressful time in their life, the anxiety of such a radical alteration even being known to cause a high incidence of suicidal thoughts. Problems with being "between sexes" account for some of the stress, and acceptance by colleagues, family and friends no small amount of concern. Many transgender people do not need or wish to have genital surgery. SomeWho|date=June 2008 would argue that there is an overemphasis on genitalia.

ee also

* List of transgender-related topics

References


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • sex change — sex′ change n. srg the alteration, by surgery and hormone treatments, of a person s morphological sex characteristics to approximate those of the opposite sex • Etymology: 1975–80 …   From formal English to slang

  • sex change — n [C usually singular] a medical operation or treatment which changes someone s body so that they look like someone of the other sex …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sex-change — sexˈ change adjective • • • Main Entry: ↑sex …   Useful english dictionary

  • sex change — sex ,change noun count a medical operation or series of operations that change a man into a woman or a woman into a man …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sex change — noun a change in a person s physical sexual characteristics (as by surgery and hormone treatments) • Hypernyms: ↑change, ↑alteration, ↑modification * * * the alteration, by surgery and hormone treatments, of a person s morphological sex… …   Useful english dictionary

  • sex change — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms sex change : singular sex change plural sex changes a medical operation or series of operations that change a man into a woman or a woman into a man …   English dictionary

  • sex change —   , sex reversal.   Incompletely understood (and not well documented) phenomenon in which a male plant becomes a female plant, or vice versa …   Expanded glossary of Cycad terms

  • Sex change (disambiguation) — In popular discourse, sex change may refer to: *Sex reassignment therapy *Sex reassignment surgerySex change may also refer to: * In Biology, the natural occurrence, in some species of animals, of changing from one sex to another. See Sequential… …   Wikipedia

  • sex change — /ˈsɛks tʃeɪndʒ/ (say seks chaynj) noun a change in physical appearance, aided by surgery and hormone therapy, which enables a person to live as a member of the opposite sex …  

  • sex change — the alteration, by surgery and hormone treatments, of a person s morphological sex characteristics to approximate those of the opposite sex. [1975 80] * * * …   Universalium

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