The Risks Of Gender Reassignment

The impact of Caitlyn Jenner's transformation can't be denied. While there have been other transgender celebrities before her, they were introduced to the public eye after their transformation.

Bruce Jenner was a celebrity as a man, and to see him transform into his true gender validates many others who suffer from gender dysmorphia. This is a condition in which the individual's body and gender identity don't match.

Because the public has been at least outwardly supportive of the transformation, this may encourage others who suffer the same fate to begin the physical transformation process. Unfortunately, this may lead to serious medical and psychological injuries from gender reassignment treatments.

The first stage of gender reassignment: hormone treatments

Hormone treatments pose the same risks for transgender patients as for individuals who receive hormone replacement therapy due to aging or other factors that decrease hormone levels.

Patients must be made aware of the risks associated with hormone treatments before they begin. These treatments must be continued for the life of the patient, and there may be dangerous side effects if the patient decides to discontinue treatment. Patients may also need medications for mood swings and other psychological changes.

The second stage of gender reassignment: body modification

Although there are many cosmetic procedures such as hair removal and facial reconstruction involved in gender reassignment, breast augmentation or removal is the major step that alters a transgender individual's appearance. While there are risks associated with any surgery, breast augmentation or reduction is generally considered to be safe after being performed on large numbers of non-transgender patients.

While saline is now used as a safe alternative to silicone in breast implants, silicone is still offered to those who prefer the look and feel of this type of implant. However, patients should be warned of the dangers of defective silicone implants that could leak into the body and cause serious illness.

Newly empowered transgender individuals must especially be advised of the risks associated with silicone implants because they may be more anxious to proceed with a procedure that has long been withheld from them due to societal taboos.

The final stage of gender reassignment: genital removal and rebuilding

Fortunately, there are few facilities that perform these irreversible procedures, so strict procedures must be followed before an individual can become a candidate for the surgeries. Most medical facilities require psychological counseling and mandate that the individual live as their intended gender for an extended period of time.

However, these are complicated surgeries that cannot be undone. If a patient has undiscovered psychological issues in addition to gender dysmorphia, they may regret the decision after the operation is performed.

The medical community will need to be ready to meet the challenge of newly liberated transgender individuals seeking treatment. Unfortunately, there will be some medical professionals that will see financial gain above all else and will proceed with treatments that may be harmful to their patients.

Medical malpractice attorneys will also need to be ready to serve those who are injured or killed from medical mistakes or who were improperly counseled before undertaking these life-changing procedures.

To contact a medical malpractice attorney, go to http://whiteville-law.com or search the web. 

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