A term that is mostly used to refer to change of gender in humans, sex change is one of the medical procedures adopted by physicians. Usually such gender transformation is carried out using the sex reassignment surgery indicating genital surgery. After the sex change a woman becomes a man and vice versa.
Usually the sex in humans is dependent on four factors; the chromosomes, ovaries or testicles referred to as Gonads, status of hormone, and primary and secondary sex characteristics. Among these factors, chromosomes cannot be changed whereas the Gondas can only be removed, but not replaced. Hormone status can be changed and existing sex characteristics can be changed to some extent only.
Despite the huge advancements in medical science the process of sex change that could involve converting male genital anatomy into female remains a fairly complex procedure. Usually complete conversion is rarely possible and functionality is always limited.
Specific periods of feminization or masculinization always precede the process of gender conversion . Using synthetic or natural hormones that includes estrogens, progesterones, androgens, as well as anti-androgens or even some special herbs, the process of conversion is accomplished. It is also a long procedure as the average time taken for the conversion is nearly two years.
While medical sex change is accomplished artificially, natural sex change can also take place in human due to multiple medical conditions. Taking birth in one sex a person undergoes natural sex transformation to another sex over the years. Common cases are the conversion from female to male after puberty. In terms of medical science, such conversion is attributed to a couple of deficiencies. One of them is the deficiency of 5-alpha-rductase and the other one is deficiency of 17-beta-HSD-3. In comparison, the change of male to female have been fewer and far between.
Sex change has not been accepted sympathetically in many quarters. Some of the psychiatrists are of the opinion that surgery for gender conversion is collaboration with mental disorder rather than a treatment. Catholic community also looks with distaste on such sex changes.
Yet the fact remains that there are men who think they are women wrongly wrapped in the body of a man and woman that have the same idea about their gender, and such people are often willing to undergo sex-change surgery to come over to the gender to which they feel that they truly belong.
By kellyprice
