Grey's Anatomy: A Moral Dilemma
Last night's episode of Grey's Anatomy ("Where the Boys Are") left the female docs holding down the fort along with plastic surgeon Mark Sloan, who performed a procedure known as gender reassignment surgery (or sexual reassignment surgery) on transgender patient Daniel/Donna.
I was asked if gender reassignment surgery (sometimes inappropriately referred to as a "sex change operation," since it's impossible to change a person's genetic sex) is part of general surgical training, and the answer is no. Gender reassignment is only done by a few surgeons (often plastic and reconstructive surgeons) with experience and training in the procedure, and presumably Dr. Sloan is one of those.
While gender reassignment surgery isn't the surgeon's daily bread and butter, it also isn't that new or that rare. First developed in the 1950s and introduced in the U.S. in the mid-1960s, sexual reassignment surgery has been around a while. The goal of the surgery is to change the physical appearance and sexual functioning of one person to those of the opposite biological sex, and it has become an accepted treatment for the condition known as gender identity disorder. The surgical procedures for male-to-female reassignment are currently more refined and more commonly performed than those for female-to-male gender reassignment.
Here's where we must give the writers credit for introducing a medically credible and ethically challenging twist to the story: the preoperative workup reveals that transgender patient Donna has developed breast cancer. It's generally accepted that the longer a women is exposed to estrogen, the greater her risk of developing breast cancer.
Early onset of menstrual periods and late menopause can both increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, for example. Prior to male-to-female reassignment surgery, patients are generally required to live as females and take female hormones (estrogens) for at least a year. In these cases, taking estrogen produces and maintains female secondary sexual characteristics, such as breast growth and changes in growth and deposition of body fat.
The bad news is, as Meredith explained to Donna, that the hormones she is taking (and will be required to take following surgery for the rest of her life) are "feeding the cancer." Hence the ethical dilemma. Stop the hormones and treat the cancer, and Donna must become Daniel again. Proceed with the procedure and hormone therapy, and increase the risk death from cancer. Aware of the risks, Donna chooses the latter option.
I'm not aware of any reports in the medical literature about breast cancer in transgender women on hormone therapy, but the scenario in the episode is definitely possible and believable, albeit probably extremely rare. Breast cancer can and does occur in men, accounting for about 1% of total breast cancers, and elevated levels of estrogen (as can occur with cirrhosis of the liver or the genetic condition Klinefelter's Syndrome) is a known risk factor for male breast cancer.
So, again, applause for the writers of Grey's for constructing a medically and morally challenging, and even feasible, surgical case.
Related Links:Why Women Avoid Mammograms
tags: greys, greysanatomy, grey's, grey'sanatomy, drmcdreamy, drmcsteamy, breastcancer
I was asked if gender reassignment surgery (sometimes inappropriately referred to as a "sex change operation," since it's impossible to change a person's genetic sex) is part of general surgical training, and the answer is no. Gender reassignment is only done by a few surgeons (often plastic and reconstructive surgeons) with experience and training in the procedure, and presumably Dr. Sloan is one of those.
While gender reassignment surgery isn't the surgeon's daily bread and butter, it also isn't that new or that rare. First developed in the 1950s and introduced in the U.S. in the mid-1960s, sexual reassignment surgery has been around a while. The goal of the surgery is to change the physical appearance and sexual functioning of one person to those of the opposite biological sex, and it has become an accepted treatment for the condition known as gender identity disorder. The surgical procedures for male-to-female reassignment are currently more refined and more commonly performed than those for female-to-male gender reassignment.
Here's where we must give the writers credit for introducing a medically credible and ethically challenging twist to the story: the preoperative workup reveals that transgender patient Donna has developed breast cancer. It's generally accepted that the longer a women is exposed to estrogen, the greater her risk of developing breast cancer.
Early onset of menstrual periods and late menopause can both increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, for example. Prior to male-to-female reassignment surgery, patients are generally required to live as females and take female hormones (estrogens) for at least a year. In these cases, taking estrogen produces and maintains female secondary sexual characteristics, such as breast growth and changes in growth and deposition of body fat.
The bad news is, as Meredith explained to Donna, that the hormones she is taking (and will be required to take following surgery for the rest of her life) are "feeding the cancer." Hence the ethical dilemma. Stop the hormones and treat the cancer, and Donna must become Daniel again. Proceed with the procedure and hormone therapy, and increase the risk death from cancer. Aware of the risks, Donna chooses the latter option.
I'm not aware of any reports in the medical literature about breast cancer in transgender women on hormone therapy, but the scenario in the episode is definitely possible and believable, albeit probably extremely rare. Breast cancer can and does occur in men, accounting for about 1% of total breast cancers, and elevated levels of estrogen (as can occur with cirrhosis of the liver or the genetic condition Klinefelter's Syndrome) is a known risk factor for male breast cancer.
So, again, applause for the writers of Grey's for constructing a medically and morally challenging, and even feasible, surgical case.
Related Links:Why Women Avoid Mammograms
tags: greys, greysanatomy, grey's, grey'sanatomy, drmcdreamy, drmcsteamy, breastcancer
29 Comments:
thanks darling for this interesting discussion
actually i find gender reassignment are completely non ethical because
1\hazards of operations and long term hormonal therapy
2\black future that we make by these operations as we can build no family with these transsexed individuals
3\why we take the proplem from the middle ?
why not to search the actual theory behind this stange condition?
why not to search solving the genetic predisposition for such acondition?
where are the social workers? i think as we can convince these people to change their gender we can help them to love their original look
best regards
blue.candle_13@hotmail.com
I thought this was a good summary. Also, in response to Leena...a gender identity disorder is not a disease. Transgendered people can have families just like you and me. Also, you are not going to get these people to accept the way that they look. They feel trapped in the wrong body. What si a social worker going to do for them?
Gender reassignment is the only way that some of these people can be happy so it is not unethical at all. Also, we are talking transgendered, not transexual...perhaps you should do a little more research...you seem to be lacking the necessary information to make an informed posting.
I really enjoyed the episode of Grey's Anatomy and did feel it posed an interesting moral delimma, I must agree with anonymous.
While it is entirely possible that gender disphoria (identity disorder) is something found in a persons genes, let me pose a question to you; why would you want to eliminate a genetic predisposition for the condition?
Is it not natural variation that adds so many wonderful, and at times, not so wonderful personalities to our world? To remove a gene because someone feels he or she feels they should have been the opposite sex would be comparative to someone removing a part of you, to others it may not seem like a big deal to delete a "problematic" gene, but to you that one gene is part of you as an individual. When a society starts to remove individuality because it is a "strange condition" why is that any different than the Nazis trying to create a perfect race.
My only point to this rant is that it is not a "strange condition" is is simply a person who, in his or her genes, should have been a male or female, and somewhere in development was not given the proper hormones at the right stage of development to make them the correct sex. We do not know enough about genes to say for certain, though some may think they do, what causes these differences to arise, in 100 years or better we will probably find out we have been taking a not so correct approach to genetics or there will be another peice to the puzzle introduced that makes things clear.
But, open your mind because there is a lot of diversity to the world, you may not like it but you do have to accept it is there...I am not a transgendered man, but I am a gay man and I feel the same applies to homosexuality. It is something genetic, though it is not a condition it is simply natural variation much like a dogs spots. We are all different!
Beautifuly spoken Chris C!
So the gender idenity disorder is genetic. Does that make it morally right for us to help these people be who they "feel" they should be? Alcoholism can be genetic, but do we embrace the alcoholic and just keep buying them more booze so that they can feel "right"?
No, we send them to rehab and tears of counselling to overcome their genetic urges. Why can't this be solution for gender mixups?
Actually, to address your concern about alcoholism, it does have a genetic predisposition, at least in the form of addiction. However, alcoholisim is something that is aquired over time. If you were to study the literature on alcoholism and compare it to the literature on gender disphoria, you might just find that alcoholics do not have an overwhelming urge to embibe alcohol when they are kids, there is, however a very strong environment aspect to that (i.e. the presence of alcohol and drinking throughout childhood) which contributes to a child becoming an alcoholic in addition to social pressures.
Now, lets compare that to gender disphoria, which, like alcoholism, has a genetic compnent. Comparing the literature between the two a strong urge or feeling of being different (i.e being of a different gender) can be noted from a very young age. They are born feeling this way, unlike alcoholics who are not born with an urge to drink. Do you notice a pattern?
All I am trying to say is yes you are correct in saying that addiction does have a genetic component, but it is more of a social issue, where as gender disphoria is something you are born with, it is a natural variation.
Let me pose a scenario to you... You have a person who is intersexed (born with one sex, but opposite "features"). For example, a baby is born, with and XX (Female) sex chromosome, however she develops a penis and testes. Do you remove the penis and testes to make the outside match the genetics? Another Question, Will the child develop as a male or female sexually?
I believe your points are totally valid and do not discredit them but your view on genetics are somewhat skewed, and want you to keep an open mind as well. I do feel that you can feel the way you do, but embrace everyone with love and without judgement. We become so good at judging others that we do not take the time to help them. Alcoholism can kill you so they create treatments for the ADDICTION.However, gender disphoria is a feeling because your body does not match who you are inside, that will not kill you, so why NOT make the body match the spirit? So I say all of that to answer your question to WHY rehab can't be the solution for "gender mixups." Your points are very valid though...
I want to tell you, as transgendered myself I must say that I'm a much happier being since my surgery. I was born with a female mind & a male body. A birth defect. I had to make up a new personality to live as a male, like acting on stage, mu whole life. I tried my best to fit the male role. Complete, by even marrying at age 22 & having two children. By the time I was 34, I couldn't live the lie any longer & made a suicide attempt, before even finding out their was any help for me & I wasn't the only person who has felt like me. Thank goodness I survived stepping in front of a car. Today, I'm remarried to a College Professor. We do a lot of charity work promoting the lost arts. Such as Blacksmithing, leather-working, tin-smithing, among many others, & even some fine jewelry making on occasion. My daughter lives with us & is a straight A student. She plans to attend college after high school & has already been excepted. When I divorce my ex, my daughter chose to live with me & my son chose to live with their mom. One year after, my ex dumped my son at her parents & just disappeared. This fall a US Marshal showed up at my front door looking for her. She has never paid child support to either child either! Now you tell me who is the bad parent & not supporting her children's best interest.
Just a comment on the estrogen thing. I had breast cancer in my 40's. When I went through menopause I suffferd with hot flashes for 5 yrs making my life unbearable and so I started on hormones(estogen etc) even tho I knew there was was a possibility of causing cancer. And 20 yrs after the first cancer I did develp cancer in the other breast, So now I am a double mastectomy and having hot flashes again even tho I am now 69. So yes I would say that she is setting herself up for more cancer by continuing to take esrogen. However I think I might take the same risk again as it a matter of enjoing life while you are here or being miserable but living a longer life.
Excuse me, but why would breast cancer and a cessation of estrogen treatment necessarily prevent someone from going through with SRS? Is a natural-born woman who has gone through menopause and had her ovaries removed no longer allowed to be female? No.
Donna could very well have continued on with her SRS, and rather than rely on estrogen for the presence of her breasts, gotten, say, implants, which are extremely common for transsexuals since often they start on estrogen so late in life that they wouldn't develop it to begin with.
Estrogen is not what makes a woman.
Also, Chris C., there hasn't been any genetic link proven for gender identity disorder, and even if there were, SRS is not with the intent of "eliminating" this gene but with the intent of finding personal happiness. Anyway, many transsexuals do breed before their transition (usually in an attempt to try to prove to themselves that they aren't transgendered).
I just searched my DSM and didn't see in it where is said that Gender Identity Disorder is genetic. And to have gender reassignment surgery means more than removing a gene, it's the removal, or rather, alteration of an orgran, an entire body party. It changes your identity. While it is supposed to be a treatment for the disorder, it is one that should never be approached lightly. It should be considered very seriously. All to often in this society now, people get surgeries to "fix" themselves more often then they buy new wardrobes. At times, these surgeries are more a "solution" to Body Dysmorphic Disorder than Gender Identity Disorder. The patient should be sure this is what they need, and they should definitely get a psych consult prior to making a final decision, to be sure this is the right decision. The surgery isn't wrong. I think it's a great surgery, reserved for those who truly need it.
Equating this with alcholism is just silly. Alchoholism is actually genetic, whereas Gender Identity Disorder is not. Alchoholism is not aquired over time. If it is genetic, it is there from when you are born. Certain life stressors or lifestyles bring it out. Two people can drink like fishes in college and one can be perfectly fine about it while the other turns into an alchoholic due to the genetic predisposition to it.
First, if you read my earlier posting; my assertion was that "it is entirely POSSIBLE that gender disphoria is something found in a persons genes" that leaves the possibility of other options. Science is never exact. Second, alcoholism is not a genetic disorder, I know many families who have childeren who do not drink including my own, the propensity is for addiction not just for alcohol. Much of that is social based on environmental upbringing. Lastly, the DSM-III manual used to classify homosexuality as a mental disorder, it is no longer classified as such. Not to mention the often cruel treatments performed on the mentally challenged simply because we did not understand the disorder.
All I am saying, is that there is a stronger PROBABILITY that gender disphoria has a strong genetic, or at least in vitro developmental causes. It is truly idiopathic.
P.S Congrats to AYP, I am glad you are successful in your change, it is truly a blessing to be who you truly are inside...Congratulations on your success in life and in happiness!
Grey's Anatomy is an enjoyable show. I agree that the recent episode was chock full of moral issues as well as controversy. I have had my own experience with Estrogen containing drugs and such and I am more than thrilled with my results and I am well aware, due to an amazing doctor who educates his patients on every aspect of their care, of the complications that can arise due to the continued use of Estrogen containing drugs. I think that Meredity informing her patient of this was wise and that the writers presented a sensitive subject eloquently!
SEAS
In response to Chris C.'s argument, I think that "eliminat[ing] a genetic predisposition for the condition, would not be an effort to remove variation from our world. Rather, it would an attempt to help people have minds and bodies that are in sync in gender. This is not an effort to create a perfect race or remove "strange conditions", but rather to prevent people like Ayp from having to go through years of agony over being the assigned the wrong gender.
In response to Chris C.'s argument, I think that "eliminat[ing] a genetic predisposition for the condition, would not be an effort to remove variation from our world. Rather, it would an attempt to help people have minds and bodies that are in sync in gender. This is not an effort to create a perfect race or remove "strange conditions", but rather to prevent people like Ayp from having to go through years of agony over being the assigned the wrong gender.
Thanks to those who try to understand the frustrations of the true transgendered. Until you have walked the life of such, you can have no true comprehension of what it is like! Believe me, I went thru 4 years of therapy trying to work this out. I took gender proving test by professionals. Which all turned out pointing in the direction of female personality. I even uprooted my family & move 5 states away from all that was familiar to me, thinking I wouldn't be reminded or "quote" tempted by my desires to be the female inside me, thus just start over. Boy was that idea all wrong. Nothing changed!
What is really strange is the fact I never grew much facial hair but a little in the area of a goatee would be in. the rest was only peach fuzz. My body was very thin & I never got much muscle mass either. Today unless you knew about me being trans. you wouldn't even be able to pick me out of a crowd of women. If this was only some kind of mind set why did all these other things go wrong with me too! By the way my testosterone levels were checked before going on estrogen & it was at the right levels. So that wasn't the reason either!
To Anonymous, thank you for your last post... I was under the a different of what your position was based on previous posts. Your last post made them very lucid. Well put! I agree, that if we could find, (if indeed it is genetic) a gene responsible for gender disphoria, that we could prevent or make the sex match in order to save countless numbers of transgender persons years of pain and frustration of living a life that is not truly who they are inside.
Thank you for the clairification anonymous...I am much more clear on your point of view now!
To ayp: You are right, I could never truly understand what you are going through. I am a gay man but am comfortable with my gender. My demons are mine to fight, but are nothing compared to having to live in a body you feel shouldn't even be yours. I truly am glad you have found peace, and I am sure the years of therepy and hormones leading up to your surgery were not easy, but I am glad your life has turned out the way it has. There are so many others who can not get help who do end up successful in suicidal endevors because of the depression that accompanies gender disphoria. I am truly glad you did not end up as one of those numbers.
While some of the aspects of this story seemed well done, others really didn't seem up to par.
I've done a lot of research on trans issues and dated a transwoman for a couple of years, and Sloan's dire predictions for what would happen if Donna stopped taking hormones didn't make any sense. Hormone therapy doesn't stop facial hair growth--if only it did! Androgen blockers sometimes make hair grow more slowly, but hours and hours of electrolysis or laser hair removal are still needed if a woman doesn't want to shave her face anymore. Breast tissue would shrink, but I can't see how it would disappear any more than a post-menopausal woman's breasts would disappear. If Donna went through SRS but discontinued estrogen, she wouldn't be producing male-levels of androgens anymore and so it seems that masculinization would be minimal.
SRS would seem like the healthiest choice by far in the long run, with the only drawback being the recovery time from surgery interfering with Donna's ability to start cancer treatment immediately and withstand it.
I was born a female in a male body. I can understand how hard it must be for a normal person to accept this. I spent years hiding,running, fighting to change how I felt. I was trying to live with one foot in each world. I finally overdosed on valium, and asked for the help I needed. I am now half way through hormone therpy and looking foward to my surgury. All I can tell anyone is that I am now happier than I have ever been in my life and I have finally found peace with the God I spent so many years struggling with. How can anyone disagree with this?
i really disagree with leena
your 1st reason has to do with safety not ethics. and do say that someone getting this surgery is creating a "black" future for children is wrong. Shouldnt we raise children in a world where people can be happy according to their own standards. and if were going to teach people to love their original looks then any form of plastic surgery is wrong.
One point about "looks"...it isn't simply "LOOKS" that makes a transgendered person seek sex reassignment surgery, although appearance can be a significant component. It is IDENTITY. Being a mental and emotional female, but having the external identity of a male, causes a great deal of ongoing internal conflict. As males go, I am reasonably handsome, and I can appreciate that appearance. However, the entire physical body, not just the face, are at odds with what I FEEL and how I perceive and identify myself.
Try, for a moment, Leena, to consider what you would feel like to suddenly wake up as a male. Likely, it would be a trauma, and you would seek to correct the situation. Obviously, that is a ridiculous example, but it is similar to the "awakening" that many of us go through. Suddenly, in your forties, you realize that all these thoughts and feelings you were trying for decades to repress are actually WHO YOU ARE! The pain can be nearly unbearable, which is why some seeking suicide, as has been discussed here. Many of us, as middle aged men, have families: wives, children, even grandchildren...Imagine the ripples of the decision to undergo sex reassignment surgery...
As you may begin to see, this is not a simple or frivolous matter, and something so simple as "looks" is the least of the many very difficult issues faced by the transgendered. I know it seems so simple to those who are of the appropriate gender, but if there were a simple solution, most of us would have already used it.
Marcie
I am really thankful that I found this post as I have a daughter (18) that I am pretty sure that she is transgender. She has dressed like a male as long as I can remember, even down to her socks, her boxer underware, and her watch. I just recently learne about transgender and have been trying to open the communication between her and I as I really want her to be able to cope with this as soon as possible so that she can move on with her life and become who she needs to be and be happy. If that means that she lives as a male that is perfectly fine with me and the family, we just want her to be happy!.
She has been very unhappy for a long time and depressed which have lead her to live fantasy lives with other on the internet and long distance calls...whcih have hurt people as well as her running up bills. I just want her to stop and accept herself so that she can move on and hopefully find others that are experiencing the same thing so that she knows that she is not alone, or a freak and that she can find a mate that she can share her life with (in honesty) and be happy.
I appreciate all the information that people have shared her as it gives me hope for her!
Thank you
There was a lot said on this subject from people that are not trans. I found myself dismissing most of it for that reason. I am a pre-op MTF. I am 46yrs,old and have three children. And was married once. I am also a recovering alcoholic/addict. Are these conditions genetic? I don't care if there is no so called scientific proof that these conditions are genetic. I lived it and believe through experience and countless hours of therapy and time with my psychiatrist that they are. My life had been hell since I was born. I didn't understand my sexual attraction to men. I then rejected it and tried to deny it with drugs and alcohol. I thought it was normal for a boy to be excited over the fact that I could change outfits and my neighbors Barbies. I attempted suicide three times. I was in nine rehabs, three psych hospitals and several psych/detox units. And then I finally knew it was time to accept myself as I am. It was not something that was ever going to go away. I began Hormone therapy in January 2007. I am at peace. The hurricane of swirling thoughts has stopped. I have found my soul. I Love myself today. I am content like never before. God gave me a miracle. And that is the opportunity to change my body to a female so that my mind and body can become one. Now all I need is to have my SRS to fulfill this journey. So everyone can analyze what trans-gender is until they are blue in the face and collecting social security. I KNOW WHAT IT IS! THE MOST WONDERFUL MIRACLE TO EVER HAPPEN TO ME.
I’m grateful that a television program is generating dialogue. It’s life-affirming for Transgendered people as well as those of us who have loved ones who are Transgendered. And I’m glad so many are taking advantage of this educational opportunity to express thoughts and listen to others. As I read these posts, part of me wants to lash out at the seemingly mean comments. But I remind myself that they aren’t intentionally mean; they’re just ignorant. Ignorance can be changed. This is not a personal insult. We are all ignorant to much more than we know simply because a person can’t know everything. Although I’m sure we’ve all met someone who would disagree with that. I suppose a natural part of processing new information is to look at it from various angles. That said, of course it’s a good idea for a Transgendered person to seek psychotherapy. It’s not only a good idea; it’s required by any reputable doctor. I don’t believe there’s a person alive who couldn’t benefit from some therapy; although there are those who would feel week if they sought it. My sweet dear beautiful sister was Transgendered. Due to societal expectations and parental ignorance she battled depression her entire life. She succumbed to it last spring and I will always miss her flesh but feel her with me in spirit. She left me a seven page note affirming that she was happiest after her surgery and was grateful for the opportunity to complete her transition. In her letter I learned that while her depression had roots in her gender identity disorder it was a separate beast. She felt that beast rearing its ugly head once again for the Nth time and couldn’t handle it. She was 40-years-old before she had a name for what she was. She’d spent childhood feeling disrespected and confused. Our loving mother always showed her (and all of us) unconditional love but she died before my sister completed her transition. Our father did not know what to do so he just never bonded with her as a son or daughter. From my perspective, he acts as if she never existed. My sister spent some of her adult life trying to identify as a gay man but that left her empty and sad. For the record she had been celibate for the last two decades of her life. Gender and sexuality are two different things. A prominent doctor in the field said, “Sex is between the legs, gender is between the ears.” It’s difficult to have sex with someone when you’re identifying as one sex and you’re partner sees you as the other. Being Transgendered is not something one just wakes up one day and decides to be. It’s a life-long discovery process. When my sister finally found others who felt like they were in the wrong body her feelings of loneliness began to dissipate. The entire world opened up to her when she realized that there were others who were born with a male body but IDENTIFIED with females. She relayed some of her earliest memories of childhood to me. She would feel completely comfortable playing with girls toys with the little girls. Our father would come over, pick her up, carry her over to the group of boys and put her down. She felt disrespected and exposed. She said it felt so unnatural that she would be frozen with fear and belittlement. That would be the beginning of the unkind labels. We have all experienced being made fun of for our hair or clothes but it’s different when it’s your very essence that’s being blasted. An earlier poster stated that Transgendered people are “changing their identity” when SRS is performed. That statement is inaccurate and incomplete. Our perception of their identity must alter to match who they’ve always been. None of us should have to ask permission to be who we are if we’re not hurting someone else. If I’m offended by someone’s mere existence, that’s my problem not their’s. It stands to reason that Gender Identity Disorder has been around since the dawn of time. The availability of information is making more people than ever before aware of it. I’m so happy for all of you who have found and embraced yourselves. I’m grateful for my life. I was born with a female body and have always identified female. I can only try to imagine what’s it would be like to have to look down and see the wrong anatomy. Try empathy, it works.
I have a son who is 31, married with 2 children. He says he's been dealing with feeling like the opposite sex since he was age 6. About 2 months ago the feelings he's been suppresing for 25 years came to a head. Actually, let me back up, he first told me about this in 2000 but it seemed he and his wife got things worked out then in 2002 their daughter was born and in 2005 their son was born. Now it looks like they are going to separate. His wife can't even stand looking at him knowing he really wants to be a female. I'm struggling with this because in the Bible Psalm 139 it says that God is with us in the womb and that he knows us. I can't believe that God would allow you to be born one sex and feel like another. I'm really struggling with this. I've spent hours thinking back over my son's childhood and there's not one thing that ever pointed to him being female. He had the most normal childhood as a boy. He always dressed as a boy and always did boy things. If he thought he was female he sure hid it well. He is going to a transgender therapist but I'm not sure if she isn't swaying him to the oneside of being female. I think he has other issues in his life that need to be dealt with before he could even delve into the possibility of hormone therapy. Right now the family is being torn apart and I can't see anything but heartache for him and children that will be scarred the rest of their lives. I'm trying to be supportive but I know in my heart this doesn't seem right. I know that God has his hand on their lives right now and I know that nothing is impossible with God.
A loving mother - KH
To Loving Mother, I'm 53, femaleto-male trans for 10 years now. Until you 'just do it', nothing will work out right for you. Afterwards, things are rough, family, work, freinds are appalled,grieving, etc., but you've done what you know in your heart had to be done. Everyone has to make a stand at some point in their lives. However, DO the homework, go to therapy and support groups. Then HOPE your loved ones love you enough to accept who you really are.
Hello my name is Britney and I am a Transgender who is seeking all knowledge about SRS I am only 22 but have been this way my whole life. I find it very honorable for people to express themselfs to all walks of life. The more we know on topics and research the better understanding we have to offer it to the next generation of life. We learn from our mistakes but as long as we can come together and express our feelings on matters then we are doing what we are made to do is teach, love, share.
hi ,iam a 40 year old male who beleives i am female
as i feel better as such
ive been going through lifelike this
i was married now im living a male to male relationship
i just recently like a month ago started on a testosterone blocker can any one tell me what this exactly does i know it blocks the amount of testosterone in the body but that all i know, i later will be going on estrogen .
Being transgendered is a hard road but do-able. Do the research, talk to those who have made the walk, and by all means talk to a therapist who KNOWS the subject. There are a lot of Dr's out there who don't really know what they are doing and can really mess you up. It is a huge relief to be done with the transition because then your "fixed".
I transitioned as a single parent with a 9 year old son in the house. Mom became dad and he has had no ill effects from the journey. He is a well adjusted young man in a heterosexuall relationship.
I have since been married for 15 years to a wonderful woman. Great relationships are possible.
To the loving mother stuggling with God. Why would He (or She :) not allow a person to feel one gender while in the body of the other? He allows many to suffer terrible diseases. Others suffer starvation or torture. It is for us to trust in Him despite whatever life throws at us. God has always supported me before and after transition. I don't expect that to change.
My own mother thought I was making the most horrible mistake when I began my transition. Now she knows it was right by how happy I am.
Too many of us die from suiside or self abuse (alcohol, drugs ect.). Most of us have actively tried at least once. Please be open minded and try to love us for who we need to be. I really appreciate the open mindedness expressed here.
Jon
Hi I am a 61 year old male. I have this feeling of like a sun burn on my neck back legs and arms for about 10 mins and then it will go away then I itch I am on blood pressure and cholesterol meds
its just been the last few weeks what is it?Bob
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