There are a multitude of men and women around the world who strongly believe they are physically a different sex than they were born with. Such transgendered people feel they are a man or woman trapped in a body that does not match their gender.

For example, men believe they are really women trapped in men’s bodies and women believe they are men trapped in women’s bodies.

This dissonance, called gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder, is so profound and uncomfortable that most transsexuals are willing to be surgically altered.

By some estimates, roughly 1,000 Americans undergo sex reassignment surgery every year, despite its hefty price tag.

MTF Sex Reassignment Surgery

Sex reassignment surgery (male to female), also known as gender reassignment surgery or simply sex change, is a procedure that transforms males to the fairer sex physically and mentally.

The surgery is typically done to reconstruct genital organs of a man into the genitals of the opposite sex.

For trans women (male to female), genital reconstruction involves removal of penis (penectomy) and removal of the testes (orchiectomy) followed by construction of a vagina through vaginoplasty, a plastic surgery and cosmetic procedure for constructing the vagina and vaginal canal. Vagina is formed from a skin graft and the vaginal canal and opening is constructed beneath the urethral opening and prostate gland.

The sex reassignment surgery is frequently performed in conjunction with few other plastic surgeries performed on other parts of the body to change a person’s overall look. For example breast implants are added to the surgery to give the appearance of a female chest.

Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is often done on men transitioning to female in order to soften their masculine lines of the face. The FFS procedures often include rhinoplasty (nose job), smoothing the jaw and forehead, softening the brow line, and altering the cheek bones.

The sex reassignment surgery candidates are first diagnosed with gender dsyphoria or associated conditions like anxiety and depression. And before undergoing the surgery, they spend a fair amount of time in counseling.

The surgery may take three hours to complete and the stitches are removed after seven to ten days.

Risks and Complications

Although most sex reassignment surgeries these days are successfully done by the skilled surgeons, producing satisfactory results aesthetically and functionally, without any major complications. However, like any other surgery this surgery also carries various minor and major complications, especially when done by less experienced female plastic surgeon.

Minor complications may include risks of infection, bleeding, postoperative pain, and loss of some of the grafted skin. A very short vagina is the common complication that can be corrected through the sigmoid colon procedure.

Serious complications associated with the sex reassignment surgery are rectovagina fistula, a condition where a hole develops between the colon and the vagina, pulmonary thromboembolism and extensive bleeding. Temporary inability to urinate and wound disruptions can also occur after the surgery.

Men who have long been thinking that they’re trapped in the wrong body male to female sex reassignment surgery can give them the chance to live in the new gender they always wanted to.

Since the cost of sex reassignment surgery can go through the roof in the United States, Canada, UK and other developed countries of the world, scores of transgendered people from different parts of the world prefer to seek sex reassignment surgery in low-income Asian countries like India and Thailand, where low living and labor cost brings the surgery cost down to a fraction of US prices.

Traveling to another country for sex reassignment surgery also gives you a chance to recuperate in luxury resorts and explore a new country virtually free, even factoring in your treatment, travel, food and lodging expenses.