When a woman is of the overwhelming opinion that the gender that she was assigned with at birth is in fact the incorrect gender, and can identify much more clearly with masculine behavior, traits and physical characteristics, she is said to be subject to gender identity disorder, or gender dysphoria.

Such a condition leads subjects to experience severe despondency and alienation from society, and to subsequently seek medical assistance to rectify what they consider to be nature’s mistake. Women falling into this category are said to have a male gender identity and are commonly referred to as transmen. The process by which transmen seek to alter their physical appearance is commonly referred to as gender realignment.

Procedure information
Procedures available to transmen seek, firstly, to remove both external and internal physical characteristics of the female form and secondly, to create likenesses to the male form via the use of plastic surgical techniques.

In the former category, typical procedures include mastectomy, hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, all procedures involving removal of genitalia and aspects of the female reproductive system. Genital reassignment, the latter category, involves the creation of a phallus via either metoidioplasty, enlarging of the clitoris with testosterone treatment plus reconstruction of the labia majora to create testicles, or phalloplasty, in which a penile prosthesis is constructed from skin grafts.

Recovery time
Recovery depends greatly on the procedure involved and its complexity. Gender realignment is a slow process and procedures invariably have to be performed individually and in stages, often with lengthy periods in between. A patient’s general health can greatly influence recovery with any underlying health concerns potentially delaying the process. Conditions such as obesity and diabetes may preclude individuals from undergoing surgery altogether.