Medical Question

[coptic orthodox boy]

Hello All   

I have a quesetion, though once more, not relating to religion too much.  A few months ago, for whatever reason, I was watching VH1's "50 Greatest Pranks" or something relating to that title.  As the list grew closer and closer to the #1 prank, they showed a prank (umm...maybe # 5) on a reality T.V. show.  It was a reverse of sorts of the American show "Joe Millionaire"; a group of men were trying to catch the eye of a beautiful woman (who had a "secret").  When the show ended, the woman ends up telling the winner that she was actually born a man, and had a sex change.  I honestly couldn't believe my eyes.  This guy really had a great plastic surgeon, because he looks completly like a female.  The show never aired on T.V. (I think it was actually a British television show).  There was a clip I saw on the internet somewhere, so if you want to see how convincing the change was, I'll post the link (if I can find it).

Anyhoo, since there are a number of smart fellows on this site, I was wondering if perhaps someone had enough medical education to answer my quesitons concerning sex change.  I suppose there has been a history of castration looked down upon (rightly I believe) in the Orthodox Church (the early years of course), so I sort of tied it in with religion eh?  So...to my questions:

1)If a man receives a sex change, can he-she produce children (that is with a man)?  I suppose I could and should ask the same for a woman to man sex change?

2)If a man recieves a sex change, does he-she experience menstruation?

3)How much can the Adam's apple (as well as the voice in general) be feminized?

Yeah...sorry for my weird questions lately.  I'm not trying to cause a transgendered phobia here, but I just don't want to fall in love with a "woman" that came into the world as a man.

Thanks, and I hope everyone is well

shawn

p.s. for a picture of the "woman", please visit this site:

http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=1942

[StephenG]

First question, no and no.

Adam's apple is oft times hidden with a scarf but may also be surgically dealt with.

Menstruate? No.

Best wishes

[dantxny]

Warning
May offend some

1.) No.  If he stores his sperm in-vitro, then he could have a child with a woman, though
2.) No.  To my understanding, all they do is splice the penis in two and invert it to make a pseudo-vagina.  Thus, although they receive female hormones, they do not have any actual female genatalia.
3.) It can be shaved by surgery, to my understanding.

However, normally tgs are reconizable.  The hormones don't remove facial or body hair and doesn't lower the voice.  Although, the body hair is able to be done away with in other methods, the voice is usually more difficult to fix.  Also, they tend to have broader shoulders and taller. 

[minasoliman]

Whatever happened to the days when plastic surgery used to be a respectable job?

[StephenG]

Sadly some children are born whose gender is confused, example - apparent female external genetalia with testes concealed internally. This can be dealt with by subsequent surgery and hormones but the child will never go on to be a mother.

What is disturbing is the number of instances were someone changes gender and subsequently changes again. This has happened in the UK at public expense each time and supposed each change happened only after extensive counselling.

Some change gender and then go on to 'enjoy' sexual relationships with others of their newfound gender?

I confess that all this leaves me with very mixed feelings.

Admiration for the physicians and surgeons who perform corrective surgery on those with congenital abnormalities, and later acquired trauma but a deep feeling of distaste for elective 'gender' hopping.

[coptic orthodox boy]

Stephen G

For those born when the "gender is confused", I think surgery in this case is justified.  May I ask, when this happens, is it gernerally detected at birth, and at least outwardly fixed?

Concerning transgerdered castration, the main problem I have concerns the stories I've heard.  The cases (all taking place in the U.S.) I've heard usually deal with a married male (a heterosexual marriage) in his late 40s and early 50s.  Usually this male has children.  After the surgery takes place, sadly the family's relationship to the former patriarch turned "female" usually takes a dive for the worse.  Like you, I have mixed feelings.  I would say personally I have nothing against transgendered persons (thought morally I think it is wrong), as long as they don't play tricks (as in this reality t.v. show) on heterosexual people.  I'm not yet married, and I am looking for my "Ms. Right."  However, I can't come out and say "you were born a complete female, right?" without sounding like a jerk of some sort.  I know it might be a wee bit funny to the reader, but honestly it isn't that great when one has to ask "am I attracted to a real woman or not?"  Ahh well, just hope I find a honest woman, that's all.

Minasoliman and dantxny, I also thank you for your input into the thread.

shawn

[StephenG]

It was not my field but as I recall the more obvious examples were often picked up at or shortly after birth, however in others discovery came about only with puberty or where puberty appeared to not be coming into the middle teens. Others it appears not to be a demonstrable error or confusion in sexual anatomy/physiology but rather psychosexual.

Possibly someone with greater knowledge than mine might be better able to offer information on this difficult subject. (Difficult in the sense people are often uncomfortable or embarassed talking over such issues).

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