West of England Specialist Gender Identity Clinic Trans man Fact sheet Surgery and sexual orientation 1 Surgery and sexual orientation Once you have spent around a year living in the social role that matches your gender, you and your multi disciplinary team may feel that you are ready to decide whether to have surgery to permanently alter your sex. This is a big, life changing decision and the team will support you in helping you decide if it right for you. The most common options are outlined below, but you can talk to members of your team, and the surgeon at your consultation, about a whole range of options. Trans man surgery For trans men, surgery may involve: A hysterectomy (removal of the womb) A salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries) Construction of a penis using phalloplasty or a metoidioplasty A phalloplasty uses the existing vaginal tissue and skin taken from the inner forearm to create a penis. A metoidioplasty involves creating a penis from the clitoris, which has been enlarged through hormone therapy. 2 The aim of this type of surgery is to create a functioning penis, which allows you to pass urine standing up and to retain sexual satisfaction. You may need to have more than one operation to achieve this. After surgery After surgery, the vast majority of trans people are happy with their new sex and feel comfortable with their gender identity. One review of a number of studies that were carried out over the last 20 years found that 96% of people who had gender reassignment surgery were satisfied, however not all data can be verified. Following gender confirmation surgery, one possible complication is that people may face prejudice or discrimination because of their condition. Treatment can sometimes leave people feeling: Isolated if they are not with people who understand what they are going through Stressed about or afraid of not being accepted socially Discriminated at work There are legal safeguards to protect against discrimination in the 2010 Equalities Act, but you may have to deal with other types of prejudice. If you are feeling anxious or depressed since having your treatment, speak to your GP or a healthcare professional at the clinic. 3 Sexual orientation Once transition has been completed, it is possible to experience a change of sexual orientation, however this varies greatly from person to person, and the sexual orientation of many trans people does not change after transition. If you are going through the process of transition, you may not know what your sexual preference will be until it is complete. However, try not to let this worry you. For many people, the issue of sexual orientation is secondary to the process of transition itself. The West of England Specialist Gender Identity Clinic The Laurels 11-15 Dix’s Field Exeter EX1 1QA Tel: 01392 677077 Email:[email protected] 4 .