These pages are about the special health concerns of transsexual people, those who want to change their bodies to be like the other sex. People whose genes, genitals, or reproductive organs aren't clearly male or female are intersexual. To learn more about intersexuality, visit the Intersex Society of North America website . Following transition, transsexual people often function quite normally in society in their sex of reassignment, and often those around them do not know that they were born the other sex.
Transsexual people face a unique set of emotional health issues.
Living in a body that feels foreign, and being perceived widely as a gender that feels wrong and unnatural is enormously challenging. In addition, the process of transitioning to the other sex brings up a myriad of specific challenges, some anticipated and others harder to predict. Transsexual people typically take cross-sex hormones throughout their lives and they may also undergo surgeries to change their bodies. Both the hormones and the surgeries can have specific health effects that need to be acknowledged and monitored to maintain the good health of a transsexual person. All information is general in nature and is not intended to be used as a substitute for appropriate professional advice.