Results and Follow-up of Surgically Transformed Transsexuals

Abstract

The therapeutic approach to be adopted for patients with a transsexual syndrome continues to be a subject of debate in the light of the present state of research. Psychotherapy with the objective of freeing transsexual patients from their wish to change their sex has hitherto largely proven to be unsuccessful. The commonest method of treatment currently is to administer hormones for a certain period prior to surgical sexual reassignment. In the Federal Republic of Germany, the sex change operation has been a precondition for a person to be able to change his or her legal sexual status since the law relating to transsexuals came into force in 1980. All in all, there is little consensus with regard to the positive or negative effects of the sexual reassignment operation as far as the psychological and social stability of the individual is concerned. In the first phase, the majority of investigations gave somatic indications that the reassignment operation had a positive effect. Most of the patients examined were assessed to be psychologically and socially stable. Later investigations showed the limitations with regard to the therapeutic success of the operation.