Live Life Team
Gender dysphoria also known as gender identity disorder, gender identity disorder or gender incongruence is a condition where people think that they are born into a wrong body. They desire to live as a member of opposite sex.People with extreme cases of this condition is known as transsexuals. A person suffering from gender dysphoria feels excited, uncertain and consistently uncomfortable about their sex.This type of condition is very rare and usually these symptoms appears at a very young age. A child suffering from Gender dysphoria may refuse to wear dresses meant for them .The exact cause for this condition is not known but is considered to be a psychiatric condition but recent researches suggest that these conditions are more related to biological development.
Symptoms of gender dysphoria
Symptoms of gender dysphoria in children
A child suffering from gender dysphoria behave in a certain way which includes
-refuse to accept their sex type
-dislike or refuse to wear clothes meant for their sex type and wanting to wear clothes of opposite sex.
-wanting to take part in games meant for their opposite sex
-insist in having a genital change
-feel extremely distressed due to the physical changes during puberty.
A child may show all or a few symptoms of these behaviours. In many cases such kind of behaviour is a part of childhood and does not persist into adolescence and later life.
Symptoms of gender dysphoria in adolescents and adults
A person suffering from gender dysphoria in their adulthood will show all or some of the following behaviours
-they will be comfortable with gender role of their preferred sex
-they will feel uncomfortable with their sex type
– they will show a strong desire to hide, or get rid of the physical signs of their sex, such as body hair, breasts and muscle definition
-they will show a strong desire to change their genitals.
Cause:
The cause for this condition is still unknown.It is generally thought to be a purely psychiatric condition.But some recent researches suggests that development of gender identity before birth causes gender dysphoria.
– Typical gender development
The crucial gender development determines the gender identity that happens in the womb.
-Changes to gender development may cause gender dysphoria
Hormones not working properly in the womb may cause gender dysphoria. Chromosomal variations may contribute to gender dysphoria in some rare cases. Women with Turner’s syndrome and Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome may also in certain cases cause gender dysphoria. In some rare conditions, such as congenital adrenal hyperplasia and hermaphroditism may result in gender dysphoria.
Treatment
Treatment for children with gender dysphoria
-A child below the age of 18 should be referred to a specialist child and adolescent gender identity clinic to fully access the child before any treatment begins.
-A child may then be given cross-sex hormones if he suffers from extreme and long-term form of gender dysphoria.
– Once the child is 18 years old, the process of gender confirmation surgery, may be done to change their gender irreversibly.
Treatment for adults with gender dysphoria
– Adults diagnosed with gender dysphoria should be referred to a specialist gender identity clinic.
– Hormone therapy
– Real life experience
– Gender confirmation surgery
– Sexual orientation
