For teens or adults, an inability to change documents may prevent them from getting a job because of an I.D. Some states transitioning back to life after rehab present even more obstacles to amending a birth certificate by insisting on irreversible surgical requirements as part of the approval criteria. Many trans people, for multiple reasons, do not pursue surgical changes and are therefore denied this crucial transition-related document correction.

As a result, more people who wish to pursue surgery can, and there are more surgeons vying to reach those “customers.”  Surgeons with the most experience and skill may have much longer waiting lists. Do not be in a hurry, do your research, and if at all possible, be willing to travel to the surgeon that you feel will do the best job possible. The legal processes related to gender transition can vary widely from state to state, but all states including Washington D.C. They do know that the treatment can affect whether a person can have children later in life. Depending on how far along your child is in puberty, they may choose to freeze sperm or harvest eggs before they start the hormones.

• Voice therapy can help you change your voice so it’s more in line with your identity, which can reduce gender dysphoria.
• Some surgeries are available to minors, but it almost always requires parental or guardian consent.
• They may want to dress or wear their hair like the gender they identify with, maybe just at home at first.
• The delay of pubertal changes, until the later introduction of gender-affirming hormones, is a low-commitment, reversible intervention that is more and more common in the care of trans and nonbinary youth.
• Laser hair removal is a procedure usually done by a dermatologist.

Transgender Health

Although you’ll probably notice slight hair thinning after a single session, you’ll usually need between six and eight sessions to remove hair fully. When it comes to medical transitioning, you have a few different surgical and nonsurgical options. In the past, gender confirming surgeries were not covered by insurance.

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• Their use for transgender children is a relatively new practice and is considered an “off-label use” of the medication, not approved by the FDA.
• Additionally, there are oftentimes barriers to accessing these procedures that can prevent those who do want them from being able to have them.
• However, puberty blockers can stop any further pubertal changes.
• Amending a birth certificate may seem unnecessary at first, yet it can prevent a child from participating in certain sports or activities.
• This is an optimal time to try out these new behaviors and feelings.

Many surgeons will require one or more letters of support from a mental health professional and may have additional requirements. A slow pace allows physical changes to occur in a gradual way that is at the same pace as the pubertal development of their peers. Because this intervention is supervised by a doctor, it also is a controlled way to enter pubertal development, especially if a youth is uncertain about bodily changes in relation to their gender identity. Not all transgender people use medical intervention, whether because of choice or lack of access. Many parents of young children lose a lot of sleep worrying about medical procedures that their child may or may not want.

What to expect with hormone therapy

Expecting surgical requirements for young children simply makes no sense. Other physical aspects of transitioning require medical intervention, such as transgender hormone therapy or surgeries. Many transgender children decide they want to take hormones that allow their bodies to develop as the gender they identify with. The Endocrine Society recommends that kids start taking these hormones around age 16, but doctors will start them as early as 13 or 14. Puberty can be especially upsetting for many transgender children. Your child could decide later to stop taking them and go through the physical changes of their biological sex.

What to expect with speech therapy

For some, social transition-related steps are the only steps they’ll need or want to take. For others, it is part of an ongoing process that includes additional steps. Out of trans people who medically transition, not all will opt for every medical transition option. For example, someone may choose hormone replacement therapy but not surgery. Some choose not to while others have difficulty accessing gender affirming care. Gender diverse people may pursue various gender confirming surgical procedures as part of their transition process.

A person’s ideas about gender in general may change as part of their transition, which may affect their religious, philosophical and/or political beliefs. In addition, personal relationships can take on different dynamics after coming out. Remember, no matter the gender your child identifies with, it doesn’t change who they are. You may not understand the journey but leading with empathy and curiosity facilitates open dialogue.

Your identity is shaken

That can help them avoid the need for surgeries (such as breast removal) and other treatments later. Laser hair removal is a procedure usually done by a dermatologist. During the procedure, concentrated beams of light target hair follicles and destroy unwanted hairs. However, the effects of puberty blockers are reversible, and puberty can continue once you stop taking the medication. Anti-androgen medications are usually combined with estrogen hormone therapy. Medical transitioning is a personal journey that differs from one person to the next.

You may find yourself going full circle—exploring but returning to the same place as before—but it is not the same place as before. By exploring, you’ve created a different perspective through which to view your past, present, and future. Do your best to avoid going down the woe-is-me-I’m-a-victim mindset. Jodi struggled with her supervisor throughout her job tenure, but never addressed it, and now she is kicking herself for not doing so. Ditto for Henry, who is not only now angry about the injustices that were swept under the rug but also finds himself ruminating about past relationships that went sour. For John, the loss of his career may stir buried sadness about the death of his brother several years ago.

We gently encourage you to take this journey one day at a time. The chance to express their true identity can have a powerful effect on their self-esteem and mental health. The process of changing from identifying as a boy to a girl, or vice versa, is called transitioning. Social transition is the first step for many transgender people, whether they are children, teens, or adults.

These are all completely reversible steps, and they may be all that your child needs to feel comfortable. Using the correct pronoun and any new name they may have chosen shows support and acceptance of that person’s identity. A social transition is most commonly the first (and sometimes only) form of transition youth experience before puberty. Some youth may be firm in the knowledge that they are transgender and are ready to begin transition. Yet, parents or doctors may still be apprehensive and hesitant, wanting to be certain themselves.

Talk with these professionals early on to make sure you understand the options that are available at all stages. They can also help you understand any issues your child will need to manage on their own once they become adults. Children often start the transition process on their own by changing the way they present themselves. They may want to dress or wear their hair like the gender they identify with, maybe just at home at first. At some point, they may want you to call them by a different name and use different pronouns. With the right support, kids can work up to living full-time in the gender they identify with.