Health Needs of Trans Men

Trans men are people who were assigned female at birth, but they identify as male. They often desire to transition from female to male.

Hormone therapy is used to help men change their sex characteristics and gender expression. It can also be used to treat a number of health conditions, including fertility issues.

Gynecological Care

Gynecological care is a critical part of trans men’s health needs, especially for those who haven’t had gender-affirming surgery. It includes screenings, evaluation and treatment for gynecologic issues such as pelvic pain, abnormal menstrual bleeding and fertility preservation.

OB/GYNs play an important role in providing gynecological care to trans men. They need to know their patients’ health goals and their preferences before recommending procedures or treatments.

Many trans men are anxious about receiving gynecological care, especially during a pelvic exam. This is because a gynecological exam often involves revealing biologic sex and can trigger or worsen gender dysphoria.

To reduce the stress involved in gynecological exams, health care providers should be aware of and sensitive to the differences between sex assigned at birth and gender identity. They should also make their patients feel welcome and comfortable. In addition, they should be sure to remove any signs or materials that contain gendered language and provide gender-neutral language when informing patients about their appointments.

Sexual Health

Sexual health is an important part of many trans people’s healthcare. It’s a great way to build trust with your patient and understand their unique needs.

It can also be a source of joy and comfort. However, it’s important to remember that sex can be unsafe for everyone – including those who are transgender.

The most common risk for STIs is through unprotected sex (vaginal or anal). For this reason, it’s always best to use barrier methods such as condoms, with lube or an IUD.

It’s also important to screen for HIV. This is particularly true for trans men, as they have higher rates of HIV compared to their cis counterparts.

Health Care Providers

The health care providers of trans men must be able to understand their patients’ needs. This can include using appropriate language, knowing the basics of cross-sex hormone therapy and ensuring that patients understand treatment options and potential risks and side effects.

It’s also essential that trans people understand that it’s not OK to discriminate against them in healthcare or workplace settings, and that they are entitled to access transition-related health care services as protected under federal law. Getting medically necessary transition-related care can be difficult, however, and many insurance plans have exclusions for transgender patients.

Fortunately, most insurance policies are becoming more inclusive of transition-related health care. And some are moving to remove exclusions altogether, making it much easier for people to get the care they need.

Gender Identity

Gender identity refers to a person’s internal and deeply felt experience of their gender. It can match or differ from a person’s assigned sex at birth.

People can have many different gender identities, including male, female, nonbinary, agender, pangender, transgender and transmasculine.

Most individuals’ genders are based on their biological sex. A person’s gender is determined at birth on the basis of a person’s genitals, which are typically the same for both sexes.

A person’s gender may change over time and/or with the help of medical intervention to more closely resemble their gender identity. These changes can be referred to as transitions, and can include hormone replacement therapy (HRT), sex reassignment surgery and other treatments.

A gender-based approach to health care and other services can be a powerful way to promote positive outcomes for transgender people and their families. However, many people do not consider this approach, and a range of issues related to gender and sexuality still remain unresolved.