A trans woman is a person who has gender identity and/or gender expression that is different from what their assigned sex was at birth. They can experience feelings of gender dysphoria and may want to change their sex.
Many people have misconceptions about trans women. These misconceptions can lead to discrimination and other negative outcomes.
Gender dysphoria
Many trans women have experienced gender dysphoria – or gender insecurity – at some point in their lives. This is a mental health condition which can cause distress, anxiety and depression.
Gender dysphoria can be alleviated by working with a psychotherapist. A therapist who has training in gender identity can help to reduce feelings of distress, and affirm the person’s self-identity and gender expression.
Treatment for gender dysphoria often involves modifying one’s physical appearance to match the identity they identify with. This can involve changes in hair, body size, and facial features.
Some people may also wish to take hormones and undergo surgery to alter their body so it matches their experienced gender. These treatments can be adapted to the needs of the individual and can lead to improved quality of life.
However, it is important to understand that these methods are not essential to living as the gender you identify with. Some people choose not to make these changes or may not want to.
Gender identity
Gender identity, or gender expression, is an internalized sense of one’s gender. This may be evident in a person’s behavior, clothes or mannerisms; it may also be more difficult to recognize and may be expressed through the use of preferred pronouns.
For trans women, this sense of gender often isn’t clear-cut and can be ambiguous or conflicting. It can be based on an internalized, instinctive desire to dress or behave like a woman, or it may be influenced by cultural expectations and/or medically prescribed hormones.
Some trans women report that their identity is framed in popular culture and medical discourses as being ‘born in the wrong body’ or ‘always knowing that they were different from everyone else’ [12]. Others do not follow this clear narrative, feeling unsure about their’real’ gender identity or struggling to find a’moment of realization’.
In addition, many forum participants experienced negative experiences of receiving invalidating or hostile treatment from healthcare practitioners. They feared that they would be denied access to hormones or surgery or that their experiences of gender incongruence were not valid, which would prevent them from transitioning.
Gender expression
Gender expression is how a person expresses their gender to others, often through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, voice or body characteristics. It can be described using terms like masculine, feminine, neutral, androgynous or conforming or nonconforming.
It’s important to remember that societal expectations about what is considered to be masculine and feminine can vary across time and culture, and aren’t always accurate. This is why it’s common for people to have a diverse gender expression.
It is also possible for a person’s gender expression to be different than their gender identity, especially when they are transitioning. This can be confusing for people around them, including family members and friends. It can lead to confusion and stress as a person attempts to understand how they are feeling. This can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. It can also cause distressing levels of social rejection. Fortunately, there are medical options for gender expression that can help reduce some of these feelings and improve their quality of life.
Gender transition
Gender transition, or gender transitioning, is a series of medical procedures or changes to the body that help trans women line up with their chosen gender. These can include hormone therapy, sex reassignment surgery, and physical alteration.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a popular treatment for transgender women. This involves taking medication to block testosterone in the body and replacing it with estrogen, which is more prominent in female sex.
Often, HRT is combined with other treatments, including antiandrogens, progestins, or GnRH agonists. This can reduce facial and body hair, decrease testicle size, increase libido, increase body fat, promote female body contours, form breasts, and give a woman a more feminine appearance.
Depending on their circumstances, some trans women choose not to undergo hormone therapy or sex reassignment surgery. Their reasons may include a fear of social stigma, concerns about the difficulty or risk of surgery, a lack of money to finance transition, firmly held religious beliefs, and advanced age or chronic medical problems.