What is Gender Dysphoria?
Gender dysphoria is a term that describes a conflicting identity between one’s biological sex and gender identity. Gender dysphoria creates a general unease for the individual as they feel they are not living in the right body. It has many adverse effects on the human body, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and physiological trauma, which can make it very hard to go through everyday life. The effects can also be heightened with workplace or social challenges, meaning the individuals around them are not accepting of their self-identity.
There are many factors that can influence one’s gender identity (whether negatively or positively) including family, education, peer groups, mass media, religion, as well as one’s workplace. These environments reinforce traditional gender roles, which can establish very toxic conditions in which to develop and find oneself.
What are treatments for those struggling with gender dysphoria?
There are many options for individuals struggling with gender dysphoria, who may elect to take hormones that help them feel closer to their gender identity. These help individuals feel more comfortable but do not resolve the other adverse effects of anxiety and depression. This is a long, uphill battle of becoming confident and comfortable in one’s skin, but options like hormonal therapy and gender-affirming surgery can help these individuals live happier lives.
Those who are biologically male, but female-identifying individuals, may elect to undergo feminizing hormone therapy which produces physical changes in one’s body similar to those caused by female hormones during puberty. There are many different ways of receiving these hormones in the body, with the most popular form being a shot of estrogen biweekly which will help these secondary sex features develop. Included below is an example of how to inject estrogen.
There are also hormonal therapies that exist for biologically female, male-identifying individuals, where they receive testosterone rather than estrogen shots. These shots allow increased facial and body hair, increased muscle mass and strength, decreased fat mass, the deepening of one’s voice, and many more effects that can be read about here. I have included a video of a transgender male receiving testosterone shots. These shots can be life-saving for these individuals who struggle with gender dysphoria as they better align their biological gender with their gender identity.
@squxid a little update for y’all #fyp #testosterone #trans #nonbinary #foryou #lgbtq
Those who suffer from gender dysphoria are more likely to commit suicide as a result of their depression or anxiety. Having options like hormone therapy or gender-affirming surgery allow these individuals to be happier in their own skin. The process for getting approved for these options can be long and draining as the individual attempts to prove their desire to transition.
I personally fully support any individual who elects to participate in gender-affirming treatments as being comfortable in one’s own skin is something too many of us take for granted. There has been a greater acceptance and open conversations about gender identity and assisting those with gender dysphoria. This is society moving in the right direction, but still, there is work to be done.