A Clinician's Guide to Gender-Affirming Care by Sand C. Chang

Author:Sand C. Chang
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
Published: 2018-11-19T22:02:18+00:00

Changes to reproductive options: As hormones affect reproductive options, and these changes can be temporary or longer term, what are your thoughts and feelings about how your reproductive options may be affected by hormones?For trans feminine clients: If having genetically related children is important to you, have you considered banking sperm?

For trans masculine clients: If having genetically related children is important to you, have you considered banking eggs or embryos?

Gender-Affirming Surgery

Before we provide an overview of the types of gender-affirming surgical procedures, it is important to address the many important factors to explore with your clients.

Surgical Interventions: Discussion Topics

Discussing some aspects of surgical preparation and recovery may help support your clients in feeling more informed and increase their capacity to give informed consent. While the conversation will vary based on each surgery, there are certain topics that are important to explore with clients regardless of the surgery. In this section, we name these topics along with examples of how to discuss them with your clients.

Expectations. It can be helpful to explore what a client knows about a particular medical procedure or surgeon. There is a great deal of information online that clients often rely on; however, this information is not always accurate or relevant to each client’s circumstance. You may want to explore whether your client has been able to communicate directly with someone else who has firsthand experience undergoing the same medical procedure. If not, you can explore ways in which your client might be able to form such connections.

Emotional preparation. Surgery is a significant life event and often comes with a range of emotions. You can aid your clients in naming their hopes, expectations, and feelings regarding how they anticipate it will feel to undergo medical interventions. It is a normal human response to have concerns or questions prior to surgery. These questions should not be seen as ambivalence on the part of the client. Rather, as a provider, it is incumbent upon you to explore the questions and emotions in a way that normalizes the experience.

Coping and relaxation skills. Even though trans clients who pursue surgical interventions do so with the expectation of a positive or life-enhancing outcome, these interventions typically come with a level of physical and emotional stress. You will want to talk with your clients about coping skills, especially those that are available to them while they are in recovery. For example, if exercise is a client’s main coping skill, it may be helpful to explore or teach other coping strategies the client can use while sedentary during recovery from surgery, such as relaxation skills (e.g., deep breathing, aromatherapy) that are physically passive in nature.

Financial planning and concerns. Some clients will receive paid time off from their employers, while others must find a way to support themselves through a time when they will not be able to work. You can help your clients think through ways to prepare so that the time they take off due to medical care does not result in financial crisis.

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