Abstract
In the last decade, transsexual patients have increasingly sought sex reassignment (cross-sex hormones and sex reassignment surgery), whilst avoiding adequate diagnostic procedures. They ask non-specialized physicians to prescribe hormones or to perform sex reassignment surgery. Sometimes hormones are ordered through the Internet or obtained from other illegitimate sources. If these patients later turn to a specialized team (for instance for sex reassignment surgery), the obligatory standard diagnostic procedure is problematic: the patient does not accept having to go through a long period of assessment and objective decision-making, while the attending health professional feels pressured by the patient's impatience. Non-expert health professionals should draw patients' attention to the necessity of a thorough diagnostic procedure, thus avoiding wrong decisions and future regrets.
Translated title of the contribution | Concerns relating to care for transsexuals |
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Original language | Dutch |
Pages (from-to) | 2140-2141 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Journal | Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde |
Volume | 148 |
Issue number | 43 |
Publication status | Published - 23 Oct 2004 |