The Complete Guide to Gender-Affirming Surgeries Medically reviewed by Jennifer Richman on February 20, 2025. What is Gender Affirmation Surgery? Gender-affirming surgery is an umbrella term for a series of surgical procedures that help transgender, non-binary, and gender non-confirming individuals alleviate their gender dysphoria and promote a sense of congruence between their physical body and gender identity. Not everyone needs surgery to affirm their gender. Below we outline the different types of gender affirmation surgeries that are documented in the World Professional Association for Transgender Health’s (WPATH) Standards of Care 8 (SOC8). You can request a free, surgical consultation to have your questions answered about the procedures below and/or create …

Understanding Non-Binary Identity What is Non-Binary? Approximately 1.2 million adults between the ages of 18 and 60 are classified as non-binary, with 5% of the young adult population in the USA also not identifying exclusively as men or women Non-binary is an umbrella term for people who do not identify exclusively as men or women. Non-binary is a gender identity, meaning that it describes someone’s internal sense of gender, independent of the sex they were assigned at birth. To be clear, identity is not the same as choice. Everyone has a gender identity, meaning that everyone identifies as a man, or a woman or has an identity that transcends this …

A Comprehensive Guide to Social, Legal and Medical FTM Transition Medically reviewed by Jennifer Richman on February 21, 2025. What is “Female to Male” (FTM) Transition? FTM transition stands for “male to female” transition. This term generally refers to the various legal, social, or medical steps that people who are assigned female at birth take to transition: to live in a way that is more aligned with their masculine gender identity. While some people feel “FTM” accurately describes their experience, it is largely considered to be an antiquated term. Meanwhile, “trans masculine” and “trans man” are more widely accepted. This is because many transmasculine people consider that they were never …

A Comprehensive Guide to MTF Bottom Surgery Medically reviewed by Jennifer Richman on April 30, 2024. What is MTF Bottom Surgery? Male-to-female (MTF) bottom surgery is a term that refers to a series of gender-affirming genital reconstruction procedures that remove natal genital tissue, such as the testicles and penis, and those that construct organs such as a vulva and/or vagina. “MTF” is widely considered an outdated term because surgeries like vaginoplasty do not make someone turn from male to female. Rather, bottom surgery is meant to allow patients to feel in greater alignment with their body. After all, MTF bottom surgery is not prescriptive: there is no one correct way …

A Comprehensive Guide to FTM Bottom Surgery Medically reviewed by Jennifer Richman on April 30, 2024. What is FTM Bottom Surgery? Female-to-male (FTM) bottom surgery refers to procedures that alter the external and/or internal reproductive organs. These gender-affirming procedures for trans and non-binary individuals include hysterectomy, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, and others such as vaginectomy, mons resection, scrotoplasty and more. The purpose of this page is to give a broad overview of the different bottom surgery procedures that fall under this category: the ones we do and do not offer at the GCC (Gender Confirmation Center), common motives behind undergoing them, candidacy requirements, general recovery guidelines and more. To clarify, the term …

Understanding Chest Dysphoria in Transmasculine People: A Guide for Curious Cisgender Allies Written and medically reviewed by Dr. Scott Mosser on January 27, 2025. As a surgeon in the field of gender care, I hold the conviction that we serve our patients––in consultations, on the day of surgery or in post-operative check-ups. These are not times for patients to educate us as providers. Certainly, we must practice active listening to understand our patients’ unique goals, needs and concerns. As providers and allies, we need to find the time and space to learn about and sensitize ourselves to the experiences of the individuals we support. This article is meant to serve …