Demystifying and Navigating Your Options: Gender Reassignment Surgery

Medically reviewed by Paul Gonzales on March 25, 2024.

Previously, the term gender reassignment surgery (GRS) referred to genital reconstruction bottom surgeries like vaginoplasty, vulvoplasty, phalloplasty, or metoidioplasty. Individuals who look up this term on a search engine do so looking for information on gender-affirming procedures generally for transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people. This detailed guide breaks down everything you need to know about these procedures, their costs, their eligibility requirements, the potential benefits and risks and more. If you are interested in undergoing any gender-affirming or “gender reassignment” surgery, you can schedule a free, virtual consultation with one of our surgeons.

At the Gender Confirmation Center (GCC), we generally avoid using terminology like GRS in a clinical setting out of the recognition that for the vast majority of our patients, surgeries do not “reassign” anyone’s gender. Rather, surgery can help individuals experience greater alignment with their bodies and greater gender euphoria as a result.

Types of Gender “Reassignment” Surgeries: “Female to Male (FTM)”

Female to Male (FTM) is outdated terminology that the GCC does not use in our clinical practice. This abbreviation leaves out the experiences of many trans masculine and non-binary patients who do not identify with being labeled as a “woman becoming a man.” 

In the past, “FTM gender confirmation surgery” was used to describe surgical procedures that reverse the effects of an initial estrogenic puberty or procedures that reconstruct a patient’s genitals. We still receive various inquiries about which “FTM” procedures we offer, so below you can find a list of surgeries that have typically been placed under this label. 

Please note that patients can seek out any of these procedures regardless of their gender identity. The goal of our practice is not to make our patients “into men,” but to help them feel more comfortable, affirmed, and/or aligned with their bodies.

Chest Surgery or Top Surgery

“FTM” top surgery is an antiquated term that refers to gender-affirming chest reconstruction and/or breast reduction. Practices who use this acronym sometimes have limited experience meeting the unique needs of non-binary patients seeking top surgery. Patients who would like to remove their chest tissue to have a flatter chest can choose from a variety of incision options to reach their desired results around chest tightness, contour and/or scar shape. 

Not all patients who pursue top surgery want flat chests. Whether you would like to opt for a breast reduction or a chest reconstruction with some volume left behind, the button buttonhole incision is the most commonly pursued type.

Top surgery patients who would like to maintain an erotic or a high level of sensation in their nipples can ask their surgeon about nerve-preservation techniques. Inversely, many patients who get top surgery choose to have their nipples removed.

Genital Reconstruction or Bottom Surgery

While the following bottom surgery procedures are traditionally put under the “FTM” category, we recognize that not all patients who pursue these procedures identify as men nor are they looking to “masculinize” their genitals.