Transitioning to a man - What does it really look like? - DYKKA.com

Transitioning to male is sometimes referred to as FtM (female-to-male), but some people are abandoning it because intersex people (i.e. people with both male and female genitalia) can also transition to male and because many transgender men have never considered themselves female .

The transition itself looks different for different men, depending on what they want to change on their bodies or in their official documents. The most challenging is probably the official transition , as it involves not only changes to their citizenship but also to their bodies, and it also takes the longest .

So what awaits those interested in an official transition? The first stop is a sexology clinic , where you just need to make an appointment, so you don't need a recommendation from a general practitioner or anyone else. The doctor will talk to you, find out if you are truly transgender, and at the same time guide you through the entire transition.

Unfortunately, there are people in the medical community who believe that there is only one way to be a transgender man, and if you don't fit into that box, they won't believe you. But don't be discouraged by the first failure, and if your sexologist doesn't take you seriously, find someone else.

The next stop, where you will receive a recommendation from a sexologist, is a psychological clinic . Here you will undergo a psychological examination, based on which, if everything goes well, you will receive a diagnosis of transsexuality and a recommendation for a registry office with a neutral name.

Although a neutral name is not officially mandatory for official transition , there have been cases in the Czech Republic where some people did not pass the interview before the commission (more on that below) because they did not change their name to a neutral one .

Your next stop is an endocrinologist's office , where a specialist will measure your hormone levels and prescribe a dose. As a man, you will take the hormone testosterone , which will give you a deeper voice , a beard , and a different distribution of fat on your body . At the same time, your periods will stop and some of you will start to go bald .

For the next year, or even longer, you'll be facing a so-called real-life test , where you'll be living as a man. It can be challenging until the effects of hormones kick in and you start to look feminine or androgynous, but don't despair: There are gadgets that can help you look more masculine, like packers (artificial penises) or binders (tightening vests).

At the end of the real-life test, you will appear before the Expert Commission for Gender Reassignment of Transsexual Patients . They will approve or deny the sterilization (i.e., in the case of trans men, removal of the uterus), which you need for the final change of documents.

In addition to sterilization, you can also book a mastectomy , or breast removal, vaginectomy , or vagina removal, or phalloplasty , or penis creation. However, to be able to have erections, you will need a penile implant. More detailed information about these procedures can be found in English, for example here .