[Transsexualism and sex change]

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry and Endocrinology
• Medical Sexology

Context:

• Transsexualism, a psychosexually disturbed identity, has been medically recognized since the mid-20th century.
• Treatment for transsexualism in Serbia commenced in 1989, with this paper marking the first publication on the subject in the country.

Purpose:

• To present the initial experiences and insights into the treatment of transsexualism in Serbia.
• To describe the characteristics of transsexualism and the medical approach to sex reassignment.

Summary:

• Transsexualism is characterized by a discordance between psychological gender identity and biological sex characteristics.
• Treatment involves hormonal therapy to align the body with the patient's gender identity, followed by surgical sex reassignment.
• This process is distinguished from hermaphroditism, focusing solely on bodily alteration to match psychological identity.

Impact:

• This work serves as the foundational publication on transsexualism treatment in Serbia.
• It highlights the medical understanding and therapeutic possibilities for individuals experiencing gender incongruence.
• The paper contributes to the literature by documenting the early stages of specialized medical care for transsexual individuals in Serbia.