Why it's done

People who seek masculinizing surgery experience discomfort or distress because their gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics (gender dysphoria).

For some transgender men, masculinizing surgery is a natural step — and important to their sense of self. However, many don't choose to have surgery. Transgender people relate to their bodies differently and need to make individual choices that best suit their needs.

Masculinizing surgeries are typically deferred until adulthood. Options include:

• Surgical removal of your breast tissue (top surgery for transgender men)
• Surgical placement of implants to create the appearance of a defined male chest (pectoral implants)
• Various aesthetic procedures, such as a surgical procedure that uses a suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body (liposuction) or fat grafting
• Genital surgery to remove your uterus (hysterectomy), or uterus and cervix (total hysterectomy), or fallopian tubes and ovaries (salpingo-oophorectomy)
• Surgery to remove all or part of your vagina (vaginectomy), create a scrotum (scrotoplasty), place testicular prostheses, increase the length of the clitoris (metoidioplasty) or create a penis (phalloplasty)

Masculinizing surgery isn't for all trans men. Your doctor might recommend against these surgeries if you have:

• Uncontrolled behavioral health conditions
• Uncontrolled significant health conditions
• Any condition that limits your ability to give your informed consent