Care of the child with the desire to change gender--Part I.

ABSTRACT

This is Part I of a three-part series on children and young adults who desire to live as a gender different from which they were born. The series depicts the psychosocial, medical, and surgical components of transitioning from one gender to another. The medical and psychosocial issues of transgender change are complex, and ethical questions may be raised by those who would challenge these choices. Nurses will be best able to care for these patients with awareness of the multiple dimensions of these procedures and the ramifications of caring for these children and their families.