Transgender medical care is growing in hospitals across the nation as more medical institutions sign on to help those who do not identify as their biological selves.
Multiple studies suggest the number of young people claiming to be transgender has sharply increased over the past 10 years. The Pew Research Center found a generational trend, with young adults, ages 18 – 29, being two to three times more likely to identify as non-binary or transgender.
The trend is impacting medical care and medical professionals.
At South Baldwin Regional Medical Center, signs are posted on intake desks asking patients to let the registrar know if their gender identity is different from the sex they “were assigned at birth.”
Medical experts say it is up to the patient to tell the truth, and not doing so can always yield a dangerous result.
“There are disorders and diseases that only affect one sex, and not knowing that can have implications,” said Madison County physician Dr. Michael Brown. “Genetic disorders also affect only one sex, so you want to be truthful with your doctor about your birth sex.”
While physicians can often tell the sex of a person, Brown said it isn’t always so simple. He said honesty with a physician is always crucial to staying healthy.
“You are just going to constantly hurt yourself if you’re not truthful,” Brown added. You want to be completely honest with your physician. They really can’t help you if you don’t tell them the truth.”
Diagnosing isn’t the only aspect of medical care that can impacted by the sex of a person. There are also treatment concerns.
“Medications also metabolize differently in males than they do in females,” Brown explained. “Along with sex-linked genetic issues and sex-linked diseases, there is drug metabolism.”
“Those are all things that affect medical treatments, so you have to consider all of these things,” Brown continued. “It makes no sense to not be truthful to your physician. No matter what is said, you can’t alter the genetic material in your cells. It would be foolish to think you could do that.”
Brown said even the brain works differently in some ways in males and females.
“To believe that you can control that would be to think you’re God,” he said. “It doesn’t work that way, and it doesn’t make any sense. True science doesn’t support that.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
