Male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals: a comparison.

Male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals differed with respect to social, partnership, and sexual behavior, independently of whether they had had surgery. Female-to-male transsexuals more often had close ties to their parents and siblings, established stable partnerships more frequently solely with the same biological sex, and were more satisfied sexually. When they first consulted a physician about sex change, they were already more integrated socially. By the time the follow-up assessment took place, male-to-female transsexuals were as integrated socially as their female-to-male counterparts. The differences in partnership behavior between male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals were not altered as a result of surgery, despite the better surgical match with which surgery provides male-to-female transsexuals in comparison with their female-to-male counterparts. The reasons for the relational differences remain unclear and raise issues in the areas of developmental psychology and genetics.