"Sex change" is a very broad term that refers to the process of a person or animal changing sex. This occurs naturally in some species of animals, but more often the term is used to mean sex reassignment surgery.
The term can refer to either male sexual characteristics being substituted for female ones, or vice versa. The male to female substitution is much more common because it is by far the simpler of the two.
Intersexual individuals may undergo some form of sex change, most often as children, to take on a clearly defined gender identity. In adults, the process is usually taken by transsexual individuals. Transsexuality occurs when a person's brain identifies with one gender (either male or female) but his or her body's anatomy displays the sexual characteristics of the opposite role. This is called Gender Identity Disorder and undergoing the sex change process is one way to correct this condition.
This is a very large and complex topic that has been broken down into five subtopics for this e-book. In the following e-book we will survey the various procedures, not all of them medical, that can come under the heading of "sex change;" take a more in depth look at the sex change operation; cover the differences in making the transition from male to female versus female to male; and look at the topic of forced sex changes that still go on in some countries.
While this is still a very controversial subject, it is becoming more and more accepted that Gender Identity Disorder is a medical birth condition that leads to confusion, depression, and frustration in individuals who are born with it.
Using therapy or medical procedures to bring the body and brain back into agreement with each other often allows these individuals to lead fuller, happier lives. It is our hope that at the end of this short e-book you have a fuller understanding of this topic, and a broader knowledge base on which to build your own opinions.