Sex reassignment surgery in Thailand

Thailand is believed to have the largest number of Male-to-female transsexuals per capita in the world. A number of international Transsexuals opt to travel to Thailand in order to pursue male-to-female sex reassignment surgery operations.

Transsexualism in Thailand

Westerners travelling to Thailand

Under a Thai law introduced in 2009, access to transsexual surgery is legally restricted in a manner similar to the Standards of Care (SoC) as set by the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association.

Advantages for Westerners

The cost of surgery is generally less in Thailand than in the USA, UK or Australia.

Thailand has a few of the most experienced surgeons for MtF surgeries, who have highly positive international reputations.

Disadvantages for Westerners

For the most expensive Thai surgeons, the total cost of surgery plus travel can exceed the cost of having surgery in the patient's home country, particularly for patients who live far from Asia.

Transsexual genital surgery is illegal in Thailand without psychiatric approval, "real life experience" (if possible) and hormones (unless medically contraindicated), which is disadvantageous to transsexuals who are unwilling or unable to follow the SoC. This is not the case in the USA, most states of Australia, and many other countries, where there is no legal requirement to follow the SoC; most Western...
Read More