A transgender woman is a person who was assigned male at birth based on biological characteristics but who identifies and lives as a woman. This means her gender identity is female, which differs from the sex she was assigned when born
. Transgender women may experience gender dysphoria, which is distress caused by the mismatch between their gender identity and assigned sex at birth. To alleviate this, many undergo gender-affirming care, which can include social transition (changing name, pronouns, clothing) and medical transition such as hormone therapy (estrogen) and surgeries like vaginoplasty or facial feminization to develop female secondary sex characteristics
. It is important to recognize that transgender women are women and should be referred to with female pronouns ("she/her"). They can have any sexual orientation, independent of their gender identity
. The term "transgender" is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity differs from their assigned sex at birth, whereas "transsexual" is an older term often referring specifically to those who pursue medical transition, though it is less commonly used today
. In summary, a transgender woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth but identifies and lives as a female, often undergoing social and/or medical steps to align her body and life with her gender identity
