why isn't gender transition known as MtF or FtM when it would be more like MtW (man to woman) or WtM (woman to man)?

I agree with you, until said person medically transitions. As I see it, and as I believe most sciences agree with, female and male are sexes, referring to the original genitals, and chromosomes at birth. No mater if you're trans or not, you are male or female until one medically transitions. What are are, is transitioning genders from a man, to a woman, which is the social construct. Really in a perfect world (as I interpret current biology and sociology) one would be transgender until bottom or top surgery and hrt is administered, in which they would now be a transsexual as they have transitioned sexes and now deal with the health problems of the opposite sex. I realize this is a very bland, flat, and scientific look at it all, but gender and sex are different, though to demand all people use separate terms for what stage in their transition they are in is also extreme

/r/asktransgender Thread