None of the information on this website is to be taken as medical advice. If you have concerns about your health or treatment options, always discuss them with a licensed medical professional.
Gender affirming surgery seeks to alter a person’s physical appearance to be better in line with their gender identity, reducing the distress they face on a daily basis and empowering them to be more comfortable and confident in their own body. Like any medical process that actually works, it also carries some risks. This section serves to outline the risks and benefits of gender affirming surgery, alongside the many options available.
None of the information outlined in this document is to be taken as medical advice. Always consult a licensed medical professional.
Not all transgender people want surgery, and the a person’s physical appearance has no impact on a person’s gender whatsoever.
What Is Gender Affirming Surgery?
This is a more complicated question than it may initially seem. When we talk about gender affirming surgery, it may seem logical to assume we’re talking solely about changes to a person’s reproductive system, however; it’s better to think of this more as a blanket term for any surgery at all which may aid a person in living as their true (affirmed) gender. That could mean changes to their face shape, throat, breasts, or any other part of the body which will help their body feel more closely aligned with their gender.
While some people may adopt the term “Sexual Reassignment”, or “Sex Change” as terms to describe gender affirming procedures, these terms have largely fallen out of favour.
The Risks Of Gender Affirming Surgery
Gender affirming surgery comes with a level of risk, which needs to be properly evaluated against any benefits it may provide to make an informed decision about whether or not it is an acceptable procedure to add to a person’s treatment plan. For something as irreversible as surgery, it is of the utmost importance that a person and their care provider properly evaluates both the benefits and risks for any given procedure to ensure it is suitable for it’s recipient.
That can happen: it is entirely possible for a person to undergo surgery and face regret, and while statistics vary we can say with certainty that the regret rate for gender affirming surgeries is extremely low.
From Several Studies:
- “The pooled prevalence of regret after GAS was 1%” - Ref. W2VYK42BGQ
- “in men, no regrets were reported in the author’s sample, and in the literature they amount to less than 1%. Among male-to- female transsexuals after SRS, i.e., in women, regrets are reported in 1-1.5%” - Ref. AKUNKDIUMC
- “Fifty-seven percent of surgeons encountered at least one patient who expressed regret, with a total of 62 patients expressing regret (0.2–0.3%)” - Ref. VQTMNEZMJL
- “None of the 61 homosexual females or 36 homosexual males consciously regretted surgery, compared to 4 of the 14 heterosexual males- Ref. 9FZ05KVDUZ
These studies indicate that the regret rate of gender affirming surgery is extremely low, albeit significantly higher in heterosexual males.
NOTE
The term “GAS” in this context refers to “Gender Affirming Surgery”.
The Benefits Of Gender Affirming Surgery
Individuals receiving Gender affirming surgery have been seen to show reduced signs of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation, reducing the occurrence of suicidal thoughts and behaviour while improving their quality of life.
- “Overall, suicide-related outcomes were found to be less frequent in patients after GAS” - Ref. N7HPLJDQB4
- “undergoing 1 or more types of gender-affirming surgery was associated with lower past-month psychological distress (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.58; 95% CI, 0.50-0.67; P < .001), past-year smoking (aOR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.57-0.75; P < .001), and past-year suicidal ideation (aOR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.50-0.64; P < .001)” - Ref. GR3MF2QOYU
- “Adjusted multivariate analyses revealed greater odds of suicidal ideation (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 3.86; 95% CI, 2.67-5.57; p < 0.001) and suicide attempt(s) (aOR, 5.52; 95% CI, 3.45-8.84; p < 0.001) before genderaffirming treatment compared to after” - Ref. JOT5CHW9K7
- “a prospective Qol study in trans men showed significant improvements post Gas, and 91% of trans women reported improvements in Qol after vaginoplasty” - Ref. 9ODE0QY1MD
Given the information provided above, it is clear that gender affirming surgery are an effective way to improve the quality of life for transgender patients in the overwhelming majority of cases.
Concerns Regarding Fertility
IMPORTANT Some gender affirming surgeries cause infertility. It is important to properly evaluate the situation and pursue any options to preserve fertility based on an individual’s wants and needs.
This is a sensitive topic for a lot of people. The physical nature of creating offspring is a potent source of distress for many transgender people. Here, we’re focussed more on the risks to fertility. For more information about the difficulties it might bring, see Gender Dysphoria & Euphoria.
The Treatment Pathways
In Closing
Like any treatment that actually works, surgery carries risks. Generally speaking, it has been shown in multiple studies to be an acceptable method of treatment for many transgender and non-binary patients. Proper evaluation and adequate time for a person to explore this avenue of their journey in a safe and healthy manor, are a must.