A new report from Women's College Hospital in Ontario, Canada, revealed that more than half of men who undergo surgical gender "transition" experience so much pain that they need medical attention. The study followed 80 patients five years after they underwent surgery.
55% of men who underwent a vaginoplasty, a gender-affirming surgery that involves making a neovagina using the inverted skin of the penis and scrotum, reported feeling so much pain that they needed medical attention, even a year after the operation. In addition, the intervention often results in significant medical complications.
Genital mutilation
Pain is not the only consequence of genital mutilation. Many patients are unaware of the side effects before opting for complicated surgeries. The most commonly reported problems are:
- Pain (53.5%)
- Bleeding (42.5%)
- Dilatation problems (46.3%)
- Sexual problems (33.8%)
- Wounds -decubitus ulcers, bedsores (21.3%)
- Difficulty urinating (22.5%)
According to the study, these problems are classified as "minor" but can potentially worsen and become more severe. According to Genspect Director and Psychotherapist Stella O'Malley:
It is quite clear from the most up-to-date studies that vaginoplasty and other genital surgeries do not work the way people expect (...) The reason there are so many problems is because this is an incredibly difficult surgery. Vulnerable young people need to know the challenges they will face after surgery, but few do.
Surgeries increase
The number of people undergoing gender transition surgeries has increased at a large rate since 2010. From 2010 to 2018, the number of people who have sought out these procedures has increased 150-fold, according to a study released in October.
In the United States, there are an estimated 1.6 million adults who claim to be "transgender" or "non-binary." However, the number of children identifying as "transgender" has nearly doubled in recent years. In addition, more than 5% of young adults in the country identify as "transgender" or "non-binary."
