Evidence suggests that less than 1% of transgender people who undergo gender-affirming surgery report regret it. That proportion is even more surprising when compared to the fact that 14.4% of the general population regrets similar surgeries. Gender-affirming surgery also provides long-term mental health benefits. Studies consistently show that gender-affirming surgery reduces gender dysphoria and related conditions, such as anxiety and depression.
For example, policymakers in the U.S. The U.S. has been using the possibility of surgical repentance to justify an unprecedented wave of legislation that prohibits transgender and gender-diverse (GDD) youth from accessing gender-affirming care (GAC) 1, a safe and effective form of health care that allows people with GDD to align their bodies with their own internal sense of self. Gender-affirming surgery includes several procedures that can help your body better align with your gender identity.
Approximately 25-35% of trans and non-binary people in the United States undergo gender-affirming surgery. Gender-affirming surgery may be an option if the sex you were assigned at birth differs from your gender identity (gender incongruence). Research consistently shows that people who choose gender-affirming surgery experience lower gender incongruity and a better quality of life. There is an unknown percentage of transgender people who do not confirm their gender identity and who undergo gender-affirming surgery (GAS) that they regret.
Regret can cause physical and mental morbidity and calls into question the appropriateness of these procedures in some patients. The new language, “gender affirmation”, is more precise about what surgery does (and doesn't do). The inclusion criteria were all articles that included patients aged 13 years or older who underwent GAS and who reported rates of regret or loss of the transition, and observational or interventional studies in English or Spanish.
