2016 to 2020 Saw Increase in Gender-Affirming Surgery in U.S.

THURSDAY, Aug. 24, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- From 2019 to 2020, there was a considerable increase in gender-affirming surgery (GAS) procedures in the United States, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in JAMA Network Open.

Jason D. Wright, M.D., from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, and colleagues examined trends in inpatient and outpatient GAS procedures in the United States in a study including data from 2016 to 2020 in the Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample and the National Inpatient Sample.

Overall, 48,019 patients who underwent GAS were identified; 52.3, 21.8, and 7.7 percent were aged 19 to 30, 31 to 40, and 12 to 18 years, respectively. The researchers found that breast and chest procedures were most common and occurred in 56.6 percent of patients, followed by genital reconstruction and other facial and cosmetic procedures (35.1 and 13.9 percent, respectively). There was an increase in the absolute number of GAS procedures, from 4,552 in 2016 to a peak of 13,011 in 2019; a slight decrease was seen to 12,818 in 2020. When stratified by type of procedure, in younger patients, breast and chest procedures made up a greater percentage of the surgical interventions, while in older patients, genital surgical procedures accounted for more surgical interventions.

"The rapid rise in the performance of GAS suggests that there will be a greater need for clinicians knowledgeable in the care of transgender individuals and with the requisite expertise to perform GAS procedures," the authors write.

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry and UpToDate.

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