Research Shows that Only 1% Regret Having Gender-affirmation Surgery

Do people who have undergone gender-affirmation surgery regret what they have done, as so many anti-trans activists want you to believe? Research shows the exact opposite.

A scientific meta-analysis of the research relevant to the topic shows that only 1 percent reported regret about transitioning. Or as the authors put it"there is an extremely low prevalence of regret in transgender patients after [gender-affirmation surgery]”:

The prevalence of regret in the TGNB [transgender and gender non-binary individuals] population after GAS [ender-affirmation surgeries] was of 1% (CI <1%–2%). The prevalence of regret for transfemenine surgeries was 1% (CI <1%–2%), and the prevalence for transmasculine surgeries was <1% (CI <1%–<1%).

A meta-analysis is based on data from a lot of relevant scientific studies. A total of 27 studies, pooling 7928 transgender patients who underwent any type of GAS, were included.

Are there people who regret transitioning? Yes, and they need our support and compassion, but their lives should not be used to stop health services provided to trans people.

Moreover, many of those who do regret transitioning, do so because of the transphobic reactions of the people they meet, not because they were wrong about their gender identity. Indeed, this meta-study shows that the most prevalent reason for regret was the difficulty/dissatisfaction/acceptance in life with the new gender role.

Source: Bustos, Valeria P. MD; Bustos, Samyd S. MD; Mascaro, Andres MD; Del Corral, Gabriel MD, FACS; Forte, Antonio J. MD, PhD, MS; Ciudad, Pedro MD, PhD; Kim, Esther A. MD; Langstein, Howard N. MD; Manrique, Oscar J. MD, FACS: “Regret after Gender-affirmation Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prevalence”, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery March 2021 - Volume 9 - Issue 3

Illustration photo: Alfonso Sangiao

HT Karoline