Gynecological gender-affirming surgeries: what are the motivations and experiences? A qualitative study.

BACKGROUND

Although many transmasculine individuals undergo 1 or more gynecological surgeries (ie, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, tubectomy, or colpectomy), little has been published about motivation, subjective experiences, and the effect on dysphoria and quality of life.

AIM

The aim of this study was to acquire an in-depth understanding of patients' motivations and experienced outcomes of gynecological gender surgery.

METHODS

In this qualitative study, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Nine participants were included who were: on the waiting list for their first gynecological surgery (n = 2), or who had either undergone gynecological surgery as part of their transitioning (ie, hysterectomy) and were on the waiting list for another gynecological procedure (ie, colpectomy, n = 2), or who had undergone gynecological surgery and did not wish to undergo any further surgeries (n = 5). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Topics discussed were motivation to opt for a specific surgery, expectations, and experiences. Thematic analysis was carried out to compose themes from the interview transcripts using the concepts of body image and gender affirmation as a theoretical lens.

OUTCOMES

The primary outcomes of this study were composed themes based on thematic analysis of the interview transcripts.

RESULTS

Three subthemes were identified, displaying how gynecological surgeries could contribute to gender affirmation: body representation matching oneself; achieving functional congruence; and enabling further surgical transition.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

This study offers valuable insights for healthcare professionals in patient counseling and shared decision-making and provides a foundation for developing patient-reported outcome measures tailored to transmasculine individuals.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative report to study the motivations for and outcomes of gynecological gender-affirming surgeries in such depth; however, the results cannot be directly applied to other settings without considering the local context, including factors such as legislation and insurance policies.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights how gynecological surgeries, unlike more visible gender-affirming procedures like chest surgeries, address internal conflicts related to the masculine identity by altering the body's functioning, thereby playing an important role in the process of gender affirmation.