Sex change-related surgeries in the U.S. nearly tripled before pandemic dip, study finds

The number of sex change-related operations nationwide nearly tripled heading into the COVID-19 pandemic, a study has found.

Five researchers published the study Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. They analyzed the national inpatient and ambulatory data of 48,019 transgender people who underwent breast or chest operations, genital reconstruction and facial or other cosmetic surgeries at hospitals between 2016 and 2020.

Researchers found the procedures increased annually from 2016 to 2019, nearly tripling from 4,552 to a peak of 13,011. They then fell slightly to 12,818 in 2020 as hospitals discouraged nonessential medical treatments during pandemic lockdowns.

“Like many prior studies, we noted a decrease in the number of procedures performed in 2020, likely reflective of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers wrote. “However, the decline in the number of procedures performed between 2019 and 2020 was relatively modest, particularly as these procedures are largely elective.”

The surgeries accelerated at a faster rate than in previous years, the researchers found.

They pointed to an earlier study of national hospital data that found the number of sex-change procedures nearly doubled between 2000 to 2005 and from 2006 to 2011.

Sex change surgeries alter the physical appearance of people suffering from gender dysphoria to match their chosen identity, the study noted.

The researchers tallied procedures ranging from hysterectomies to breast reconstruction. They did not include nonsurgical treatments such as behavioral therapy and hormone therapy.

The study comes as transgender surgery for minors has become a political flashpoint leading up to the 2024 election.

According to USA Today, 22 red states from Texas and Florida to Indiana and Iowa have restricted the treatments.

And at least 10 blue states and Washington, D.C., have passed laws protecting access to transgender procedures for minors with parental permission, reports CNN. Among those states are California, New Jersey and Colorado.

The study published Wednesday tracked surgeries for patients as young as 12, with some having more than one operation.

Overall, 27,187 or 56.6% of patients had breast or chest surgery. The next most popular were genital reconstruction (16,872 or 35.1% of patients) and other cosmetic procedures (6,669 or 13.9%).

More than 6 in 10 patients paid for surgery with private insurance and one-quarter used Medicaid. Medical records reported depression in 7,192 or 15% of the patients, the study noted.

Among the 3,678 or 7.7% of patients aged 12 to 18, breast or chest surgery was more common than in any other age group.

The study found that 3,215 or 87.4% of surgery patients in this group underwent breast or chest procedures. Additionally, 405 or 11% had their genitals reconstructed and 9.5% had other cosmetic procedures such as facial reconstruction.

A shrinking number of patients aged 12 to 18 led to the slight decrease in surgeries from 2019 to 2020, the study noted.

Another 25,099 or 52.3% of patients were between 19 and 30 years old and 10,476 or 21.8% were aged 31 to 40. The remainder were 41 and older.

Genital reconstruction and other plastic surgeries became more common as age increased in the study, peaking among patients aged 51 to 60 and then declining in older age groups.

“These trends likely reflect the increased complexity of genital surgery compared with breast and chest surgery as well as the definitive nature of removal of the reproductive organs,” the researchers noted.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.