The suicide rate for men identifying as transgender women in California doubled among those who receive vaginoplasty, a new study found.
More than twice as many men who identify as transgender women had attempted suicide after receiving the surgery when compared to those who had not undergone the procedure, according to AUA Journals.
Study finds that the attempted-suicide rate among transgender women who received a vaginoplasty in California was twice as high during the period after the surgery compared with the period before the surgery.
The investigaotrs analyzed data on all 868 people who received a… pic.twitter.com/RO6zKC7Xt3
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Data analysts assessed 869 patients who received a vaginoplasty and 357 people who received a phalloplasty in California between 2012 and 2018, according to the study. The attempted-suicide rate among post-vaginoplasty patients was 3.3%, more than double the pre-surgery rate of 1.5%. The data on patients originated from the state’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. (RELATED: Red State Walks Back Gender-Bending ID Policy)
Vaginoplasty “involves the removal of a man’s penis, testicles and scrotum” to sculpt a “feminine-appearing” vaginal canal and vulva, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Phalloplasty is a surgery in which skin is taken and used to create a male-appearing penis on a woman, according to UCSF Transgender Care. Both surgeries are conducted on people identifying as transgender to give them the appearance of the opposite sex.
At least one ER or in-patient psych encounter was reported in 22.2% of vaginoplasty patients before the surgery, the study said. After the procedure, 33.9% of vaginoplasty patients who had a reported psych encounter beforehand experienced another.
At least one ER or in-patient psych encounter was reported in 20.7% of phalloplasty patients before the surgery, according to the study. After the procedure, 26.5% of phalloplasty patients who had a reported psych encounter beforehand experienced another.
“Rates of psychiatric emergencies are high both before and after [surgery]. Although both the phalloplasty and vaginoplasty patients have similar overall rates of psychiatric encounters, suicide attempts are more common in the [latter]. In fact, our observed rate of suicide attempts in the phalloplasty group is actually similar to the general population, while the vaginoplasty group’s rate is more than double that of the general population. Patients undergoing [vaginoplasty] with a history of prior psychiatric emergencies or feminizing transition are at a higher risk and should be counseled appropriately,” study authors concluded.