According to a study based on California government data, it has been found that the suicide rates among transgender females who undergo male-to-female gender change surgeries double after the procedure.
According to a recent study, which builds upon a previous analysis of the entire Swedish population in 2020, it has been found that surgery does not provide any advantages in terms of subsequent mental health care visits, prescriptions, or hospitalizations related to mood or anxiety disorders following suicide attempts.
A recent study, published in the Journal of Urology, examined the experiences of 859 Californians who underwent male-to-female gender surgery (vaginoplasty) and 357 individuals who underwent female-to-male surgery (phalloplasty) over a period of two years. The results showed that both groups had a similar proportion of individuals who experienced at least one psychiatric encounter, with rates of 22.2% for vaginoplasty recipients and 20.7% for phalloplasty recipients. However, the study also found that the suicide rates were significantly higher among vaginoplasty patients compared to phalloplasty patients after their surgeries. Specifically, the suicide rates for vaginoplasty patients more than doubled from 1.5% to 3.3%, while the rates for phalloplasty patients remained stable at 0.8% before and after surgery.
According to the study’s authors, while both phalloplasty and vaginoplasty patients have similar rates of overall psychiatric encounters, the rate of suicide attempts is higher in the vaginoplasty group. Surprisingly, the rate of suicide attempts in the phalloplasty group is similar to that of the general population. The authors suggest that patients who have undergone gender affirmation surgery and have a history of prior psychiatric emergencies or feminizing transition are at a higher risk and should receive appropriate counseling.
Medi-Cal, California’s taxpayer-funded public health system, now offers hormonal and surgical gender transitions as part of its coverage. As of January 1, this coverage has been extended to include undocumented immigrants. Beneficiaries of Medi-Cal can access a range of services, including mental and behavioral health support, hormone therapy, and various surgical procedures that align primary and secondary gender characteristics with their identified gender. Additionally, ancillary services like hair removal are also provided in conjunction with these procedures.
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill in the previous year that aimed to mandate judges to take into account parents’ endorsement of a child’s gender affirmation or identity during child custody proceedings.
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