Pitfalls of Trans Surgery

EXCLUSIVE: Trans surgery nightmares revealed: 81% endure pain in the five years after gender-change procedures, more than half say having sex is painful - and a third are left incontinent, survey shows

• Sex-reassignment surgeries are known to be difficult and problematic  
• But failure rates and post-op problems are only becoming understood now
• Read a pink-haired Portland surgeon's warning about sexual dissatisfaction 

One of the first studies into the side effects of transgender surgeries has revealed alarmingly high rates of post-op pain, aching during intercourse, and bladder problems, raising troubling questions for this new frontier of medicine.  

A huge majority - 81 percent - of those who had surgery on their genitals in the past five years said they endured pain simply from moving around in the weeks and months after going under the knife.

Researchers from the University of Florida and Brooks Rehabilitation, a health non-profit, showed that more than half of trans surgery patients endured pain during sex, and nearly a third could not control their bladders.

Dr Meryl Alappattu, a UF physiotherapy professor, said she would publish her report later this year, but released provisional findings in a private online workshop that DailyMail.com was able to attend.

Dr Meryl Alappattu (left), a UF physiotherapy professor, and Dr Alexandra Hill, a UF expert on pelvic problems, support trans surgeries despite the drawbacks

DailyMail.com was able to see the initial findings of a medical report that's expected later this year

'There is a high percentage reporting musculoskeletal pain, difficulty moving, and pelvic floor dysfunction,' said Dr Alappattu, adding that more research is needed in a poorly-understood area.

'In terms of getting information related to the efficacy of these types of treatments … we still have a lot of work to do.'

Surgically altering male and female genitals to match those of the opposite sex — known as vaginoplasties and phalloplasties — are widely understood to be tough and problematic procedures.

Women who transition to become men may opt to have a penis constructed from tissue extracted from their arms, although this procedure is also complex, and the result is still markedly different to a biological penis.  

Removing the breasts of female-to-male transitioners is simpler, but can also lead to pain, infections, and such problems as stitches bursting apart, particularly on overweight patients.

The procedures are a hot-button issue in America's culture wars, especially those on children.

UF researchers studied 21 trans and non-binary people aged between 20 and 70 who had undergone trans surgeries in the past five years — mostly mastectomies and vaginoplasties.

81 percent endured pain in their lower back, groin, pelvis, chest, or shoulders in the weeks, months, and even years after their procedures, researchers found.

Another 57 percent found sexual intercourse painful.

Meanwhile, 29 percent suffered urinary incontinence or a frequent and urgent need to go to the bathroom, researchers found.

In all, only a quarter saw a physiotherapist to overcome their problems. 

Doctors are only beginning to understand all the consequences of gender-change surgeries 

Jazz Jennings, a trans YouTube influencer, needed a second gender surgery after an unexpected complication

Jennings' genital overhaul was more difficult than most because she had been on hormone blockers for so long. Pictured:  the influencer before her first surgery

Dr Alappattu said physiotherapy could repair some damage, but that more research was needed into recovery times and the longer-term impacts of trans surgeries.

Dr Alexandra Hill, a UF expert on pelvic problems, described trans patients being surprised by their protracted recoveries, which in some cases lasted longer than the 6-8 weeks they expected.  

'Sometimes it takes much longer than people had initially anticipated to get back to doing things they like to do,' Dr Hill told the online gathering.

Likewise, many male-to-female transitioners who get a neo-vagina created are surprised to discover that they have to insert a 'dilator' into their canal for up to an hour each day after surgery.

Without using a dilator, which resembles a sex toy, the neo-vagina can gradually shorten in depth, said Dr Hill. Some trans women must use them for the rest of their lives. 

'That's something a lot of people don't realize,' she added. 

Sexual-reassignment operations, like this one in France, are fraught with difficulties

Advocates of trans medicine present the surgeries as a trade-off, acknowledging the substantial drawbacks, but saying they're vital for those with serious discomfort with their own body.

Even so, they are rare within the transgender community.

Of the estimated 1.6 million trans and non-binary Americans aged 13 and above, only 31 percent take cross-sex hormones and 16 percent opt for surgery, according to research by the Washington Post and KFF, a health charity.

Most surgeries are breast removals for female-to-male transitioners.

Genital surgeries are rare and controversial. Even the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which advocates for gender-affirming care globally, says procedures should not be attempted on children.

Critics warn invasive, heavy-duty procedures on youngsters who are still physically-developing can set them up for a lifetime of dysfunction.

A phalloplasty procedure, as described in a medical text book

Jazz Jennings, a transgender girl, suffered a torn vagina after undergoing sex change surgery at the age of just 16. 

Experts warn youngsters may have insufficient skin on their penises or scrotums to help construct a so-called neo-vagina.

The problem is even worse in children who have taken puberty blockers, as their privates remain even less developed and there is less material for the surgeon to work with.

Gender reassignment surgeries can stop recipients from being able to derive any sort of sexual pleasure as an adult, if the surgeries take place before patients' genitals have fully-formed. 

Republicans have sought to ban gender-affirming drugs and surgeries for children and even some adults in about 20 states this year.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12312219/Trans-surgery-nightmares-revealed-81-endure-pain-five-years-gender-change-procedures-half-say-having-sex-painful-left-incontinent-survey-shows.html?ico=related-replace

Soren Aldaco, 21, says her doctors pushed her into transgender medicine

She says surgeons botched her double breast removal

Aldaco says she never felt comfortable in the male body and identity that doctors pushed her into

Now 18, Kayla Lovdahl is suing the medical professionals responsible for her transition more than five years ago - claiming doctors spent just 75 minutes vetting her before setting out on the life-altering ordeal

Years after she underwent a double mastectomy aged 13, Lovdahl now says the procedure left her with 'deep physical and emotional wounds and severe regrets'

The suit states that after the 75-minute meeting with psychologist Taylor, the three 'coerced' Lovdahl and her parents to undergo the treatment regimen by telling the family 'it is better to have a live son than a dead daughter'

This diagram shows one method surgeons use to create a new penis, it involves harvesting skin and blood vessels from another of the body such as the forearm, and attaching it to the groin. After a recovery period the medics then connect it to the bladder allowing the patient to urinate from the penis and also form a new scrotum. The final stage is to add an implant that allows the patient to activate an erection. The surgery can be offered to both trans patients as part of gender surgery as well as biological males whose genitalia has been damaged

Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender women, underwent facial feminization surgery

Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney posted a video on December 21 showing her head covered in bandages and gauze following controversial feminine facial reconstruction surgery

Shape has neither having a working penis nor a vagina that functions and is required to take hormones for the rest of his life, and feels like it is a medical experiment gone horribly wrong

Shape Shifter, pictured, says he even dreams about having a penis, while before his first transition he would dream about having a vagina

Sam (pictured after her mastectomy) is now warning others of the dangers of going through gender transition 

Joe Biden's trans male-to-female health official, the pediatrician Rachel Levine

A young woman shows the scars from the breast-removal operation she underwent as a teenager and now deeply regrets

Chloe Cole says her short-lived transition to being a boy, Leo (right), was a mistake, and that years of treatment from age 13 onwards and the later reversal took a huge toll on her body 

Chloe Cole, 18, who transitioned to male at 13 before later regretting her decision at 16, says breast removal operations on trans kids are 'like Nazi-era experiments'

Luka Hein spoke out about how she feels she was rushed into surgery at a young age

Sinead Watson, from Glasgow, Scotland, lived as man from the age of 23 and had a double mastectomy, but realized at age 27 that she had made a terrible mistake, and detransitioned at 28. She spoke out on social media about widespread harassment from the transgender community she was leaving: 'I was sent rape and death threats,' posted Watson. 'I was called a hideous freak show.'

To live as a man, Watson took the male hormone testosterone for years, which has left her with a gruff voice and facial hair she removes every two days 

After feeling 'different' as a young boy, Richie discovered gender dysphoria while browsing online forums in his early 20s. When he explained his feelings to other forum users he was told he was '100 per cent trans and should act on it'

After describing in graphic detail the nature of the surgery required to remove his male anatomy, 35-year-old said: 'This is not reversible, the experiment is over for me, there really really isn't any turning back'

Social media personality Oli London, 33, from Hertford, spent six months living as a transgender woman and underwent facial surgery - but says he now regrets the decision 

He says the fact that he was able to book surgery abroad without ever having undergone counselling or any therapy about his gender is shocking (Pictured after facial surgery)

he spent over £75,000 on surgeries to look like K-pop star, Jimin from Korean boyband BTS