Gender-Transition 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. (Read more from “Gender-Transition Surgeries in the U.S. Nearly Tripled Before Pandemic Dip, Study Finds” HERE)

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