Gender-affirming surgeries and patient-reported outcomes in South Korea: A multicenter cohort survey

초록

Gender-affirming surgeries (GASs) are becoming common in South Korea; however, patient experiences remain underexplored. This study investigated experiences of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals who underwent GAS in South Korea. This multicenter study was conducted at 8 institutions between January and October 2024. TGD individuals who underwent at least one GAS were surveyed regarding demographics, type of surgery, and patient-reported outcome measures including satisfaction and self-perceived effects of GAS using a Likert scale. Among the 844 respondents, 382 (45.3%) underwent at least 1 GAS. Surgery rates were the highest among trans men (75.2%) and nonbinary individuals assigned female (59.1%), compared to trans women (31.7%) and nonbinary individuals assigned male (22.0%). The median age at first surgery was 26 years. Most respondents (98.9%) underwent gender-affirming hormone therapy for a median of 5 years. Common procedures included orchiectomy (80.7%) and vulvoplasty (63.6%) in trans women, and mastectomy (99.5%) and hysterectomy (73.7%) in trans men. High satisfaction was reported with gonadectomy (85.1%) and chest/breast surgery (77.8%); satisfaction was relatively low for genital surgeries (62.4%) and voice feminization (56.6%). Participants noted improvements in gender expression (94.2%), quality of life (91.0%), self-esteem (90.2%), mental health (88.9%), and gender congruence (88.4%). In conclusion, satisfaction with GAS was high, especially for gonadectomy and breast/chest surgery. TGD individuals reported that GAS improved gender congruence, gender expression, quality of life, self-esteem, and mental health. To improve the health of TGD individuals in South Korea, accessibility to GAS must be improved. (c) 2025 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

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