Research Study Proves Value Of Care That Provides Gender Euphoria, Confirming Almost No One Regrets Getting Top Surgery
Trans rights are human rights, always.
Maskot via Canva; Juan Moyano via Canva The outcomes of a study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association on August 9, 2023 showcased the importance of providing gender-affirming medical care to people who want it. The study was released amidst many recent legislative restrictions on queer and trans people’s bodily autonomy.
Researchers posed the question, “What is the rate of regret and satisfaction with decision after 2 years or more following gender-affirming mastectomy?” The results reinforce a deeply-rooted truth: people deserve the right to decide how they want to exist in their own bodies.
The study proves the inherent value of offering care that provides gender euphoria, confirming that almost no one regrets getting top surgery.
The authors of the cross-sectional study established that they analyzed responses from 139 people who had gender-affirming mastectomies, or top surgery. They conducted a survey of patients who received top surgery between January 1, 1990, and February 29, 2020. The median age of people who responded to the survey was 27.1 years old.
The study's “findings indicate low patient-reported long-term rates of regret and high satisfaction with the decision to undergo gender-affirming mastectomy.”
Photo: Anna Shvets / Pexels
The introduction noted that an “estimated 1.6% of U.S. adults identify as transgender or nonbinary,” acknowledging that for many people who experience gender dysphoria, “medical and surgical affirmation is essential... ensuring social acceptance.”
Top surgery is the most common gender-affirming medical procedure in the United States, and despite the narrative pushed by conservative politicians, the rate of regret is approximately 1%.
It needs to be acknowledged that there’s a prevalence of gender-affirming surgeries completed in the U.S. that cater specifically to giving cisgender people a sense of gender euphoria.
Healthline defines gender euphoria in simple terms, explaining that it's the act of "finding joy in how your gender is expressed and perceived... [and] feeling at ease or happy with the alignment of their gender identity and their gender expression."
For cis women, this might mean feeling good about breast shape and size. For cis men, it could mean feeling confident about having broad shoulders or a full head of hair.
Statistics from the Aesthetic Society that were published in an article from Surgical Times report that an average of 310,000 U.S. women have received breast implants each year, over the last 10 years. The article also noted that breast implant removal surgeries increased 87% from 2015 to 2021, a statistic showing that cis women commonly experience regret and dissatisfaction, so much so that they reverse their initial surgical procedures.
Photo: Lisett Kruusimae / Pexels
Men and women who are balding have unlimited access to hair transplants. Liposuction is readily available to people who want to reshape the structure of their bodies.
The fact remains that cis people can change their physicality without question or government interference, so why aren’t trans people afforded the same rights?
If conservative politicians truly want a smaller, less invasive government, they should stop creating laws meant to police people, full stop, end of sentence. We all deserve the right to choose how we want to look and how we want to be.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers issues related to the queer community, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.