🌅 Today’s stat: 1%

SOURCE

Bustos et al. (2021)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Despite political narratives, research shows nearly all transgender patients who undergo some form of gender-affirming surgery are happy with their choice. The share of transgender patients who report regret after gender-affirming surgery is smaller than not only the share of the broader population who report regretting similar surgeries (14%), but also than the share of people who report regret after undergoing breast augmentation (5-9%), becoming a parent (7%), or having weight-loss surgery (19.5%).

WHY IT MATTERS

• The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the World Medical Association, and the World Health Organization all support gender-affirming care for adults and children (though medical experts in Europe take a different approach to child and adolescent patients than providers in the U.S.). Research also suggests access to gender-affirming surgeries may reduce levels of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among transgender people.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• This week, a federal judge blocked an executive order issued by President Trump that aims to restrict gender-affirming care for people under age 19. Evidence suggests only a small percentage of trans youth in the U.S. receive any form of gender-affirming care or surgery, and the effects of the interventions that are available to trans adolescents, like puberty blockers or hormone replacement therapy, aren’t always permanent if patients, their families, or providers choose to delay or forgo treatments.