As the debate over transgender school policies and sex-change procedures for minors has played out nationwide and in Maine, a common refrain from far left advocates of gender ideology has been that the alternative to “gender affirming care” is higher rates of suicide among those experiencing gender dysphoria.
However, a new study from the American Urological Association’s Journal of Urology suggests not only that this argument lacks scientific support, but that surgical interventions may in fact increase suicidality among individuals who receive feminization surgeries, i.e. vaginoplasty.
In other words, the surgical interventions that transgender activists have pushed as a cure for gender dysphoria may actually increase the risk of suicide in already at-risk populations.
The comprehensive study, among the first to examine the prominent argument from proponents of transgender surgeries, evaluated a cohort of patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria in California who received either feminizing (vaginoplasty) or masculinizing (metoidioplasty/phalloplasty) surgical interventions.
The researchers identified a significant occurrence of psychiatric emergencies among individuals undergoing the so-called “gender-affirming” surgeries, with a notably higher rate of suicide attempts observed in those undergoing vaginoplasty compared to phalloplasty.
The study, which spanned from 2012 to 2018, relied upon data from California’s Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.
The investigation revealed that out of 869 patients who underwent vaginoplasty and 357 who had phalloplasty, 22.2 percent and 20.7 percent, respectively, experienced at least one psychiatric encounter post-operation, which included emergency room visits and inpatient psychiatric care.
Notably, the incidence of suicide attempts post-vaginoplasty was more than double that of the phalloplasty group.
The finding directly contradicts an argument that has been advanced in Maine’s legislature in favor of expanding access to sex-change surgeries, including for 16- and 17-year-olds who lack their parents’ consent.
The implications for Maine are dire.
[RELATED: Sex-change Surgeries, Paid for by Taxpayers, Rising Sharply in Maine…]
Thanks to policy changes made by Gov. Janet Mills (D), Maine taxpayers actually subsidize sex-change surgeries and sex-change drugs, which means Mainers may in some cases being paying for procedures that increase suicidality among patients suffering from mental illness.
The study further demonstrated that the likelihood of a psychiatric encounter after surgery significantly increased if there was a recorded episode prior to the surgery, with rates of 33.9 percent for the vaginoplasty group and 26.5 percent for the phalloplasty group. Moreover, the overall rate of suicide attempts among patients who underwent vaginoplasty doubled after surgery, an effect not observed in the phalloplasty group.
The researchers concluded that while rates of psychiatric emergencies remain high for both groups undergoing sex-change surgeries, the increased risk of suicide attempts among vaginoplasty patients compared to phalloplasty patients—and notably higher than that of the general population—indicates a critical need for targeted mental health support.
The publication of the study coincides with a shifting medical consensus among European health agencies, which have in recent years advocated for psychological counseling rather than surgical or pharmaceutical interventions in cases of gender dysphoria.
