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Gender-Affirming Surgical Care

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Pediatric Gender Identity

Abstract

An increasing proportion of transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals are pursuing gender-affirming surgery (GAS), but surgery in the TGD youth population remains controversial. Differing opinions among providers and advocates add to the complexities of surgical decision-making. Evaluating patient candidacy is a shared responsibility of the entire multidisciplinary team. Primary care and mental health providers play a critical role in educating their patients and referring appropriate individuals to surgeons for more rigorous evaluation of their candidacy for GAS. There is no discrete algorithm that can determine which patients should proceed with surgery. The needs and goals of each patient must be weighed alongside a number of other considerations, including patient age, medical and psychological history, type of surgery requested, lifestyle factors, social support, and resources. Above all, the decision to proceed with surgical care must involve shared decision-making among the patient and all members of their care team.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic Surgery, Rhode Island Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Vikram G. Mookerjee, Jonathan P. Brower & Daniel Kwan

Authors
  1. Vikram G. Mookerjee
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  2. Jonathan P. Brower
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  3. Daniel Kwan
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Michelle Forcier

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA

    Gerrit Van Schalkwyk

  3. Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Jack L. Turban

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Mookerjee, V.G., Brower, J.P., Kwan, D. (2020). Gender-Affirming Surgical Care. In: Forcier, M., Van Schalkwyk, G., Turban, J. (eds) Pediatric Gender Identity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38909-3_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38908-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38909-3

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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