Adolescents With Gender Identity Disorder Who Were Accepted or Rejected for Sex Reassignment Surgery: A Prospective Follow-up Study.(Statistical Data Included)

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, April, 2001 by COHEN-KETTENIS, PEGGY T.

ABSTRACT

Objective: To conduct a prospective follow-up study with 20 treated adolescent transsexuals to evaluate early sex reassignment, and with 21 nontreated and 6 delayed-treatment adolescents to evaluate the decisions not to allow them to start sex reassignment at all or at an early age.

Results: Postoperatively the treated group was no longer gender-dysphoric and was psychologically and socially functioning quite well. Nobody expressed regrets concerning the decision to undergo sex reassignment. Without sex reassignment, the nontreated group showed some improvement, but they also showed a more dysf unctional psychological profile.

Conclusions: Careful diagnosis and strict criteria are necessary and sufficient to justify hormone...