Photo Credit: JosuOzkaritz

For adults and minors, most breast reductions performed on cisgender males, transgender, and gender-diverse (TGD) people are performed on cisgender males, according to a research letter published in JAMA Network Open. The study authors characterized the relative use of gender-affirming surgeries by TGD and cisgender populations. TGD people who received a gender-affirming procedure were identified; the rate of people who received a gender-affirming procedure with a TGD-related diagnosis per 100,000 total people was calculated for adults or minors. The proportion of breast reductions used by cisgender males without a TGD-related diagnosis and TGD people was compared. In 2019, 47,437,919 adults were insured and 22,827,194 minors (16.8%, 11.9%, and 71.3% of the age 15 to 17, 13 to 14, and 12 years or younger, respectively) were insured and included in the sample. The researchers found that the rate of undergoing a gender-affirming surgery with a TGD-related diagnosis was 5.3 per 100,000 total adults compared with 2.1, 0.1, and 0 per 100,000 minors from the age of 15 to 17, 13 to 14, and 12 years or younger, respectively. Overall, 59.7% and 96.4% of gender-affirming surgical procedures identified among adults and minors were chest-related procedures. Eighty percent of the 636 breast reductions among cisgender male and TGD adults were performed on cisgender males; 97% of the 151 breast reductions among cisgender male minors and TGD male minors were performed on cisgender male minors.