A prominent surgeon stated that the complications from vaginoplastic surgery that aims at removing male genitals and creating a vagina “can be pretty bad” and noted that there was “a growing number of programs throughout the world of gender affirmation, probably with a lack of training and not proper training,” according to the video of a presentation that the Daily Caller News Foundation obtained through a public records request.
“Complications can be pretty bad for vaginoplasty and the most-dreaded complication is to perforate the rectum while you are dissecting the vaginal cavity,” Dr. Alex Laungani, a Canadian surgeon, who has “expertise in trans surgical care,” said at an event sponsored by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).
“You are essentially dissecting the vaginal cavity between the prostate and the rectum and there’s literally no space there,” he said. “So, you have to create a new plain in a spot that doesn’t exist. So, you’re very close to the rectum and it’s very hard–it’s very easy to get in there. We don’t, I mean, the more you do it, the less risk you have, of course.”
WPATH is a medical organization that has published an influential clinical guidance on transgender health care called Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People (SOC). Laungani’s presentation, entitled “Foundations in Surgery,” was part of an educational series recorded in September 2022 for licensed clinicians seeking WPATH certification in transgender health care. Laungani is a WPATH member,
The WPATH Standards of Care recommend that transgender surgeons be educated, trained and supervised on how to perform sex reassignment surgeries. However, Laungani said in his presentation that as the number of sex-reassignment programs had grown, it was likely some surgeons had not received adequate training.
“We’ve seen a growing number of programs throughout the world of gender affirmation, probably with a lack of training and not proper training, for now,” said Laungani. “And so, you know, better ca–any care was better, probably, than no care. So, it did allow individuals to have access to surgery. But it’s time just to make sure that we have the right training and that everybody has the same standard because the patients deserve it.
By Megan Brock
