Center for Gender Surgery

Gender dysphoriaoccurs when there is a conflict between the gender you were assigned at birth and the gender with which you identity. This can create significant distress, and you may feel uncomfortable in your body. The Center for Gender Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital offers gender affirmation surgery services to eligible adolescents and young adults who are ready to take this step in theirjourney. It is the first center of its kind in the U.S. in a major pediatric hospital setting.

Our approach to gender surgery

As the first pediatric center in the country dedicated to the surgical care of transgender patients, we take an interdisciplinary approach from the start to ensure exceptional patient care. Our skilled team includes specialists in plastic surgery, urology, endocrinology, nursing, gender management, and social work, who collaborate to provide a full suite of surgical options for transgender teens and young adults. Our experiencedanesthesia teamworks to provide culturally sensitive care to the gender-diverse community. By partnering with the hospital's nationally recognizedGender Management Service (GeMS), which provides a range of medical options for transgender youth, we help young people with gender identity concerns transfer seamlessly to surgical care if and when they are ready.

The Center currently offersvaginoplasty,metoidioplasty,phalloplasty,chest reconstruction,breast augmentation,facial harmonizationand other gender affirmation surgeries to eligible patients. We follow the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) guidelines to surgically treat people who are stable in their gender identity and havedocumentationof persistent gender dysphoria. You do not need to be a GeMS patient to have surgery at the Center.

Our areas of innovation in gender surgery

The Center's setting in an academic medical center means that our clinicians are able to benefit from Boston Children's rich community of scientific and clinical resources. As the Center grows, we hope to further expand our understanding of gender concerns and surgical techniques by leading and participating in variousresearchprojects. Our areas of interest include access improvements to gender-affirming surgery, fertility intentions and concerns of transgender young adults, and educational interventions regarding post-surgical self-care.

Read and listento WBUR's coverage of the Center for Gender Surgery.