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Review
. 2022 Feb;33(2):106-113.
doi: 10.1177/09564624211046997. Epub 2021 Oct 6.

Anatomical and sexual health considerations among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty: A review

Affiliations
Review

Anatomical and sexual health considerations among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty: A review

Olivia T Van Gerwen et al. Int J STD AIDS. 2022 Feb.

Abstract

As acceptance of transgender and gender diverse individuals continues to increase, gender-affirming surgery, a cornerstone in the management of gender dysphoria, is becoming more readily available. HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) disproportionately affect these populations, but there are limited epidemiologic and management data on STIs in people who have undergone gender-affirming genital surgery such as vaginoplasty. This review will provide clinicians with anatomical details about the various vaginoplasty procedures currently being performed, complications associated with these procedures, and an overview of the current literature describing HIV/STI epidemiology among transfeminine individuals who have undergone vaginoplasty.

Keywords: Transgender; neovagina; sexually transmitted infections; vaginoplasty.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: CAM has received research grant support from NIH/NIAID and Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; serves as a consultant for Abbott Molecular, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cepheid, and BioFire Diagnostics; receives honoraria from Elsevier, Abbott Molecular, Cepheid, Becton Dickinson, Roche Diagnostics, and Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. All other authors have no relevant conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Anatomy of vaginal and vulvar components. PS: penile skin; NVBG: neurovascular bundle and glans; CSU: corpus spongiosum and urethra.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Skin graft in transfeminine vaginoplasty. (A) Skin graft placed on dilator to estimate neovaginal depth. (B) Skin graft sewn into penile skin and overlaid on dilator before inversion into neovaginal cavity.

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