[Genital gender affirming surgery in trans women: Vulvo-vaginoplasty review]

Abstract

Introduction: A trans woman is a woman who was assigned male at birth, and who has a female gender identity. The majority are requesting a gender affirming genital surgery by vulvo-vaginoplasty. The objective is to review this surgery based on its history, then by presenting the different surgical techniques and their success and complication rates.

Material and methods: A narrative review was performed, based on a bibliography search with keywords from 2000 to 2022 on Pubmed.

Results: Vulvo-vaginoplasty for trans women began in 1931, and the first case series date from 1969. The procedure includes excision of scrotal skin, orchiectomy, clitoroplasty, urethroplasty, labioplasty, recto-vesico-prostatic dissection and creation of a vaginal cavity (performed by penile skin inversion and graft, intestine, or peritoneum). Vulvo-vaginoplasty by penile skin inversion (VPPI) is today the reference surgical technique. It represents the vast majority of surgeries performed with the longest follow-up. The majority of trans women are satisfied with the procedure aesthetically (90%) and functionally (80%), with an active sexuality. Major complications are rare (< 5%), they correspond to fistulas or vaginal stenosis.

Conclusion: VPPI is the gold standard technique with satisfactory overall results, but long-term follow-up is requested.

Keywords: Chirurgie d’affirmation de genre; Femme trans; Gender affirmation surgery; Sexuality; Sexualité; Trans woman; Vaginoplastie; Vaginoplasty; Vulvoplastie; Vulvoplasty.