Testosterone Use Linked to Vaginal Lacerations, Bleeding in Transgender Hysterectomy Patients

New study finds higher rates of lacerations and vaginal bleeding in transgender hysterectomy patients on testosterone, following a previous study of pelvic floor dysfunction linked to testosterone.

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Christina Buttons is an independent journalist with a forthcoming report on the connection between autism and gender dysphoria, as well as a detransition survey awaiting publication. She is developing a website that will feature the latest data, studies, and fact-checks that will debunk activist arguments related to gender medicine. If you would like to support her work, please consider a paid subscription to her Substack or making a donation.

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A new study has found that trans-identified female patients on testosterone face an increased risk of lacerations and vaginal bleeding after undergoing a “minimally invasive hysterectomy.” The study follows another report from just one month earlier, which found that trans-identified females on testosterone have a high incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin conducted a study analyzing past data from surgical and medical records at a single, large academic center. They reviewed phone calls, emergency room visits, and clinic visits over 90 days post-surgery. The aim was to compare complications in trans-identified female patients on testosterone with those not on testosterone.

The study included patients aged 18 to 55 who had a minimally invasive hysterectomy, with or without the removal of ovaries, between January 2014 and December 2022. This procedure, which involves removing the uterus through small incisions, is often offered to transgender patients as a “gender-affirming hysterectomy.”

The study group included 88 patients on testosterone who identified as male, transgender male, genderqueer, or nonbinary. The control group included 242 patients who identified as female, genderqueer, or nonbinary and were not using testosterone. Patients using testosterone were generally younger, had lower body weight, better overall health, and were more likely to have never given birth, with a median of 2.5 years on testosterone.