Genital surgeries tend to reduce the capacity for orgasm in males, and may do so in females

One study showed that around 30% of male-to-female genital surgeries result in the inability to orgasm1.

Figures on female-to-male transitioners are less clear. However, a clinical follow-up study2 of 38 transmen – 29 of whom had received phalloplasty, and 9 metoidioplasty – found that reported loss of orgasmic capacity was more marginally common than reported gain of orgasmic capacity.

The negative intrapsychic and interpersonal consequences of anorgasmia (the inability to climax) is well-documented, and applies equally to transgender individuals3.

  1. Manrique, O., Adabi, K., Martinez-Jorge, J., Ciudad, P., Nicoli, F. and Kiranantawat, K. (2018). Complications and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Male-to-Female Vaginoplasty—Where We Are Today. Annals of Plastic Surgery 80 (6): 684-691. [Link] ↩︎
  2. van de Grift, T., Pigot, G., Kreukels, B., Bouman, M., & Mullender, M. (2019). Transmen’s Experienced Sexuality and Genital Gender-Affirming Surgery: Findings From a Clinical Follow-Up Study. Journal Of Sex & Marital Therapy 45 (3): 201-205. [Link] ↩︎
  3. Levine, S. (2018). Informed Consent for Transgendered Patients. Journal Of Sex & Marital Therapy, 45(3), 218-229. [Link] ↩︎
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