Sexual function of transgender women after gender affirming surgery: A mini review

A transgender person has a gender identity opposite to the sex assigned at birth. Transgender individuals may have altered sexual function (SF) due to psychosocial factors related to body image distortion, shame, and dissatisfaction with genital appearance, and these conditions can increase the risk of sexual dysfunction. This study aimed to characterize the SF of trans-women after gender affirming surgery (GAS). We reviewed the Pubmed database for studies published between January 2008 and December 2021. 17 studies were included, four were cross-sectional studies, one prospective study, four prospective cohort studies, five retrospective studies. The instruments used to evaluate the SF were female sexual function index, semistructured questionnaires, patients' opinion, Sexual Desire Inventory, Maudsley Marital Questionnaire-S, WHOQOL-100. The results of our review indicate there is weak evidence that GAS improves the SF of trans-women. We thus recommend that future studies use questionnaires that are validated for the assessment of the SF of trans-women to better determine the impact of genital surgery in this population.