A huge study of more than 100,000 transgender people has uncovered alarming mental health challenges faced by transgender individuals after undergoing so-called “gender-affirming surgeries.” The findings are raising serious questions about the long-term effects of these irreversible procedures.  

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Texas and published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, tracked 107,583 patients aged 18 and older with gender dysphoria. Researchers assessed their mental health two years post-surgery and found that transgender individuals suffer from “heightened psychological distress,” including depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, “partly due to stigma and lack of gender affirmation,” the study said.

For males who underwent surgery, the numbers are devastating — 25 percent faced depression, compared to 11.5 percent among males who had not had surgery, and anxiety rates rose to 12.8 percent compared to 2.6 percent. Similar trends were observed among females, with 22.9 percent  experiencing depression after surgery compared to 14.6 percent in the group that hadn’t gone through surgery. Anxiety wasn’t far behind, with rates at 10.5 percent for females who underwent surgery versus 7.1 percent for those who didn’t.  

Even more concerning, those who had surgeries aiming to “feminize individuals” exhibited “particularly high” levels of depression and substance abuse. The researchers emphasized that these findings spotlight the “necessity for gender-sensitive mental health support” post-surgery.  

“These surgeries can be critical in helping individuals align their physical appearance with their gender identity, but they are not a cure-all for the mental health challenges transgender individuals face,” Manhattan-based psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News.

“The findings show that surgery alone doesn’t erase the deeper psychological burdens stemming from stigma and identity struggles. Sometimes, taking a scalpel to a psychological issue can lead to even greater challenges,” he said.

In a 2022 study, about 1.4 million American adults identify as transgender (roughly the same as a study in 2017) , with 0.6 percent of all adults experiencing gender dysphoria. However, the startling upward trend of gender dysphoria among young people is raising eyebrows. Recent studies suggest that the number of 18- to 24-year-olds who identify as transgender has increased five-fold in the past decade, to more than 3 percent in 2023 from 0.60 percent in 2014.

Mr. Alpert attributes part of this trend to cultural and social influences, openly pointing to “social contagion” and the role of social media in amplifying these struggles. While increased awareness has provided some children with an outlet to express themselves, he warns of “peer influence” and rushed life-altering decisions.  

Mark Trammell, who is the executive director for The Center for American Liberty, has been active in helping those who want to detransition because they regret their surgeries. “The findings should serve as a wake-up call,” he told Fox.

Yet for detransitioners, these are not just statistics, they are life-altering realities. “Their so-called ‘gender-affirming care’ didn’t solve their struggles but instead created new mental health battles, often introducing suicidal thoughts for the first time,” Mr. Trammell said.