Moreover, chest dysphoria increased by 0.33 points for every month that passed between a youth starting testosterone therapy and undergoing surgery, results of a linear regression analysis showed.
Most survey respondents reported that they were currently taking testosterone: 87% of the nonsurgical group and 97% of the postsurgical group.
Of the individuals who had undergone chest reconstruction, one (less than 1%) reported regretting the procedure “sometimes,” said Dr. Olson-Kennedy and her coauthors.
The mean age of survey participants was 17 (13-23 years) and 19 years (14-25 years) in the nonsurgical and postsurgical cohorts, respectively.Based on the results, Dr. Olson-Kennedy and her associates called for changes to clinical practice and to insurance plans, which sometimes require 12 months of continuous testosterone therapy prior to chest surgery. “Individualized, patient-centered care plans should be considered the standard of care for all transgender adolescents, and referrals should be made accordingly.”
Dr. Olson-Kennedy and her coauthors reported no conflicts of interest related to the study, which was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.
SOURCE: Olson-Kennedy J et al. JAMA Pediatrics. 2018 Mar 5. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.5440.