The Hysterectomy Experience of Transgender Women Undergoing Masculinization Surgery and Sex Reassignment Surgery A Qualitative Study
Project no. 23427 · Status: Kapanmış · 2022
Summary
<p>Transsexuality, which is expressed as a state of conflict between a person's internal perception of himself and his physical state, and gender reassignment surgery, which enters our lives, is a process that requires a multidisciplinary and long-term approach, such as psychiatry, endocrine and surgery. In this process, surgical treatment, especially the genital surgeon, is the last step that should be considered and decided very well. Considering that the number of people who have undergone gender reassignment surgery in our country has increased in recent years; It is thought that it is important to reveal what is experienced before and after the hysterectomy surgery performed in the process of gender reassignment from woman body to man body, and how their perceptions about hysterectomy. The aim of the study is to increase the awareness of health professionals about the care needs in this group and to improve the experience of patients and the quality of care. In this direction, the aim of this study is to reveal the experiences of transgender individuals who had hysterectomy for gender reassignment in a university hospital in Izmir before and after the operation, their perceptions regarding hysterectomy, and their expectations and support needs from health professionals. In the research, the phenomenological approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used, and data were collected by interviews with an in-depth interview method. In this study, maximum variation sampling, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used for sample selection. The study was completed with 20 participants who had hysterectomies between February 2022 and February 2023. In the study, three main themes and 11 categories were created: (a) Experiences of Body and Gender Identity, (b) Experiences of Health Professionals and the System, and (c) Postoperative Mental and Physical Recovery. As a result of the study, it was determined that trans individuals experienced many difficulties and troubles throughout the whole process, but they felt more relaxed and happy after the hysterectomy. It was determined that the participants had expectations from health professionals and society about the increase in awareness of the trans process and the normalization of the process and the improvement of legal procedures.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p>