Surgery can be an important step in the journeys of many transgender people in their pursuit to live comfortably and authentically as themselves. The ability to get necessary medical care is integral for democracy, and the ability for transgender folks to choose when, how, and why they get gender affirmation surgery is important for bodily autonomy. Learn about the basics of related surgeries in this post. Looking for information about HRT or general transgender resources?

DISCLAIMER: It is still common for people to believe transgender people must get “the surgery” or at least be actively pursuing it. There are even people who believe you must get “the surgery” before identifying as transgender – while “the surgery” usually refers to bottom surgery, also known as genital surgery or sex reassignment surgery, these notions are both false. Surgery is a personal choice, and there are many reasons why a transgender person may want or not want a procedure – it doesn’t make them less transgender.

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Glossary

The following are frequently used terms that will help guide your understanding of this article. It isn’t comprehensive, but it’s a great starting point.

GENDER AFFIRMATION SURGERY

The most modern term for any surgery done to affirm the gender of a transgender person – which includes all of the surgeries in this article. There is no single surgery all transgender people seek to get, which is why “gender affirmation surgery,” or GAS, fits in today’s language. Other terms include gender confirmation surgery, gender reassignment surgery, and sex reassignment surgery – while they have different connotations, they generally mean the same thing.

The only term not advised to use is “sex change.” This term is usually considered offensive due to its negative connotation and usage.

PRE-OP/POST-OP/NON-OP

These terms are all short-hand and slang used within the transgender community to describe surgery status.

Pre-op, or pre-operative, refers to a transgender person who seeks a gender affirmation surgery of some sort but has not received it due to a variety of reasons, like medical barriers, cost, physical health, safety, etc.

Post-op, or post-operative, refers to a transgender person who sought a gender affirmation surgery and has received it.

Non-op, or non-operative, refers to a transgender person who does not seek a certain gender affirmation surgery and does not plan to pursue it out of personal choice, rather than the barriers mentioned for pre-op individuals.

It is possible to be pre-op, post-op, and non-op at the same time – these terms are usually used within the community for specific surgeries as well as surgical status as a whole. Someone can consider post-op for having a chest reconstruction surgery, pre-op for seeking bottom surgery like metoidioplasty, and non-op for not wanting to pursue a procedure like facial surgery.

MEDICALLY NECESSARY

This term is often used within healthcare and insurance to describe whether a treatment will be covered by your insurance provider. Medically necessary treatments are services that are deemed as important for diagnosing, treating, or preventing an illness or injury. To qualify as medically necessary, treatment must be regarded as effective for your condition and must be done per generally accepted medical practices.

At the end of the day, transgender healthcare is considered medically necessary because it’s supported by all major medical institutions and is backed by decades of research proving the positive impact of trans-related treatments. Not all treatment options are considered medically necessary, though, and this article will point out which are and which are not.

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Requirements for Gender-Affirming Surgery

Any surgeon who performs gender affirmation surgeries should follow the standards of care guidelines by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which has produced these standards based on best healthcare practices since its founding in 1979. For historical context, WPATH was originally known as the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association – named after Harry Benjamin, who worked with Magnus Hirschfeld to provide healthcare to transgender and queer folks in pre-Nazi Germany.

WPATH has recently gotten negative media attention, sparked by the executive order by President Donald Trump “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.” The order, fueled by Project 2025, falsely accuses WPATH of being “junk science” despite decades of peer-reviewed research and being internationally agreed as the best treatment standard for gender dysphoria. Ordering all government agencies to rescind any policies that use WPATH, Trump and Project 2025 use actual junk science to fuel their anti-transgender claims.

The 8th edition of the Standards of Care was released in 2022, and research and guidelines on surgery are detailed in Chapter 13.

“In appropriately selected TGD individuals, the current literature supports the benefits of GAS. While complications following GAS occur, many are either minor or can be treated with local care on an outpatient basis. In addition, complication rates are consistent with those of similar procedures performed for different diagnoses (i.e., non-gender-affirming procedures)… The efficacy of top surgery has been demonstrated in multiple domains, including a consistent and direct increase in health-related quality of life, a significant decrease in gender dysphoria, and a consistent increase in satisfaction with body and appearance. Additionally, rates of regret remain very low, varying from 0 to 4%… Although different assessment measurements were used, the results from all studies consistently reported both a high level of patient satisfaction (78–100%) as well as satisfaction with sexual function (75–100%). This was especially evident when using more recent surgical techniques. Gender-affirming vaginoplasty was also associated with a low rate of complications and a low incidence of regret (0–8%).”

– Standards of Care Version 8, WPATH on the effectiveness of gender-affirming surgery.

“If written documentation or a letter is required to recommend gender affirming medical and surgical treatment (GAMST), only one letter of assessment from a health care professional who has competencies in the assessment of transgender and gender diverse people is needed…

Criteria for Surgery:
a. Gender incongruence is marked and sustained;
b. Meets diagnostic criteria for gender incongruence prior to gender-affirming surgical intervention in regions where a diagnosis is necessary to access health care;
c. Demonstrates capacity to consent for the specific gender-affirming surgical intervention;
d. Understands the effect of gender-affirming surgical intervention on reproduction and they have explored reproductive options;
e. Other possible causes of apparent gender incongruence have been identified and excluded;
f. Mental health and physical conditions that could negatively impact the outcome of gender-affirming surgical intervention have been assessed, with risks and benefits have been discussed;
g. Stable on their gender affirming hormonal treatment regime (which may include at least 6 months of hormone treatment or a longer period if required to achieve the desired surgical result, unless hormone therapy is either not desired or is medically contraindicated).”

– Standards of Care Version 8, WPATH summary requirements for adult surgery.

There are two main takeaways from WPATH’s standards on surgery: the main qualifier to be eligible for gender affirmation surgery and have it be considered medically necessary is identifying with having gender dysphoria for a substantial length of time – usually between six to twelve months; most additional requirements like letters and use of hormone replacement therapy are optional.

Just like I explained regarding HRT, you are not going to find a licensed provider that would be willing to operate on someone who just suddenly ‘decided’ they are transgender – they must firmly believe that you understand the gravity of gender-affirming surgery, that you can fully consent to the procedure, and you are aware of its potential benefits and risks. Any media outlet or online personality that states otherwise is purposely lying to garner attention. While letters are not necessarily required according to WPATH guidelines, written documentation from a healthcare professional or mental health provider establishes the first requirement under WPATH – it gives proof to both your prospective surgeon and insurance company that you have experienced gender dysphoria for a set amount of time.

A decade ago, it was common for surgeons to require additional hoops for transgender people to access gender-affirmation surgery. Most often, surgeons required their prospective patients to have written documentation proving they had been on hormone replacement therapy for up to three years before they would consider them eligible for surgery. These HRT requirements weren’t usually pushed by insurance providers but existed as an additional safeguard for surgeons to lengthen the process of care – but it also served as a method of gatekeeping. Hormone replacement therapy is still a requirement for select surgeries where the effects of HRT have a direct positive impact on the result of a surgery, like testosterone and metoidioplasty. Other surgeries, like vaginoplasty or phalloplasty, may require electrolysis or laser hair removal. Going back further in time, surgeons also commonly required patients to have “real-life experience,” or proof that they were living as their chosen gender “full-time” – these requirements disproportionally barred individuals who were unable to transition out of safety, which is why they fell out of favor, although today’s societal acceptance of transgender people means more folks can live as themselves before surgery.

These requirements are not the same as those placed on transgender minors – WPATH has different guidelines for youth procedures:

“Criteria for Surgery:
– A comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment including relevant mental health and medical professionals;
– Involvement of parent(s)/guardian(s) in the assessment process, unless their involvement is determined to be harmful to the adolescent or not feasible;
– If written documentation or a letter is required to recommend gender-affirming medical and surgical
treatment (GAMST), only one letter of assessment from a member of the multidisciplinary team is
needed. This letter needs to reflect the assessment and opinion from the team that involves both medical and mental health professionals (MHPs).

a. Gender diversity/incongruence is marked and sustained over time;
b. Meets the diagnostic criteria of gender incongruence in situations where a diagnosis is necessary to access health care;
c. Demonstrates the emotional and cognitive maturity required to provide informed consent/assent for the treatment;
d. Mental health concerns (if any) that may interfere with diagnostic clarity, capacity to consent, and
gender-affirming medical treatments have been addressed; sufficiently so that gender-affirming medical treatment can be provided optimally.
e. Informed of the reproductive effects, including the potential loss of fertility and the available options to preserve fertility;
f. At least 12 months of gender-affirming hormone therapy or longer, if required, to achieve the
desired surgical result for gender-affirming procedures, including breast augmentation, orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, hysterectomy, phalloplasty, metoidioplasty, and facial surgery as part of
gender-affirming treatment unless hormone therapy is either not desired or is medically contraindicated.”
– Standards of Care Version 8, WPATH summary requirements for youth surgery.

Some of the requirements are the same – but there are important distinctions. WPATH has a longer length for HRT usage than adults, and their standards also dictate the requirements for HRT and puberty blockers in transgender youth. They must have reached Tanner stage 2 of puberty to be eligible for either treatment and have their parents or legal guardians involved in the process. Written documentation has a higher bar set on who can write it for it to be valid for surgery. Youth must also demonstrate emotional and cognitive maturity in addition to proving they fully understand their treatment options. Combined, these standards make surgery incredibly difficult for transgender youth to pursue and push them to wait until after they turn 18, and the requirements lessen. These requirements also firmly debunk false accusations by anti-transgender individuals who claim minors are getting these surgeries en masse – the only surgery trans youth tend to have access to is top surgery or chest reconstruction, which still has all of the above requirements associated with it.

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Financing Gender-Affirming Surgery

Surgery is expensive – especially in the United States, which makes money one of the primary barriers in whether transgender folks can pursue gender affirmation surgery. The first step towards financing your surgery is to deep-dive into your insurance coverage. Federal law prohibits most commercial and government insurance programs from discriminating against transgender-related care – but it still happens.

Confused by the American healthcare system and don’t know where to start with insurance? Click here.

Public Health Providers

Medicaid is the largest public insurance provider in the United States, run as a joint federal and state program to provide free medical coverage to low-income Americans based on income. Each state and territory has its own requirements for Medicaid, so you have to look into the specific policies relevant to where you live. In the majority of the country, transgender-related care is covered by Medicaid for adults – either explicitly by state protections or implicitly by the above protections in federal law. However, Trump’s executive order “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” currently bans any transgender-related coverage to minors through government programs like Medicaid, Medicare, and TRICARE. This order is being sued in court, but it has not yet been paused by federal courts – until then, the order causes immense harm as it shuts down gender-related care at major hospitals.

At the time of this article, 10 states ban transgender-related coverage in their Medicaid programs: Idaho, Arizona, Texas, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, and South Carolina. However, as mentioned in this post, it’s worth remembering that not all adults are eligible for Medicaid since 10 states also ban single adults from applying entirely, regardless of income.

Medicare is a federal program that provides medical coverage to people with disabilities as well as older adults ages 65 and older, regardless of income status. Since it is run federally and not controlled by individual states, Medicare offers less flexibility than programs like Medicaid but is less discriminatory as a whole. Since 2014, Medicare has covered transition-related surgery, and there is no national exclusion for transgender treatments. In practice, Medicare deals with trans-related healthcare the same as it does other forms of coverage – each individual is covered on a case-by-case basis based on whether the care is deemed clinically necessary. Learn more here.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs provides free healthcare to anyone who has served in the armed forces and did not receive a dishonorable discharge, while active service members are covered by TRICARE until their service is complete. The VA will cover most transgender-related procedures, including hormone replacement therapy, binders, prosthetics, mental health care, and voice coaching – but the VA still prohibits any coverage of transition-related surgery regardless of medical need. Read more about VA coverage here.

Due to Trump’s executive order “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” transgender people are again banned from serving in the United States armed forces. It is unclear whether this ban will dishonorably discharge American servicemembers, similar to the previous Trump ban, but a similar act would bar transgender people from using VA health services despite their service. Since transgender individuals are banned from the military, TRICARE does not offer transition-related services to its active members – although it still currently provides limited treatment coverage to family members of active members as long as they are at least 19 years old.

All Native Americans recognized by a Federally recognized tribe are eligible for free healthcare coverage through Indian Health Services within their official IHS district or reservation. While IHS provides gender-affirming coverage for treatments within their scope, there is no information about their procedures due to the Trump directive to purge government health websites of data – including transgender issues and other unrelated topics. While the federal courts have ordered the administration to restore the data, this story is still developing.

Incarcerated individuals are one of the few groups in the United States entitled to healthcare protected as a constitutional right – although there are no standards of what minimum healthcare must be provided for free since it is not codified or elaborated in law. Gender-affirming care, including hormone replacement therapy and surgery, are supposedly protected rights – but most prisons have barriers in place, like requiring proof of care before arrest. These barriers are what cause a quarter of transgender inmates to be denied healthcare, even though accrediting organizations like the National Commission on Correctional Health Care recommend transgender procedures.

Commercial Providers

The majority of Americans use commercial insurance through the Healthcare Insurance Marketplace or their employer when they do not meet the criteria for other providers like Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare, IHS, VA, TRICARE, etc. Anyone at least 18 years old and not currently incarcerated is eligible for the Marketplace as long as they are lawfully living in the United States and are not eligible for Medicare – individuals eligible for Medicaid are recommended to use the Marketplace since it also issues coverage for those meeting their state guidelines. Out2Enroll is the best national resource for researching care guidelines – their information is entirely free and user-friendly, and their Trans Health Insurance Guides page has up-to-date data for transgender coverage in each state.

Only two US states currently permit commercial insurance providers to refuse gender-affirming care: Mississippi and Arkansas. Mississippi’s law only relates to gender-affirming care for minors, whereas Arkansas’ law applies to everyone regardless of age. As mentioned previously, this law directly violates federal law – but it must be successfully sued to be taken down.

Historically, these laws focus on whether commercial providers are allowed to deny transgender-related care. Zero laws intend to outlaw transitional treatments entirely and prevent providers from opting to cover them – in Arkansas, there are still insurance companies that cover transgender treatments even if they’re ‘allowed’ to deny coverage. While there are entities that seek to outlaw transgender care entirely (ex. Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation), it’s exceedingly unlikely to take that jump – and if it did, the crisis in the United States would cause an international precedent of allowing transgender Americans to flee as refugees due to the depth of that jump. Instead, it is more likely that anti-transgender organizations and people in power will tear away at American healthcare protections in attempts to federally legalize coverage discrimination rather than outright banning coverage.

For information about commercial insurance that is not covered by Out2Enroll, check out Advocates for Trans Equality’s Trans Health Project – their site goes in-depth on legal rights regarding commercial coverage and how to navigate its systems.

Crowdfunding & Grants

In the age of the internet, crowdfunding is a common route many transgender folks use to finance transgender-related surgeries when their primary insurance provider fails them, or they lack coverage entirely. The most commonly used platforms are GoFundMe, Donorbox, and Facebook – although all of these sites take a percentage of the money raised. GoFundMe is the largest crowdsource site, but it’s known to take the largest cut compared to alternatives. Non-personal organizations and nonprofits have a larger variety of sources out there, like Givebutter, while individuals can raise money without losing a percentage through direct money transfer apps like Cash App, Venmo, Paypal, and Zelle.

Point of Pride has several programs that provide free funding to transgender folks in need of gender-affirming care like surgery, HRT, electrolysis, chest binders, femme shapewear, and other needs like wigs, prosthetics, fertility preservation, vocal training, etc. They use factors like financial need and Medicaid/healthcare insurance coverage to disperse their funds to a limited number of individuals each year. Other national organizations with similar funds include Genderbands, TransMission, TUFF, Trans Lifeline, Queer Trans Project, Dem Bois, For the Gworls, Black Trans Fund, and the Jim Collins Foundation. Many regional organizations and LGBTQIA+ community centers offer similar funds for people local in their area.

Credit

This option is less advised compared to the above routes – if possible, use any insurance coverage you have and work your way down this list. Personal loans through online lenders and credit unions are the best route for borrowing money for gender affirmation surgery, with their own pros and cons. Online personal loans can be used for nearly any purpose, including medical costs, and range up to $100,000 but can be expensive if you don’t pay attention to your monthly payment and annual percentage rate. Credit unions offer similar personal loans at lower interest rates but use your credit score to determine whether you qualify for their funding.

The most common credit card associated with healthcare costs is CareCredit, which offers zero-interest financing for a designated term. However, the downside to CareCredit is that it defers interest after its promotional period if you fail to finish your payments within that period – and CareCredit’s standard APR is 29.99%. Depending on your credit score, other credit cards offer alternatives with lower interest rates than CareCredit.

Lastly, some surgeons and healthcare providers offer payment plans similar to credit financing that break up large medical bills into more affordable monthly payments. Make sure you read the terms before signing and negotiate with your provider to understand additional billing fees associated with using a payment plan.

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Common Gender-Affirming Surgeries

🚻 BODY CONTOURING. Associated with: Any/All Genders. Set of surgical procedures that uses liposuction, fat grafting, and skin excision techniques to sculpt the body to appear more feminine, masculine, or androgynous. Can be covered as medically necessary on a case-by-case basis with sufficient documentation of gender dysphoria. Recovery time of two to three weeks, average cost of $8,500 to $19,500 without coverage.

🚺 BREAST AUGMENTATION. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedure that utilizes breast implants to create a female breast contour, especially when combined with estrogen-based hormone replacement therapy. Can be covered as medically necessary, especially if breast contour from HRT is insufficient to alleviate gender dysphoria. Also known as MTF top surgery. Recovery time of four to eight weeks, average cost of $5,000 to $10,000 without coverage.

🚹 CHEST RECONSTRUCTION. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that removes the breasts through a variety of techniques to create a male chest. Widely considered medically necessary and is the most common gender-affirming surgery for transmasculine individuals. Also known as FTM top surgery or a mastectomy. Recovery time of six to eight weeks, average cost of $3,500 to $10,000 without coverage.

🚺 ELECTROLYSIS. Associated with: Transfeminine. Non-surgical technique that permanently removes hair regardless of hair type or skin color but is slower than laser hair removal (which works best for dark hair and light skin and does not work on blonde, gray, white, or red hair). Widely considered medically necessary and commonly covered with prior authorization. Recovery time of two to three weeks per session, average cost of $30 to $150 per session without coverage.

🚺 FACIAL FEMINIZATION. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedures that transform traditional male facial features into shapes, sizes, and proportions associated with female features. Considered medically necessary. Also known as FFS. Recovery time of six to twelve months, average cost of $4,500 to $100,000 without coverage.

🚹 FACIAL MASCULINIZATION. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that masculinizes facial features, especially in individuals who do not receive sufficient masculinization from testosterone through hormone replacement therapy. Can be considered medically necessary with sufficient documentation of gender dysphoria. Also known as FMS. Recovery time of six to twelve months, average cost of $1,000 to $20,000 without coverage.

🚻 HAIR TRANSPLANTS. Associated with: Any/All Genders. Surgical technique that creates hairlines associated with male or female stereotypes and restores hair loss. Can be deemed medically necessary but not commonly covered by most insurance providers without sufficient documentation for gender dysphoria. Recovery time of ten days per session, average cost of $4,000 to $15,000 without coverage.

🚹 HYSTERECTOMY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedures that remove the uterus or womb. Total hysterectomies remove the cervix, although the removal of the ovaries varies based on patient preference and medical need. The three main procedures include laparoscopic, vaginal, and abdominal – while abdominal is the most common, it is the most invasive and has the most associated complications. Widely considered medically necessary. Also known as masculinizing lower surgery or hysto. Recovery time of six weeks, average cost of $16,000 to $17,000 without coverage.

🚺 LARYNGOCHRONDOPLASTY. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedure performed as a type of facial feminization surgery to reduce the size of the Adam’s apple by removing thyroid cartilage. Can be considered medically necessary. Also known as a tracheal shave. Recovery time of two to four weeks, average cost of $3,000 to $10,000 without coverage.

🚹 METOIDIOPLASTY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that creates a small phallus from existing genital tissue formed from clitoral enlargement from testosterone-based hormone replacement therapy. Widely considered medically necessary when accompanied by medical documentation. Also known as meta. Recovery time of six weeks, average cost of $4,000 to $60,000 without coverage.

⚧️ NULLIFICATION. Associated with: Nonbinary. Surgical procedure that reroutes the urethra to the perineum to create a gender-neutral appearance to the genitals. Compared to other genital surgeries, gender nullification is relatively new and was introduced as an option due to the growing number of medical professionals well-versed in nonbinary identities. Can be considered medically necessary, although you may have to combat your insurance provider due to it being considered more experimental than other genital surgery options. Also known as nullo or eunuch surgery. Recovery time of six to eight weeks, average cost of $15,000 without coverage.

🚹 OOPHORECTOMY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that removes the ovaries, halting the natural production of estrogen. Considered medically necessary and often done alongside hysterectomies. Recovery time of two to six weeks, average cost of $7,000 without coverage.

🚺 ORCHIECTOMY. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedure that removes the testicles/testes, halting the natural production of testosterone. Widely considered medically necessary and can be done alongside other gender-affirming genital surgeries. Recovery time of two to four weeks, average cost of $2,000 to $8,000 without coverage.

🚺 PENECTOMY. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedure that removes the penis and relocates the urethra to allow the individual to urinate more freely. Considered medically necessary. Recovery time of four weeks, average cost of $8,000 without coverage.

🚹 PHALLOPLASTY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that creates a penis using tissue grafted from another part of the body, such as the forearm or hip. Widely considered medically necessary when accompanied by medical documentation. Also known as phallo. Recovery time of twelve weeks, average cost of $25,000 to $50,000 without coverage.

🚹 SCROTOPLASTY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that creates a scrotum using skin from the labia and a silicone implant, often done in conjunction with other genital surgeries like metoidioplasty or phalloplasty. Considered medically necessary. Recovery time of eight weeks, average cost of $3,000 to $5,000 without coverage.

🚹 SCROTOPLASTY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that creates a scrotum using skin from the labia and a silicone implant, often done in conjunction of other genital surgeries like metoidioplasty or phalloplasty. Considered medically necessary. Recovery time of eight weeks, average cost of $3,000 to $5,000 without coverage.

🚹 URETHROPLASTY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that repairs and lengthens the urethra during gender-affirming genital surgery to allow the individual to urinate while standing using their new anatomy. Widely considered medically necessary. Recovery time of six weeks, average cost varies based on accompanying procedures.

🚹 VAGINECTOMY. Associated with: Transmasculine. Surgical procedure that removes the vaginal lining and closes the vagina, reducing the complications associated with other genital surgeries like metoidioplasty and phalloplasty. Widely considered medically necessary. Recovery time of six to eight weeks, average cost varies based on accompanying procedures.

🚺 VAGINOPLASTY. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedures that transform male genitals into functional and aesthetic vaginas and vulva. Widely considered medically necessary. Recovery time of six to eight weeks, average cost of $20,000 to $30,000 without coverage.

🚺 VOICE SURGERY. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedure that alters the voice to better fit traditional male and female stereotypes. While possible for transmasculine and nonbinary individuals, it is more commonly associated with transfeminine transitions since testosterone-based hormone replacement therapy naturally alters the voice, whereas estrogen-based HRT does not. Can be considered medically necessary. Recovery time of six months, average cost of $5,500 to $9,000 without coverage.

🚺 VULVOPLASTY. Associated with: Transfeminine. Surgical procedure that removes the penis, scrotum, and testicles while also creating a labia, clitoris, and urethral relocation – but unlike vaginoplasty, it does not create a vaginal canal and instead has a zero/shallow-depth dimple constructed. Can be considered medically necessary. Recovery time of six to eight weeks, average cost of $20,500 to $22,000 without coverage.