Surgeon Urges Others to Learn FTM Procedure

A prominent
gynecologic cancer surgeon is urging fellow physicians to
reconsider offering a medical procedure for transgender
patients to aid in the transition from female to
male. Kate O’Hanlan, MD, a surgeon in private
practice in Portola Valley, Calif., provided evidence that
total laparoscopic hysterectomy can be the best approach for
many of these patients, the Rockway Institute
announced in a press release.

“Transsexual patients face enormous barriers in life,
and those continue into their medical
treatment,” O’Hanlan said in the statement.
"They endure stigma and misunderstanding even when
they go to their physicians for medical care."

O'Hanlan said
that most hysterectomies are performed through large
abdominal incisions or through the vagina, though the organ
may not be strong enough to withstand the procedure.
However in a laparoscopic hysterectomy, the uterus is
removed through several small incisions in the
abdomen. She said that total laparoscopic surgery is
underutilized; 15% of hysterectomies are performed
laparoscopically, and 5% are total laparoscopies.
(The Advocate)