THE GENITOURINARY TRACT

As surgeons of the genitourinary tract, urologists are likely to see increased demand from transgender patients both for general urologic care and for needs specific to surgical transition.
Gender-confirming surgery, previously described as sex reassignment surgery, includes procedures that alter an individual’s body to resemble that of their identified gender. Urologists may be involved in providing surgical castration, genital reconstruction, or in managing complications of genital reconstruction. Beyond gender-confirming surgeries, transgender patients may have unique urologic needs as a result of hormonal therapy or prior reconstruction.
In this article, we will provide an overview of the urologist’s role in caring for patients undergoing gender transition as well as urologic concerns of transgender men and women.