A world-leading genital reconstructive surgeon is seeing a rising stream of people wishing to reverse their sex-change surgeries. So far, Professor Miroslav Djordjevic’s patients have been men who had their male genitalia removed to facilitate their transition to the sex they claim to be but now regret their transition and want to reverse the surgery. Reattaching the male genitalia is a complex procedure and takes several operations over the course of a year to fully complete, at a cost of some 18,000 euros. Those wishing the reversal, Djordjevic says, have spoken to him about crippling levels of depression following their transition and in some cases even contemplated suicide. “It can be a real disaster to hear these stories,” says the 52-year-old. And yet, in the main part, they are not being heard as there is a taboo surrounding the subject. Recently a University in the UK rejected a proposal to study transgender regret as the subject was deemed “potentially politically incorrect” and fears that social media criticism could impact the reputation of the institution. “Definitely, reversal surgery and regret in transgender persons is one of the very hot topics,” he says. “Generally, we have to support all research in this field.” Following conversations with those upon whom he has helped perform reversals, Djordjevic says he has real concerns about the level of psychiatric evaluation and counselling that people receive elsewhere before gender reassignment first takes place. While the World Professional Association for Transgender Health guidelines currently state nobody under the age of 18 should undergo surgery, Prof Djordjevic fears this age limit could soon be reduced to include minors. Were that to happen, he says, he would refuse to abide by the rules. “I’m afraid what will happen five to 10 years later with this person,” he says. “It is more than about surgery; it’s an issue of human rights. I could not accept them as a patient as I’d be afraid what would happen to their mind.”
