Transgender Post-Op Pelvic Pain Treatment & Specialists

Pain After Gender Affirmation Surgery

Understanding Transgender Post-Op Pelvic Pain

Gender affirmation surgery is often critical for trans people to alleviate gender dysphoria and live in a body that truly matches their inner self. It’s also a major surgical procedure that significantly changes the anatomy of the pelvic region and can cause a range of side effects. Some pain and discomfort are normal during recovery from gender reassignment surgery, but some patients have additional issues that impede the normal healing process and may cause pain to linger or even worsen over time.

Surgery or other trauma to the pelvis can cause the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles to go into a “chronic guarding state” in which the muscles shorten, becoming spastic and weak. This can result in pain from irritation of the pelvic nerves. Surgery can also leave behind scar tissue and pelvic adhesions which affect blood flow and can contribute to nerve pain.

Causes of Pain After Gender Affirmation Surgery

Pre-Existing Conditions that Contribute to Transgender Post-Op Pain

Broadly speaking, you are more likely to experience pain symptoms following surgery if you have suffered from pelvic pain issues in the past. There are a number of pre-existing chronic pain conditions that can overlap and cause additional problems following surgery.

Myofascial pelvic pain
Fibromyalgia
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Chronic migraines
Interstitial cystitis (IC) or bladder pain syndrome (BPS)
Endometriosis
Adenomyosis
Fibroids
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Men’s Health Services

Pelvic Pain Specialists

Sexual Health

Women’s Health

Treatment Options for Lower Abdominal & Groin Pain

Once a proper diagnosis has been given, we offer a proprietary office-based procedure to treat the underlying causes of your pelvic pain following surgery. This treatment consists of a series of pelvic nerve and muscle treatments to directly target the spastic pelvic floor muscles, inflammation in the pelvis, and nerve pain. Depending on the condition causing your pain, other modalities may be needed in addition to our treatment. Since the cause of pelvic pain following gender-affirmation surgery can be multifactorial, the most effective treatment option is a multimodal approach that targets many different contributing factors.

Frequently Asked Questions: Gender Affirming Surgery Pain

Experiencing pain after your transgender operation can be difficult, but our team of pelvic pain specialists will listen to you, validate your experiences and symptoms, and partner with you on your rehabilitation journey.

How much pain is normal following gender affirmation surgery?

Typically patients are cleared to resume normal activity by their surgeon after about two months, but because each patient and surgery is different, and everyone heals at their own pace, the timeline is different for everyone. Communication and dialogue are key – if you are experiencing worsening or debilitating pain, you should report it to your physician and seek treatment.

How can gender-affirming surgery cause pelvic pain, even if I do not have a pre-existing condition?

Why should I see a pelvic pain specialist for transgender post-op pelvic pain?

Because your pain may be the cause of an underlying pelvic health condition that is new or you have previously been experiencing, seeing a pelvic pain specialist who understands your symptoms will allow you to receive the proper treatment for your condition sooner.

What can I expect at my first appointment?

First, our providers will ask questions about your medical history and listen to your symptoms to get a full picture of what is going on with you.

Next, an external exam of your hips, abdomen, and posterior sacrum.

Next, your pelvic nerves are evaluated externally with a soft cotton tip.

Next, with your consent, gel is placed on a gloved finger and an internal exam is performed to allow us to evaluate the nerves and muscles within the pelvis.
There is no speculum required as we are evaluating the pelvic floor muscles and nerves, not the organs.

Sometimes patients will need Imaging to help us understand if there is an associated cause of the pelvic nerve and muscle pain and dysfunction found on the exam.

Oftentimes, treatment can be started the same day as there is no downtime. Our patients have been suffering with pelvic pain symptoms for 6+ months. We like to get them on the road to feeling better as soon as we can as the longer the symptoms are present the harder it is for us to resolve them.

Pain After Gender Affirming Surgery? We Can Help

Transgender Post-Op Pelvic Pain