Why it's done

Transgender women who seek top surgery might experience distress due to a difference between experienced or expressed gender and gender assigned at birth (gender dysphoria).

While many transgender women use estrogen to stimulate breast growth, they might not feel that their resulting breast size is adequate. Some continue to wear external prostheses or padded bras. Others choose to have surgery to change the appearance of their chest. Transgender people relate to their bodies differently and need to make individual choices that best suit their needs.

Your doctor might recommend against top surgery if you have:

• Unmanaged mental health conditions
• Significant health conditions, such as heart or kidney disease, a bleeding disorder, or a history of blood clots in a deep vein (deep vein thrombosis) or in a lung (venous thromboembolism)
• Any condition that limits your ability to give your informed consent