Long-term psychosexual and psychosocial performance of patients with a sigmoid neovagina

Sexual and social adjustment appears to be satisfactory in male-to-female transsexuals and women with vaginal abnormalities who have surgery to create a new vagina from colon tissue. Interviews were conducted with 10 male-to-female transsexuals and nine women with vaginal dysgenesis who had had surgery to create functional vaginas. Their physical and psychological adjustment was followed for an average of 52 months. Vaginal dysgenesis is an abnormal formation of the vagina that usually occurs during embryonic development. Overall, 18 of 19 patients had an adequate anatomic vagina on physical examination for size. Eighteen of the patients reported having sexual intercourse. Sexual adjustment was rated as either good or satisfactory in 12 patients. Doubts about their female identity were raised by more than half of the patients with vaginal dysgenesis. None of the transsexuals expressed doubts about their identity. In 16 patients social adjustment was rated as good or satisfactory. Two transsexuals were rated as doubtful on the social adjustment scale, primarily because relations with family members were causing distress.