Online Discussions of Gender-Affirming Surgery: An Analysis of Patient Sentiment and Experience from 3500 Reddit Posts

This study characterized Reddit discussions of gender-affirming surgery to better understand patient perspectives shared on social media. A cross-sectional and sentiment analysis of 3,500 posts between April-June 2024 examined procedure type(s), barrier(s) to care, discussion theme(s), and emotional tone. The most discussed procedures were masculinizing chest surgery (35.4%) and feminizing genital reconstruction (19.4%). Barriers were identified in 32.7% of posts, most commonly cost-related, although barrier profiles varied by significantly by procedure (p < 0.0005). Sentiment also differed by procedure, with masculinizing chest surgery associated with more positive discussions, highlighting procedure-specific challenges and emotional patterns that can inform patient-centered counseling.