The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCPG) has published a draft guideline and opened a consultation relating to the care of transgender and gender diverse people (TGD).
The new guideline ‘Care of Trans and Gender Diverse People within Obstetrics and Gynaecology’ Green-Top Guideline (GTG) uses the latest available clinical evidence on areas such as childbirth, contraception, fertility, gynaecological procedures and cancer treatment and care.
The guideline includes information on the advice TGD people should be offered about fertility preservation, including information on endocrine therapy, the purpose and techniques used in genital reconstructive surgery, and an explanation of gynaecological problems.
The guideline also calls on healthcare professionals to be sensitive in the language they use and the way they consult a TGD person, for example using their correct pronouns and receiving any information about a person’s gender diversity in a neutral and non-judgemental way.
The draft guideline will be open for consultation until Tuesday 6 September.
Phil Rolland, Consultant Gynaecological Oncologist who worked on the guideline, said: “It is highly likely that if an obstetrician or gynaecologist hasn’t already consulted or treated a trans or gender diverse patient then it is only a matter of time before they do.
“We have developed this evidence-based guideline to enable and support healthcare professionals in providing inclusive and accessible care for all. We know that trans people are more likely to have poor experiences when accessing healthcare and we can do better.
“We acknowledge that language is evolving rapidly in this area and publishing this guideline for consultation is part of the process of ensuring the final version of this guidance meets the need of both our clinicians and our patients.”
Dr Edward Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “This is an important guideline which aims to improve the care and experiences of transgender and gender diverse individuals accessing obstetric and gynaecological services.
“Sadly, trans and gender diverse individuals say they often feel judged and misunderstood by the health service. This can act as a barrier for them when it comes to accessing vital care and we as healthcare professionals have a role to play in making them feel listened to and recognised.
“This draft guideline is our first attempt to ensure we are providing personalised care for all our patients. We welcome feedback on this draft to ensure the guideline is the best as it can be for clinicians and the trans and gender diverse individuals who use our services.
“The RCOG is committed to ensuring obstetricians and gynaecologists provide care to the highest possible standard for everyone that needs it. Guidelines can be particularly useful to manage the care of small populations as they make the care safer, with less variation.”
Asha Kasliwal, President of The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, said: “We welcome RCOG’s initiative to develop a much-needed guideline to improve the obstetric and gynaecological care provided to transgender and gender diverse people.
“Gender diverse individuals often report poor experiences in healthcare, including being misgendered, feeling judged and being asked unnecessary and intrusive questions. This can result in many people failing to seek or continue healthcare because of concerns over how they will be treated. There are a number of reports detailing poor clinical outcomes as a result of failure to properly understand and evaluate gender diverse people’s healthcare needs.
“This draft guideline seeks to break down barriers and improve the experiences of trans and gender diverse people accessing obstetric and gynaecological services.
“This includes recommending healthcare professionals are sensitive in the language they use and the way they consult a trans and gender diverse person, for example using the correct pronouns when addressing someone and receiving any information about a person’s gender diversity neutrally and non-judgementally."
