SOWH + WPATH + Argentina = Awesome Community Building
Two SoWH members are traveling to Argentina this weekend as presenters at the World Professional Association of Transgender Healthcare (WPATH) International symposium (Nov 3-6, 2018).
Sandra Gallagher PT, WCS and Caitlin Smigelski DPT from Portland, Oregon will be presenting with an Oregon Health and Sciences University (OHSU) team. The topic is Physical Therapy for People Undergoing Gender Affirming Vaginoplasty.
The Transgender Health Program at OHSU has embraced physical therapy (PT) as an important aspect of transgender care. At the outset of the program, the surgeon preforming vaginoplasties wanted PT involved preoperatively to improve knowledge about dilation. Intentionally including PT in the treatment plan has expanded to teaching pre-operative stretching, proper pelvic floor exercises, general conditioning and screening for and resolving bowel and bladder disorders and post-op follow-up.
An important part of the program has been teaching people positioning for dilation. Most people undergoing surgery learned from those before them about dilation, word of mouth or YouTube videos. Some positioning commonly used for dilation can actually make dilation more difficult and affect tissue healing. Applying biomechanical and anatomical advice to correct positioning can make dilation easier and more successful for patient. The involvement of PT has been well received by the trans community and both Sandra and Caitlin are excited to be sharing this information on an international stage with the goal of improving care for transgender people everywhere by involving PT with vaginoplasty. Physical therapy also has a role with other gender affirming surgeries and non-surgical conditions that affect people who are transgender or gender nonbinary.
We look forward in a future blog post from Sandi and Caitlin about their experiences networking, presenting and connecting at the WPATH Symposium 2018.
About WPATH
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), formerly known as the (Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (HBIGDA), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, interdisciplinary professional and educational organization devoted to transgender health. Our professional, supporting, and student members engage in clinical and academic research to develop evidence-based medicine and strive to promote a high quality of care for transsexual, transgender, and gender-nonconforming individuals internationally. We are funded primarily through the support of our membership, and through donations and grants sponsored by non-commercial sources.
