Genital Tucking Practices in Transgender and Gender Diverse Patients

Abstract

Genital tucking (tucking) is the practice of hiding or minimizing the appearance of one’s genitals and gonads. We aimed to better understand the prevalence of tucking and its potential effect on behavior and health. An online questionnaire was distributed to adults with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria or gender incongruence (n = 98). The risk of side effects increased with the length of tucking sessions (P = 0.046) with many patients avoiding medical care despite experiencing side effects. Health care providers should empathetically discuss tucking and its potential risks and benefits with transgender and gender diverse patients. Further research is needed to better quantify the potential risks involved with tucking and to assist in developing educational resources.