Check age eligibility for surgery with gonadectomy/hysterectomy
STEP 1 — Gather Information
Collect patient's date of birth (or current age), verify legal age of majority in the patient's jurisdiction, and confirm that the planned genital surgery involves gonadectomy and/or hysterectomy.
STEP 2 — Rule In / Rule Out
Is the patient's age ≥18 years or ≥ the legal age of majority? If yes, rule in as age‑eligible; if no, rule out as age‑ineligible.
STEP 3 — Classify or Stratify
If age‑eligible, classify as ready for further surgical readiness assessment; if age‑ineligible, classify as not yet eligible and schedule reassessment upon reaching the required age.
STEP 4 — Decide
Proceed to comprehensive surgical evaluation for age‑eligible patients; defer gonadectomy/hysterectomy discussion and schedule follow‑up for age‑ineligible patients.
Clinical Guardrails / Mimics / Pitfalls
Do not rely on chronological age alone if local law defines majority differently; ensure decision‑making capacity is confirmed; avoid proceeding based solely on parental consent in jurisdictions where the patient is not of legal majority; do not confuse this threshold with hormone‑therapy age criteria; consider that some patients may have delayed puberty affecting perceived maturity.
Concrete Clinical Example
A 17‑year‑old transgender male requests hysterectomy; age is below 18, so surgery is deferred until the patient reaches the legal age of majority.
Source: Endocrine Treatment of Gender-Dysphoric/Gender-Incongruent Persons, Endocrine Society, 2017, DOI:10.1210/jc.2017-01658
TODO: consider adding scripts/calc.py for the es-check-age-gonadectomy-hysterectomy-surgery calculator