The Ministry of Health changed the gender restrictions of 271 medical procedures offered by the SUS (Unified Health System) as a way of expanding access to exams, surgeries and other procedures for transgender and transvestite people. The measure was published through the SAES/MS ordinance No. 1,693, in the Official Gazette of the Union, on May 10 .
A revision was made considering an injunction issued by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in the scope of the Claim of Non-compliance with Fundamental Precept No. 787, which orders the Ministry of Health to adopt measures to adapt and update information systems, including the SIA-SUS ( Ambulatory Information System) and the SIH-SUS (Hospital Information System).
Before the measure, certain gynecological or urological examinations and procedures could only be carried out by one sex or the other, female or male. This made it difficult for transgender men to access gynecological and obstetric exams and for transgender women and transvestites to have urological and proctological exams, for example, because they had changed the sex information on their identification documents.
In an article previously published on CNN, gynecologist Sérgio Henrique Pires Okano, professor at USP and member of the LGBTQIAP+ scientific department of the Brazilian Association of Studies in Medicine and Sexual Health (Abemss) explains that, despite the changes, the bodies of trans men have organs female reproductives and that medical monitoring for this population must be continuous, as well as the monitoring of cisgender women (who identify with the gender assigned at birth).
This also applies to transgender women, who need specialized healthcare, determined according to what is being or has already been done for gender transition, according to Caio Portela, from the Health Care Center for Trans People at the Hospital Sírio-Libanês, also in an article already published on CNN. Medical and multidisciplinary monitoring allows for a more complete approach to health.
What has changed?
Through the ordinance, the folder modifies, in the Table of Procedures, Medications, Orthoses, Prostheses and Special Materials of the SUS, the attribute sex, adopting the term “both” for procedures such as mammography, pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound, prenatal consultations, mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy, childbirth, among others. As a result, there is no longer any gender restriction for carrying out these procedures.
Other exams and procedures covered by the changes include:
- Ultrasonography of the scrotum;
- Prostate ultrasound;
- Hormonal treatment preparatory to sexual reassignment surgery;
- Gynecomastia treatment;
- Gynecological cancer radiography;
- Penis radiotherapy;
- Prostate radiotherapy;
- Cervical biopsy;
- Colposcopy;
- Rapid pregnancy test;
- Vasectomy.
See the complete list of updated exams from the SUS Table of Procedures, Medications, Orthoses, Prostheses and Special Materials here.
*With information from Lucas Rocha and Simone Machado
Source: CNN Brasil

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