Post-Op

"Post-op" is short for post-operative and describes a transgender person who has had gender-affirming surgery, often used in reference to genital or "bottom" surgery though it can apply to other procedures. It is a medical descriptor rather than an identity, and it sits alongside "pre-op" (planning surgery) and "non-op" (not seeking surgery). Not every transgender person wants or pursues surgery, and transition has no single required endpoint. Access, cost, health, and personal choice all shape the path someone takes. Because surgical status is private medical information, asking whether someone is pre-op or post-op is generally intrusive unless the person has chosen to share it themselves.