Jazz Jennings Reveals Third Gender Confirmation Surgery

Jazz Jennings is having a good gap year.

The I Am Jazz star announced last fall that she was taking a year off of school and deferring her Harvard admission. "I decided to delay college so that I could focus on taking a deep breath with all of the recent events of my life," the 19-year-old recently told The New York Times. "I just needed a year to focus on my mental well-being and get in the right head space. I'm very glad I took a gap year and plan on starting school at Harvard in the fall."

It seems that she is doing just that. The reality star just announced that she had a third gender confirmation surgery, saying that it went well. "I'm feeling so great after completing my third surgery!" she wrote in an Instagram post. "This third procedure was for cosmetics, and I'm super happy with the results. Thank you to everyone who has followed my journey and supported me along the way."

The fact that the surgery went so well came as a huge relief to Jennings and her family, as Jennings' previous operation had not been so successful. Jennings went under the knife for the first time in June 2018 at the age of 17, but things didn't go as planned.

"There was just an unfortunate event and setback where things did come apart, and there was a complication," she told ABC News that October. "I had to come back in for another procedure, but it was just all part of the journey. The good thing though is that it was only cosmetic and external so it wasn't too dramatic."

She added, "My life wasn't in danger. I had the guidance of two incredible surgeons, and they really just supported me throughout the entire process and took control over the matter."

In a clip from I Am Jazz (via People), one of Jennings' doctors, Dr. Marci Bowers, admitted the first surgery did not go as planned. "This has been a real journey, hasn't it?" she said. "We knew it would be tough — it turned out tougher than any of us imagined. I think in hindsight we would have never sent you home from the hospital."

Jennings' father, Greg, wasn't as laid back about the complications as his daughter had been. "You know, it's nice to hear, 'I did something,' and acknowledging that," he said of the doctor's admission. "On the other hand, there's the medical side and an expectation that really should have been met."

Thankfully, all seems well after this third surgery and Jennings is on the road to recovery. "Although this surgery was one of the scariest moments of my life, I am so glad I was there to stick by your side the entire way," wrote Jennings' brother, Sander, in the comments of her Instagram post.

In December 2019, Jennings took to Instagram to show off the surgery scars on her upper thighs. "I'm proud of my scars and love my body just the way it is," she wrote in the caption of the post. "I call them my battle wounds because they signify the strength and perseverance it took to finally complete my transition."

Jennings hoped to inspire other people by showing the world her scars. "I hope that people appreciate the strength and perseverance it took to complete my transition and have the courage to be body confident," she told The New York Times. "We all have bodies — some are bigger, some are smaller, some have scars."

The New York Times asked Jennings if she has any regrets about having her first surgery done at such a young age. 

"I have no regrets when it comes to the surgery," she said. "Even though I was young, I knew what I wanted and got the surgery right when I was meant to. Yes, experiencing the complications sucked, but it all worked out in the end."

Jennings added that gender confirmation is lifesaving and should be covered by insurance. "This is a controversial question because some consider this specific procedure as an 'elective' surgery undergone by choice rather than necessity," she said. "However, I disagree wholeheartedly. Gender dysphoria is a real condition and this surgery saves lives. It IS a necessity for so many transgender people and should absolutely be covered by insurance. So many trans people are suicidal due to the insecurities they feel being stuck in the wrong body."