The “vote” urban residents cast when they make decisions about public services has implications for service delivery in local government. We utilize probability data from one of the nation’s largest municipalities to explore potential gender disparities in willingness to pay for local public services: whether men and women differ in their general orientation toward paying for services; whether any gender gaps are exacerbated in particular service areas; and whether any gender disparities have implications for community governance. Men and women report strong predisposition to paying generally, although glaring gender gaps exist that are both theoretically and practically insightful.

Background: Persistent adolescent gynecomastia negatively affects health-related quality of life. Surgery results in psychosocial improvements, but the effects of postoperative complications on health-related quality of life are unknown. The authors examined whether complications following adolescent gynecomastia surgery impact postoperative health-related quality of life. Methods: Patients aged 12 to 21 years who underwent surgical correction of unilateral/bilateral gynecomastia between 2007 and 2019 were enrolled (n = 145). Relevant demographic and clinical data were obtained from medical records. Fifty-one patients completed the following surveys preoperatively, and at 6 months and 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 years postoperatively: 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (Version 2), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test. Results: Within a median period of 8.6 months, 36 percent of breasts experienced at least one complication. The most common were residual tissue (12.6 percent), contour irregularities (9.2 percent), and hematomas (7.8 percent). Patients reported significant postoperative improvements in self-esteem and in seven health-related quality-of-life domains (Physical Functioning, Role-Physical, Bodily Pain, Vitality, Social Functioning, Role-Emotional, and Mental Health) at a median of 33.3 months. Postoperative survey scores did not vary by grade or procedure, or largely by body mass index category or complication status. However, patients aged younger than 17 years at surgery scored significantly higher than older patients in the Short-Form Health Survey Vitality and Mental Health domains postoperatively. Conclusions: Health-related quality-of-life improvements are achievable in adolescents through surgical correction of persistent gynecomastia. Postoperatively, patients largely experienced similar health-related quality-of-life gains irrespective of complication status, grade, surgical technique, or body mass index category. Minor postcorrection complications are but do not appear to limit postoperative health-related quality-of-life benefits.

Background: Progestin-only contraception has become increasingly popular among adolescents. However, patients, parents, and providers share concerns regarding the potential impact that progestin-only contraception may have on breast growth. We sought to explore the impact of progestin-only contraception on breast hypertrophy and symptomatology in adolescents with macromastia. Methods: Patients between the ages of 12 and 21 years undergoing reduction mammaplasty were prospectively assessed for baseline and postoperative breast symptomatology and medication use. The medical records of female controls within the same age range were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 378 participants with macromastia and 378 controls were included in analyses. A higher proportion of controls used progestin-only methods compared with participants with macromastia (28.0% versus 5.3%, P < 0.001). The most commonly prescribed methods were the depot medroxyprogesterone acetate injection (31.0%), levonorgestrel-containing intrauterine device (31.0%), and subdermal implant (26.2%). Patients with macromastia who used progestin-only contraception had a greater amount of breast tissue resected during reduction mammaplasty ( P = 0.04), reported greater musculoskeletal pain ( P = 0.008), and were roughly 500% more likely to experience breast pain (odds ratio, 4.94; 95% confidence interval, 1.58–15.47; P = 0.005) than those with macromastia who never used hormonal contraception. Conclusions: Adolescents with macromastia who use progestin-only contraception may have greater breast hypertrophy and worse breast and musculoskeletal pain. When appropriate, providers may wish to consider other contraception methods for patients who are at-risk for breast hypertrophy or those who suffer from macromastia-related symptoms.