Franches

Franches is a former patient of GrS Montréal et of Dr. Pierre Brassard. She is a strong proponent of self empowerment through knowledge and experimentation. Franches is also the author and publisher of HolaSoyYo.com (‘Hello, it’s me’ in Spanish), a blog where she shares her experiences and thoughts on changing gender expression.

www.HolaSoyYo.com

Not long ago, a close friend of mine asked me how to have a natural relationship with a neo-vagina? She was considering genital reconstruction surgery, but she felt uncertain about it. Hence her question to me. She had heard from a few friends that it took them up to 2 years to be ok with their post-op anatomy. That lag from her friends in becoming comfortable with their results made her doubtful.

After thinking hard about her question, I had an answer. I am sure that I have a healthy – good relationship with my neo-vulva (I had a vaginoplasty without cavity) because of my preparation for surgery.

When I say “preparation for surgery” I don’t mean packing my suitcase with everything I needed for the trip. I mean everything that lead me to consider the surgery and live with myself afterwards. Looking back, I can break up this preparation into 3 major phases. They are mostly sequential, but not necessarily. A consistent element through these major phases was making sure I’d answer each and every question I had about the process.

When I was offered to write this article, my first full draft was 7,000+ words long! As you can imagine, that would be too long for a single post. I decided to rewrite this more condensed version. Then I broke up my original long draft into 3 separate posts and linked to them from here. If you want to know more, at the end of each section in this article you’ll find a link to the longer, more detailed version on my blog.

First Phase: Unheeding From My Old Ways of Thinking

Where I Was Coming From

Let’s start from the beginning, a time before I even started considering surgery seriously. All my life I believed that changing my gender expression was not in the cards for me. Despite this I always wondered what it would be like to grow up and live in a girl’s body. Cut to 2015 when I started HRT along with changing my gender presentation. At that time, I simply wasn’t interested in genital surgery. I still kept that view after going full time, after having facial feminization surgery (FFS) and after my breast augmentation. It was sometime in 2017, while I was making arrangements for my mammaplasty, that I started thinking about a vulvoplasty or maybe a vaginoplasty. Yet every time I thought about surgery, there was something in my head stopping me from seriously considering it. It felt like I had a lot of questions but wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know what those questions were.

Wondering What Would Life be After Surgery

I could not clearly visualize how my life would change after surgery. This was one of the first mental blocks preventing me from considering surgery. Yeah, there were some changes that I was keen on, like not having to tuck anymore, but there were others I wasn’t sure.

An early question I had to answer was if I’d be able to pee sitting down for the rest of my life. Gee, even just writing this makes me see how basic the question was, but I didn’t see it like that then. Though I’d been peeing sitting for several years, I didn’t do it always. I’d pee standing if I felt a situation was too unsanitary.

To get the answer I was looking for I forced myself to pee sitting or squatting for about a year. I did it every time, no exception. Of course, it was possible, just the way 50% of the population has done it all their lives, but I had to experience it. I also wondered how my (scarce) sex life may change. For this one I was already satisfied without getting an accurate answer before surgery. Speaking with Dr. Brassard beforehand, he explained the procedure and how the glans would very likely still be erogenous. At the end I was happy with not knowing for sure but understanding my chances.

Rethinking my Relationship With my Genitalia

Here I get really personal, but I feel it’s important to open up. Though I don’t expect everyone to see my point of view, probably someone might relate a little. At the very least opening up helps explain a major hurtle I had before considering surgery. I clearly see now that this was my hardest mental block but then I wasn’t even aware of this. As mentioned above, most of my life I never thought I’d change my gender expression. Part of it was that I was happy with my body and the genitalia I was born with. It never caused me dysphoria or unease. If anything, I was ok with it and had lots of fun with it. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to start considering getting a vulvoplasty.

Digging Deep

Every time I thought about surgery, I felt there was something that wasn’t adding up. So I dug deep to find out what didn’t add up. After a lot of soul searching, I found I was allowing my penis to define me. This was a breakthrough because I could finally see what my main mental barrier was. If anything, this speaks a lot about how the patriarchal environment I grew up in affected me.

There was a tug of war in my mind. I wanted to consider surgery but how would I even think of getting rid of what defined me. Again, digging even deeper I questioned why I thought the genitalia I was borne with defined me. As soon as the question was asked the answer appeared: it clearly didn’t.

At that point my relationship with my penis switched from an element that defined me to something that didn’t add much value. I saw that after living full time it kind of got on the way more than anything. From that point on I could seriously consider having genital reconstruction surgery. If that mind shift hadn’t happened, most certainly I would have had a hard time developing a healthy relationship with my post-op physiognomy. You can read more details on some other mental barriers I had and how I dare to consider surgery on HolaSoyYo.com

Second Phase: Serenity Through Knowledge (Pre-op)

Once my primordial questions were answered it was time I’d get into the details. I wanted to get to know as much as I could about the surgical procedure. By doing so I could understand better what to expect aesthetically and during recovery. Then and only then I felt I’d be able to make a decision to either go ahead or not. At the end, all this knowledge helped me evolve a natural relationship with my results after surgery. Post-op it helped me get an intimate understanding what was done and how that influences my daily life.

Considering Surgeons

When it came to looking at surgeons and/or surgical centres, luck was on my side. My medical insurance covered surgery at GRS Montreal.

However, cost or insurance coverage was not the only or the main factor. The aesthetics of their results, my ability to have low friction communication, and their experience were the other important points I considered. The idea was to have all those elements ensured to feel at ease with the surgery, and more importantly with myself long term.

The patient coordinator at GRS Montreal helped me arrange a consultation with Dr. Brassard. A number of weeks prior to my surgery I spoke with him over the phone. At that time, he answered my long list of questions. This also gave me a small insight into the surgeon’s personality and philosophy. On top of this, knowing that they perform hundreds of genital surgeries a year, both male and female, added to my confidence in them.

Thoroughly Understanding the Procedure

As I’ve mentioned a few times, I did not decide on having surgery until I understood the procedure, risks, and recovery protocols. I spent countless hours reading and learning about the different feminizing genital surgery options. Personally, I rather get medical facts opposite to personal accounts from other patients. The main reason is that anecdotal information is always coloured by the speaker. On the other hand, medical documentation is often based on years of impartial clinical observations, for the most part.

I based my understanding of the procedure mostly from the package that GrS Montreal sends its patients. Also, by reading about the procedures on the websites of multiple surgeons/surgical centres helped me grasp the concepts. The information package from GRS Montréal contained invaluable details about pre-op preparations, the procedure itself, and aftercare protocols.

I strongly advise anyone considering genital surgery to read the official documentation. Parts A,B, and postoperative care (Part C) of GRS Montréal’s patient information package are linked off their website. Look for the links at the end of their respective webpages, which are also quite insightful:

• Vaginoplasty
• Vaginoplasty without vaginal cavity (vulvoplasty)

I too relied heavily on my discussions with the psychologists during each of my two surgical assessments. Before deciding on having surgery, I went through the assessment process to get medical information, not to get approved. I believe this gave me some clarity because during the assessments I was not rushing ‘to get accepted’. Rather my interest was to learn as much as I could and then make an informed decision.

Recognizing and Accepting the Risks

If understanding the procedure and recovery was important, recognizing the possible risks was paramount for my peace of mind. My first opportunity to ask someone qualified about the risks was during the surgical assessment process. The next big chance to enquire about risks and complications was during my phone consultation with Dr. Brassard.

Reading through the GrS Montreal information package and multiple surgeons’ websites I got a fairly clear perspective on the risks and aftercare. I also met with a registered nurse at my local gender clinic before surgery. Chatting with her, plus my conversations with the surgeon and psychologists, and the reading materials I studied, all helped me see and accept the risks.

As a PSA (Public Service Announcement) I want you to be aware of the most common risks and complications in vaginoplasties (with or without cavity). It’s a good idea to familiarize with some of these if you or someone you know is considering surgery:

• Infection/Abscesses.
• Hypergranulation
• UTIs (urinary track infections).
• Recto-vaginal Fistula (does not apply to vulvoplasties).
• Prolapse of the neovagina (does not apply to vulvoplasties).
• Hair growth inside the neovagina (or inside the dimple vestibule in a vulvoplasty).
• Loss of sensation and inability to orgasm.

Download the TRS Surgical summary sheets from Rainbow Health Ontario and look for the Vaginoplasty sheet for concise clinical information.

You can find more details of how I gathered knowledge and made the decision to have surgery on my blog. Many of those details relate to the pre and post-op planning documentation GrS Montréal provided as well as other sources of factual information.

Last Phase: Confidence in Recovery (Post-op)

In my opinion recovery is the Holy Grail. Surgery is just a point in time, a quick methodical controlled trauma. Then recovery starts. All my prior mind shifting regarding my genitals, the learning, questioning, and understanding was to prepare for recovery and life beyond. The first few weeks and months post-op are crucial. From past surgeries I learnt that the more support one can get during early recovery, the easier, or rather less complicated it would be.

By going through my mental shift that allowed me to consider surgery, and learning as much as I could, I was able to increase my confidence in my decision. Following a consistent theme, all these later contributed to my natural relationship with my neo-vulva. All even before I left home to Montréal. However, my recovery’s contribution to the satisfaction with my results built up as it happened. Meaning that for the most part my confidence grew during recovery, and not prior.

Not Bothering with Things Outside my Control

Are you happy with your results? How much it hurts? What is sex like? How does it look? How does it feel? These are examples of some of the questions people get post-op. At first, I had similar questions though I realized that the answers didn’t matter. They were really not important because there was no way to know. Someone may tell you their perspective, but creating a personal expectation based on someone else’s subjective narrative, in my opinion, is not a good idea. A very simple example: If you ask me if I’m happy with my results, the answer is yes. Though that answer should be meaningless to you unless you knew what my expectations were.

When it came to things outside of my control, I did not spend much time thinking about them before I had to face them. Another example: I knew I would be uncomfortable and most likely in pain the first few days. How much? The only way to know was to go through recovery and see how much it’d hurt at the time. The way I prepared was by expecting the most painful experience ever, though chances were that it wouldn’t reach that point. Instead of mulling over it before surgery, I’d deal with pain once I felt it.

My Past Surgical Experience as Reference

While I was preparing for this surgery I looked back at my past surgical experiences and noted the similarities. Though there are massive differences between the kinds of surgeries, there’s a lot that is shared. In all my surgeries I developed similar relationships with the surgeons and nursing staff. The way I healed was fairly similar between surgeries. How I dealt with pain and my reaction to anesthesia were comparable. Based on all these common elements I could picture in my mind how I’d do for my vulvoplasty.

Asclépiade

GrS Montreal includes a few nights at the recovery home, Asclépiade, before discharging their patients to return home. That stay at Asclépiade made the first few days after surgery much easier than all other options. To give you an idea of the impact that Asclépiade had imagine being in a home with other trans patients that went through genital reconstruction. Then add being under the care of nurses that specifically work with these patients, and all your basic necessities (boarding, medication management, wound and patient care) are overseen by the staff. And then compare that package to recovering at home, at a hospital, or a hotel room.

As I went through the experience at Asclépiade it was easy to predict that if I were to have any complication, that it would be minimal. And that peace of mind also boosted my confidence in my relationship with my surgical results.

Recovery at Home

I made every effort to make my flight home as comfortable as possible. In general flying after surgery can be tough, specially on long flights and furthermore when the surgical site could make sitting uncomfortable or painful. Also, I had made arrangements at my local gender clinic to see a nurse a few days after my return. The nurse would be monitoring my recovery and aftercare once I returned home. So, even before leaving for Montréal I already felt a certain sense of ease knowing someone could take care of me locally. BTW, this is the same nurse that gave me some insider pointers weeks before flying for surgery.

You can find more details on how I prepared for recovery on HolaSoyYo.com and even how I dealt with an issue I encountered after I got home.

Conclusion

As I said at the beginning of this article. I was able to develop a natural relationship with my neo-vulva by answering every single question, even if the answer was “I don’t have a definite answer yet”. This included changing my relationship and understanding of my original born organs before I could contemplate surgery. If I hadn’t done that most likely I would have left doubts in my head that would have undermined my appreciation of my new physiognomy.

Once I was able to seriously consider surgery, knowledge about the procedure, and specifically its risks, possible complications, and recovery were the most important aspects of being happy with my results. If you or someone you know is considering surgery, any surgery, but more importantly a vaginoplasty, please make sure you or they know the commitment it takes.

Once I was able to seriously consider surgery, knowledge about the procedure, and specifically its risks, possible complications, and recovery were the most important aspects of being happy with my results.

If you or someone you know is considering surgery, any surgery, but more importantly a vaginoplasty, please make sure you or they know the commitment it takes. The first few months of recovery from a vaginoplasty can be intense. Any and all support that one can get during that time, should help develop a natural relationship with the neo-vagina.

L’article My complex mental process to prepare for surgery est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.

On site, everything has been designed to promote rest, tranquility, and self-care education. A beautifully landscaped exterior allows you to read, rest, or chat with others in a calm and inspiring country setting.

Delicious meals to remember

People who have stayed at Asclépiade will tell you the meals offered are not only balanced, but delicious.

“The menu is highly varied, the dishes are plentiful, and the meals succulent. They have nothing to do with those served in traditional hospitals: they are concocted meticulously by the chef,” confirms an employee.

“The food is scrumptious. It’s no wonder that in our cafeteria, the employees eat exactly the same food served to our patients!” he says with a smile.

As if that wasn’t enough, Asclépiade’s food is offered in the form of a buffet. In this way, each person designs their own plate. For example, they can replace beef with trout or take a little more (or a little less) of a food offered. Soups, complete meals, desserts, and what else? The menu always contains surprising proposals.

Note that no specific menu is imposed before or after an operation. Thus, each person is free to choose the foods that will be on his or her plate.

‘’Our meal service meets all allergy standards,” says a nurse at the CMC, who is also a fan of the meals served at Asclépiade. Definitely, people with food allergies need not fear.”

Asclépiade: a renewed and shared pleasure

Typically, CMC patients reside at Asclépiade for six to eight days.

Fortunately for the people who stay there, the atmosphere is very pleasant and serene. The reason is simple: at Asclépiade, as is the case throughout the CMC, employees have a lot of fun working together and this can be both seen and felt.

The atmosphere is tinged with this lightness and there are many quiet places. Moreover, when the weather allows it, many people gather on the nearby outdoor terrace to savor the succulent dishes. With nature as a backdrop and calm as a prevailing gift, this is an experience that…tastes like heaven!

Quiet atmosphere, nature, and good food. What could be better?

Despite the high quality of this offer, however, it is important to note that patients who wish to do so can also order food in one of the many restaurants located near the CMC.

But of course, when they discover the peaceful atmosphere of Asclépiade as well as its balanced, tasty, and meticulously prepared meals, the temporary residents of Asclépiade often realize that they are among the lucky ones who will remember fondly their time in this inviting and warm place. So they opt for…the buffet!

One thing is certain — Asclépiade is the only convalescent home in the world dedicated to trans people with such a food service. A truly unique experience.

L’article What will you eat at Asclépiade? est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.

Franches is a former patient of GrS Montréal et of Dr. Pierre Brassard. She is a strong proponent of self empowerment through knowledge and experimentation. Franches is also the author and publisher of HolaSoyYo.com (‘Hello, it’s me’ in Spanish), a blog where she shares her experiences and thoughts on changing gender expression.

Why a vulvoplasty? First, you can’t ask that. Asking someone why they chose a specific surgical procedure, and so much more when it has to do with genital reconstruction, is a no-no. It’s a little bit like asking someone why they plan to marry their fiancé(e) – you just don’t ask that. So, unless you have an intimate relationship with someone, don’t ask such personal questions! The decision of a genital reconstruction surgery and its variety is ultra personal, and depending on the person, it could be an extremely uncomfortable topic. Having cleared that up, let’s move on, shall we?

Why This Article/Blog Post?

One of the problems when a topic is so personal and touchy is that there are not as many people talking about it and therefore there is limited information to go on. There is some information and literature but it tends to be medical and technical in nature, meaning that it’s not written from the point of view of a patient. My main idea behind this post is to share my very personal reasons why I chose this kind of surgery. It’s not meant to convince anyone to choose one kind of surgery over another, but rather expose what I went through to decide so other people can have a point of reference of sorts. When I did my own research and soul searching before deciding, I was surprised to see that some transgender women were not aware of this alternative to a ‘traditional’ or ‘full’ vaginoplasty. Therefore, an ulterior personal motive for this post is to let people know about this option and explain my perspective.

But What is a Vulvoplasty or Vaginoplasty Without Cavity?

A vulvoplasty is a gender affirming genital reconstruction surgery that creates a neo-vulva. It fashions the external female genitalia but without a vaginal cavity. Depending on a few factors, this kind of surgery can have different names, but in essence they all mean the same:

• Vulvoplasty
• Vaginoplasty Without Cavity
• Shallow / Minimal-Depth / Dimple / Limit-Depth Vaginoplasty
• Cosmetic / Aesthetic Vaginoplasty
• No-Depth / Zero Depth Vaginoplasty

Sometimes the name varies by surgeon or surgical centre, but more importantly, it also depends on the patient. When I did my research, I have learnt that some patients prefer to have the word ‘vaginoplasty’ in the name of their surgery as it may help with dysphoria by reaffirming their gender implying a kind of vagina. I also came across some references that explained that some patients preferred ‘Shallow / Minimal-Depth / Dimple / Limit-Depth’ over ‘No-Depth / Zero Depth’ as the inference of depth has a better connotation for some patients. For my surgery I prefer the word ‘vulvoplasty’ as I find it very descriptive. Also, due to the way I identify I don’t benefit from the word ‘vagina’ being associated to my procedure. I do make the distinction that’s what I prefer ‘for my surgery’ and not ‘for the kind of procedure’. By doing so it allows the patient to choose a name for their surgery that supports the way they see themselves.

My Personal Reasons

Oh gee! I need to catch my breath before I open up about something oh so personal! (Deep inhale!) Ok, here we go… At the beginning of this post I said that ‘you can’t ask that question’ but regardless I’ve had a few people ask me about my choice. Though I had my own reasons I never had to verbalize them before I had my surgery, so I hadn’t given much thought of how I would answer that question. Funny enough, it wasn’t until after I had that question asked a couple of times that I really looked deep inside to get a sincere answer for myself. My most sincere answer, which also happens to be the simplest, is that I chose a vulvoplasty due to the way I identify. I’ll unravel the multiple factors that made up my decision, all of which support the way I identify. I lay down the factors that influenced my decision, mostly, in order of importance to me.

Penetrative Sex

I told you I was going to get personal, didn’t I? I have zero interest in penetrative or vaginal sex. None whatsoever. I’m not attracted to guys and the chances that I would be interested in vaginal sex are practically zero. From my different decision factors, this one was probably my most important one or the second most important one. As part of my research and soul searching before deciding I had a discussion with the psychologist that did one of my surgical assessments and of course this topic came up. One of the things we talked about was that even if for some strange reason I would be interested in penetrative sex, there’s always ‘the back door’ (AKA anal sex). So, from my point of view, you could say I still have the option of some sort of penetrative sex if I so desired… somehow… but no, thanks.

Congruence With my Gender Expression

If penetrative sex was not my number one deciding factor, then being consistent with my gender expression was. My gender expression and presentation are totally female, and though my birth genitalia didn’t cause me any dysphoria, after going full time it was always on my mind. I hated the thought that someone could see something in my crotch and questioned my gender expression. Being totally genuine with myself and my gender presentation: f#$k tucking! I hated tucking, I hated how I looked, and I hated when I worried about it ever being noticed. I just wanted a total congruent appearance and my male genitalia was getting in the way of that. I always felt a little limited in my choice of garments and I wanted to get rid of that feeling of limitation. Being congruent with my gender expression was directly correlated with my wardrobe because for the most part no one gets to see my genitalia. But the outfits that I choose to wear on top of it are always of great importance to me. In my value scale, the external appearance was in a much higher position than the functionality of a neovagina.

Self-Care (Dilations & Douching)

The required life-long dilations and douching after a ‘full’ vaginoplasty made no sense to me especially since I have no interest, not even the slightest curiosity, of vaginal intercourse. If I wanted to leave the door open to ever having vaginal sex, then my decision may have been different. I don’t think I would mind the actual dilations/douching, but rather that level of commitment to life-long self-care was totally outweighed by my lack of desire for penetrative sex. To compound my decision, when I did my research, I got a strong sense that some of the post-op complications people talked about could be traced to patients not fully understanding the level of self-care a ‘full’ vaginoplasty requires. Below I’ll talk about the increased risk of complications. The aftercare of a ‘full’ vaginoplasty requires a commitment that starts with 4 dilations and douching a day for the first month post-op and continues for a few months as the soft tissue heals, then dilation/douching frequency gradually drops to once a day after 6 months and, until 1 year after surgery. After the first year post-op the frequency goes down to only once per week but needs to be maintained for life.

Recovery

Compared to my 3 previous factors, recovery ranked much lower in terms of importance to me. Though recovery from genital reconstruction surgery is tough, the thing I kept in mind is that it is ‘just a temporary phase’. But again, in the whole context of my main two factors described above, recovery was still something important for me to consider. The first 3 months after surgery from a ‘full’ vaginoplasty have a very rigid aftercare schedule comparable to a full-time job. If I wanted to achieve the external look without the full functionality of a vaginal cavity, then the difference in the self-care schedule during recovery between a vulvoplasty and a ‘full’ vaginoplasty was definitely something I considered. The recovery from a vulvoplasty is done in about 8 weeks (everyone heals at different rates so it may be shorter or longer) with a lighter maintenance schedule than a ‘full’ vaginoplasty, centred around a high level of hygiene for the surgical site instead of centred around preventing the vaginal cavity from closing.

Risk of Complications

There are always risks associated with any surgical procedure and when a procedure is more complex than others, naturally there’s too an increase risk of complications. Due to the way the cavity of a neovagina is created and the fact that it requires frequent dilations, especially during the first few months, there is a slight chance for complications that is not present if there is no cavity, ie. a recto-vaginal fistula or other minor complications. Also, in a vulvoplasty, since there is no need to insert dilators, there is less chance of complications caused by soft tissue tension created during dilation. Having less sutures, less skin surface (no need for the lining of the vagina) and no need to insert foreign objects (dilators and douche) there is a slightly lower risk of infection. In the long term, a ‘full’ vaginoplasty has the risk of a vaginal prolapse if the dilation regime is not maintained. Hygiene is always important, but in the presence of a vaginal cavity, if douching is not maintained, the risk of complications can also increase. What I’m trying to say is that my personal ratio between my desires and the risks was not worth a ‘full’ vaginoplasty for me.

Other Factors That Did Not Apply to me

Above I’ve opened up about my personal factors that I considered when deciding on my surgery, but these are not the only ones. There are a number of other factors that people may consider, but that did not apply to me or that didn’t have any effect on my decision. Here are 3 that I found some references for, but I’m fairly certain there are more that may be important for other people.

Non-Binary Surgery

People that identify as non-binary, gender non-conforming, gender fluid or somewhere else in the gender spectrum may find a vulvoplasty as a great way to support their identity.

Existing Health Concerns

If there are other health concerns or pre-existing conditions where the creation of a vaginal canal is not indicated, then a vulvoplasty may be a very attractive alternative for folks in that situation. Of course, this needs to be discussed with the primary healthcare provider and/or the surgeon.

Age

A patient’s age may be a very strong factor to consider. For someone mature, and due to the differences in recovery and self-care required, their age may be a deciding factor. Interestingly enough, for patients that are younger, their age may be of concern to the healthcare practitioners. When I was preparing to write this post, I came across a reference to a study (PDF) that looked at the attitudes of WPATH-affiliated medical professionals towards the option of a vulvoplasty for patients between 18 and 21 years of age. They found that some medical professionals had more reluctance to recommend a no-depth option to patients in this age group.

It is The Patient’s Decision

At the end of the day, the decision lays on the patient and no one else. There may be lots of personal factors that influence that decision. With the current lack of reputable sources of information or detailed information, I truly hope that me opening up can help someone. At the very least, I strongly encourage the discussion so that more people become aware of the option of a no-depth genital reconstruction surgery.

Franches

L’article Why I chose vulvoplasty? est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.

Gender identities are multiple and cannot be quantified or defined in a very precise or fixed manner. This is why it is important for a clinic such as GrS Montréal, which specializes in gender affirmation surgery (formerly called “sex change”), to offer a variety of options to its patients.

What is an orchiectomy and why choose it?

Orchiectomy is a relatively simple procedure involving the removal of the testicles. The surgery itself takes about 30 minutes and patients return home the same day. The surgeon makes a first incision in the groin to remove the blood vessels that supply blood to the testicles and then in the scrotum itself. This surgery can be part of a larger process and can be combined with other surgeries: for example, it can be performed during a vaginoplasty. However, if the orchiectomy is performed before the vaginoplasty, it will be necessary to stretch the skin of the scrotum to make sure that it does not shrink too much since this skin will be used to cover the inner wall of the future vagina.

Since the removal of the testicles drastically reduces testosterone production, orchiectomy is a surgical option for people who do not want or cannot do hormone therapy. It can sometimes be recommended by an endocrinologist.

Following the surgery

Upon returning home, it is advised to rest for one week and wait four weeks before resuming physical activities such as sports. As with all procedures, it is recommended that patients stop smoking six to eight weeks before surgery and maintain good hygiene and general health to minimize risks and surgical complications.

Other surgeries

Some surgeries can be combined with orchiectomy such as face and body feminization surgeries, breast augmentation, etc.

The GrS Montréal clinic is the only private clinic specializing in trans surgeries in the country and its surgeons will be able to advise and guide you according to your needs. They have pioneered a movement of acceptance and accessibility that, hopefully, will continue to grow exponentially in the coming years.

L’article What is an orchiectomy surgery? est apparu en premier sur TransAvenue.