What sort of "requirements" do you have to meet before one can undergo surgery?

[littleredrobinhood]

So, upon realizing my identity is both male and female, I've been doing a lot of thinking.. Would I be happier if I took testosterone? Had top surgery? Bottom surgery? Do I want to bind or pack??

But then, while I was thinking about different types of "partial" transition (don't really like calling it that but I wasn't sure how else to put it), I realized something; I've never heard of someone choosing not to get top surgery and not going on testosterone, but getting some form of bottom surgery.

So I pulled up Google and did some searching, and.. nothing. There was talk of getting bottom surgery before top surgery, and getting top surgery but not bottom surgery - but no results for getting bottom surgery but not top surgery.

Then I got to wondering; Why? Why wasn't there a single result that matched my search? Has no one done that before? And if not.. why haven't they?? Has there really been no one who took that route? Or were they denied?


Which leads me to the point of this thread: What are the requirements?

Beyond the means to pay for it, what else do you need? Do you need to be taking testosterone? (I know that if you have bottom surgery it typically involves a hysterectomy, so let's just say that the person opts to take estrogen instead if testosterone in this case) Do you need to have top surgery? "Real Life Experience"? Does it depend on the surgeon??


I'm not saying this is the route I'd want to take, mind you - I'm not even sure if I want to transition at all. But still.. I'd like to know if it's even "doable", y'know?

[FTMax]

I have been under the impression that 1 year of RLE and extensive therapy sessions are required to get the go-ahead for bottom surgery. I have a friend who has been living as a man for the last 7 years, has been on testosterone, and has had top surgery and he is just now getting approval for bottom surgery from his therapist after years of pursuing it.

Personally I have not heard of anyone only opting for bottom surgery. I've heard of guys pursuing hysterectomies early on in their physical transitions, but I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who has left it at that.

[littleredrobinhood]

I have been under the impression that 1 year of RLE and extensive therapy sessions are required to get the go-ahead for bottom surgery. I have a friend who has been living as a man for the last 7 years, has been on testosterone, and has had top surgery and he is just now getting approval for bottom surgery from his therapist after years of pursuing it.

Personally I have not heard of anyone only opting for bottom surgery. I've heard of guys pursuing hysterectomies early on in their physical transitions, but I can't think of anyone off the top of my head who has left it at that.

It sounds to me like it's mostly up to the therapist, then.. So the question now is; do they all follow the same "rules"?

Therapy I could do.. But if RLE truly is something you need in order to get the "OK", I don't know if it would be possible for me. 

[FTMax]

You could probably find some therapists who follow more of an informed consent model that may be willing to work with you on it based on your particular goals. I would look around for that and not waste your time with anyone following the WPATH standards, as they will most likely not be willing to bend on the RLE.

Again, not from personal experience as I haven't gotten that far in my transition yet.

[Jessica Merriman]

Therapy I could do.. But if RLE truly is something you need in order to get the "OK", I don't know if it would be possible for me. 

It is required by all U.S. surgeons.

[littleredrobinhood]

It is required by all U.S. surgeons.

Well that's a huge bummer.  *sigh* I guess I might have to cross that off my list of possibilities, then..

Thanks for letting me know.

[Jessica Merriman]

Sorry sweetie. 

[aleon515]

Yep of course, how you live your life as a male is, of course, completely up to you. I am certainly not stereotypical in any way but would easily "pass the test". I believe for lower surgery T is required, two reasons for this, depending on the surgery it might be actually needed in the surgical process (metadioplasty). The second is that the surgeon may consider you "not serious enough" re: transition if you were not taking T. I've just never heard of it done and most surgeons require this. Most surgeons doing lower surgery do NOT do informed consent. More typical for top surgery with quite a few allowing it.

I really think it's more typically two years RLE and two therapists letters. One therapist can be MA level but one has to be a typical shrink. LOL. BTW, you NEVER hear RLE in trans guys except talking about lower surgery.


--Jay

[Devlyn]

The best approach is contact the surgeons yourself. Most of the doctors on this list  aren't in the US anyway.

https://www.susans.org/wiki/List_of_surgeons

Let us know what you find out!

Hugs, Devlyn

[aleon515]

There are a number of surgeons in the US. If you live in the US, I don't believe there is any reason to go to Belgium say anymore. May have been true 5 years ago but not any more. Though this is just my opinion.
http://www.metoidioplasty.net/surgeons/
http://www.metoidioplasty.net/surgeons/

I believe these are NSFW.

--Jay

[LordKAT]

I think the lack of bottom surgery is cost. It would mean much more to me to do that than top surgery.

[AnonymousJoe]

Very interesting.... The way I understand it, surgerons around the globe follow WPATH as well... Which requires RLE... Sorry buddy. Although you may be able to find the loophole in the system.