The difference between having male genitalia and having female genitalia?

[CosmicJoke]

So basically the question I am asking is what it feels like to have a vagina as opposed to a penis. I am a pre op MtF, and this is the question that has been on my mind alot lately. I have had a bilateral orchiectomy done several years ago, and what I noticed is that the scrotum is tucked now.
I obviously won't really know what it's like until I become post op from a vaginoplasty, but I am just asking this mostly out of curiousity. Is there really a big difference in what it feels like physically, or is it more of a relief to feel like you are in the right body?

[noleen111]

For me it was being able to wear any kind of female clothing and not having worry about tucking or anything falling out. I loved that I was not limited to certain types of underwear (always needed space to tuck) I love the idea I can wear a sexy g-string if I please or a pair tight pants without worrying about a bulge.

My vagina completed my womanhood. I am a number of years post-op now and I still love to admire it in my full length mirror in my bathroom. When I met a man, I was glad I could have sex as woman with him.

Physically, well you have nothing flapping around there anymore and peeing is a little messy in the beginning.

[OU812]

I felt like I was in a personal renaissance of sorts after my completion. My whole outlook on life became so much more positive and I started to really see each day in terms of its opportunities. I think if you really are dysphoric over masculine anatomy, you're likely to experience these changes too.

Obviously I much prefer myself now for the above reasons, but in terms of just general awareness, yes there is a tremendous difference. There's no constant awareness of something being there. You don't dread momentary turn-ons, or a guy liking you just because he like that part of your body, or anything along those lines. (It's actually really dysphoric even trying to word this the right way.)

That said, I think the vagina gets more consideration than it deserves, since the vulva and its surrounding architecture are far more intricate and consequential. A good vagina is not hard to construct - a good vulva is. Don't underestimate the value of a surgeon who is skilled in this area! 

[Dani]

Is there really a big difference in what it feels like physically, or is it more of a relief to feel like you are in the right body?

For me, actually it was both, a whole lot of both mind and body. Physically, I feel wonderful, no matter what I am wearing. Actually I feel the best at the local clothing optional beach here in Miami. Mentally, I feel much more than a relief from gender dysphoria. I actually like who I became.

Keep in mind that we are all unique. What is good for me, may not be good for you. Only you can make that decision.

[CynthiaAnn]

Is there really a big difference in what it feels like physically, or is it more of a relief to feel like you are in the right body?

An older topic, the OP may have long moved on, but a few good questions were asked above.

Yes, it's a really big difference in how it feels physically. Like certain clothes fit and look much better, so nice. Things I like to do such as hiking, bicycling, are more enjoyable and comfortable today, less skin to getting in the way of things. My step changed slightly today, it's more comfortable and sustainable over the long haul. Also physically dilation is quite enjoyable and time spent doing it is like a few minutes of peace before I start my day.

Yes, it feels fantastic to have the right parts as i write this now almost 3 years post op. Years of imagining what it would be like have been realized in the here and now, and it's better than I imagined back then. There is a certain peace of mind in being congruent in body that's simply amazing...

I had access to one of the best surgeon's of our time (imho), Dr Marci Bowers, she was so nice to work with and kind.

Thanks for asking...

Cynthia -

[CosmicJoke]

An older topic, the OP may have long moved on, but a few good questions were asked above.

Yes, it's a really big difference in how it feels physically. Like certain clothes fit and look much better, so nice. Things I like to do such as hiking, bicycling, are more enjoyable and comfortable today, less skin to getting in the way of things. My step changed slightly today, it's more comfortable and sustainable over the long haul. Also physically dilation is quite enjoyable and time spent doing it is like a few minutes of peace before I start my day.

Yes, it feels fantastic to have the right parts as i write this now almost 3 years post op. Years of imagining what it would be like have been realized in the here and now, and it's better than I imagined back then. There is a certain peace of mind in being congruent in body that's simply amazing...

I had access to one of the best surgeon's of our time (imho), Dr Marci Bowers, she was so nice to work with and kind.

Thanks for asking...

Cynthia -

Hi Cynthia, thank you for replying. I am actually hoping to get my vaginoplasty quite soon. I am hoping to get the surgery done this spring. Apparently my BMI is an issue, but I've been eating a balanced diet and exercising really well in my opinion. Hopefully my dream can come true and I will get to feel everything you've described. :-)

[CynthiaAnn]

@CosmicJoke - Best of luck this spring, may it go well for you, and thanks for writing back. I was mining for "gem topics" in the MTF DB, and I thought yours was a good one. Exercising and getting in the best physical condition before hand can make a huge difference in your healing and outcome, you have the right ideas...

Best wishes to you and may your dreams come true

Hugs

Cynthia

[Ann W]

I haven't had the surgery yet, either, so maybe my thoughts aren't germane. If not, please disregard and move on.

I used to say that GCS would be the last surgery I would have done, because it's the surgery no one sees, and because my face and voice are things that everyone sees and are therefore more critical.

I had reason, recently, to reconsider. My sister happens to live in the same city where there is a surgeon I feel I can trust, which means I have someone who can assist me, and possibly be available to assist with other surgeries, if I have that surgery done first.

Since realizing this, the idea of GCS has become increasingly attractive. I've never experienced conscious dysphoria over my genitalia; but neither am I attached to it. A vagina, on the other hand, sounds scrumptious. I would love to have one.

I don't think it's about the genitalia, either, really. We're never going to be cis, no matter what we do. All we can do is embrace the woman within. For each of us, that means something individual. Some people never need GCS, and that's fine. I don't feel I "need" GCS, either. But I want it. I know how it will make me feel to look down and see one less thing suggesting I'm male, and one more thing confirming I'm female. No, it isn't necessary; I'll be a woman if I keep the little fellow until the day I die. But I'd rather look down and see him gone.

Wouldn't you?

[Vinya]

I felt like I was in a personal renaissance of sorts after my completion. My whole outlook on life became so much more positive and I started to really see each day in terms of its opportunities. I think if you really are dysphoric over masculine anatomy, you're likely to experience these changes too.

Obviously I much prefer myself now for the above reasons, but in terms of just general awareness, yes there is a tremendous difference. There's no constant awareness of something being there. You don't dread momentary turn-ons, or a guy liking you just because he like that part of your body, or anything along those lines. (It's actually really dysphoric even trying to word this the right way.)

Could not have said it in any better way. It wasn't like flipping a switch obviously but the change was gradual the first couple of months. Everything just fell in to place during recovery. The mental ease was so profound for me that I don't really know If there is a pure physical difference in how it feels. With that in mind I now also realise why one would not want to go through srs, because you would probably not  gain anything if you isn't dysphoric about that part of you. So before you go ahead and decide whether or not you want to do the operation take your time to evaluate why you want it, sins it will probably not change any physical sensation that you have, others might have different experiences though so don't just take my word for it either.

[Linde]

After my orchi (pretty radical, with most of the scrotum gone), and my naturally very atrophied penis, tucking is no problem, because there is nothing left that needs tucking.  I can wear any tight female clothing I want, and the max that could be seen is a camel toe appearance caused by the little scrotum I have left, and it looks rather like a smallish vulva than anything else.  I actually should be happy as a lark with that, no testosterone left, I can wear anything I want to wear, etc.  But I am not, I now want a limited depth vuvlva/vagina more than before, I don't know why!  i just feel "unfinished"!

[Harley Quinn]

So far it's been basically a confidence thing. I'm at 4 months post and haven't gotten to the good stuff... but I am telling you the recovery is very time consuming and messy. Prepare yourself for that.

[Linde]

So far it's been basically a confidence thing. I'm at 4 months post and haven't gotten to the good stuff... but I am telling you the recovery is very time consuming and messy. Prepare yourself for that.

Is that because of the dilating requirements?  I am going for the limited depth version, I wonder if that is easier?

I mean, it is only mostly superficial surgery, involving skin to be cut and rearranged?

[Colleen_definitely]

It's a bit more involved than that but the recovery period is generally much shorter and no dilation issues.

[Linde]

It's a bit more involved than that but the recovery period is generally much shorter and no dilation issues.

Why that, from a surgical point I don't see anything much more than skin wounds, rearrangement of fatty tissue and rerouting of the penile nerves.  All that is near surface surgery.  There is no need to create a hole into the abdominal cavity.  That mini vagina would fit nicely into the space vacated by the penis.  Creating a neo vagina is definitely a more involved procedure, and a possible source for more complications.
The slow healing is due to the rather large skin wounds, but that would be applicable to both styles of surgery.

[Colleen_definitely]

That's what I meant, it involves more than just cutting and moving around a bit of skin.  Things like removal of the erectile tissue, making the clitoris out of the glans, rerouting the urethra, and more.  It's still far less invasive than the full depth procedure.

[Clara_D]

Probably going to keep my original "clitoris", I'd rather spend any money on hair removal first -- I'm fuzzy, and that's *way* more dysphoric than something I'd already shrunk way down with an earlier go-round with hormones.

Admittedly, I have the advantage of being uncut, so I can just stuff everything back into my abdomen and wear tight panties and I'm golden, and after some self-hypnosis I don't have to worry about that bit going all wonky if I get excited.

[HappyMoni]

I will try to address the physical 'feel' part of this. I had a post op friend ask me if I had the same sensation she did, recently. I smiled because I did. Sometimes it feels like the penis is still there, only it is under the skin and can't get out, the mind's way of sorting out 'the rearrangment,' I guess. Flexing the muscles down there feels the same except nothing is there to move like there was before. Arousal feels similar except less generalized, and there is no penis to react and dominate the experience. Peeing at first is weird. I kept wanting to reach down to aim the darned thing and it wasn't there. That was weird.
My personal take on dilation is, if you are strong enough to handle dysphoria, you can deal with the inconvenience of dilation. Well, if you want the vagina that is. For some this involves pain and I am sympathetic to the difficulty involved. But in general, I would get the surgery I wanted, damn the torpedoes. (misconception, dilators don't look like torpedoes lol)
Oh, my personal feeling is my vagina is mine. It ain't no 'neo' nothing. It's a vagina and I have no mental need to qualify it other than it being mine. No offense to others.

[Linde]

Sometimes it feels like the penis is still there, only it is under the skin and can't get out, the mind's way of sorting out 'the rearrangment,' I guess. Flexing the muscles down there feels the same except nothing is there to move like there was before. Arousal feels similar except less generalized, and there is no penis to react and dominate the experience. Peeing at first is weird. I kept wanting to reach down to aim the darned thing and it wasn't there. That was weird.

Having a penis that is extremely atrophied for several years now, the feeling is pretty much the same, because I can easily put the little bit back into my body (that's why I don't need tucking at all).  The thing does not react to any arousal or muscle flexing anymore, it is just a small extension of my urethra.  Because of my non existing libido, I don't know how it would feel with arousals, because I don't get aroused.  I am used to not having anything left to aim, I just have to sit down and pee.  Again, I had to give up trying to use urinals a while ago, because I was not able to aim the thingy anymore.
All this experience can't be much different to my current one (having noting left between my legs), but I still want a vulva, because without one, I feel unfinished.  I don't need a vagina, I think, but I would like a clitoris a lot.  The reason for this is that I would like to try masturbation again, which I really had given up on, because I had nothing left to grab a hold of for doing it.

I want the vulva and the clit just for myself!  I want to look finished, and I would like to be able to masturbate when/if I feel like it!

[Clara_D]

I don't need a vagina, I think, but I would like a clitoris a lot.  The reason for this is that I would like to try masturbation again, which I really had given up on, because I had nothing left to grab a hold of for doing it.

I want the vulva and the clit just for myself!  I want to look finished, and I would like to be able to masturbate when/if I feel like it!

From someone who's shrunk and doesn't have erections anymore: Wand-style vibrator and/or vibrating plugs can be your friend.

[Astxl]

Well, a boy can't put his dick in my bottom part because i have the same as him... so, thats the difference between male genitalia and female genitalia.

I wish i can have my surgery this year or the other.