Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I believe that most FTMs have not had Genital Reconstructive Surgery due to the risks, costs, and/or unreliability of results.
I'm not sure about this. I've tried to look it up but I can not find any statistics.
I've heard that since GRS is done mostly by private practices, statistics are hard to come by.
If you know of any studies that provide this information, that would be greatly appreciated.

I also think there may be more who have chosen to have a hysterectomy (and maybe an oophorectomy); but have not had metaoidioplasty or phalloplasty.
If you have had a hysterectomy due to medical reasons unrelated to your transitioning, please do not include that.
I didn't include mastectomy in this poll because it is cheaper and there are less complications with that procedure.


So I would like to take a rough poll of your GRS intentions.

If you have chosen not to have GRS, I would like to hear your reasons.
Any other input would also be appreciated.

Thanks for your help,
Jacks

I voted 'I do not plan on having surgery in the future.'

At least not below the waist. I do plan on top surgery as soon medical issues allow.

My reasons sometimes raise eyebrows:

I'm happy with what I was born with. Just not happy with what it 'means' to people - that I'm something I'm not.

Don't see the point in having a frank and beans. Certainly never missed them.

Due to being born in the worst state to be born in for a TS, it's doubtful I can even get the gender changed on my license, let alone birth certificate or anything else. So no amount of surgery will cure that. God Bless America.

Though I'm severely dysphoric with the menses, they're pretty off  - when they do show up, they're never on time, sometimes by a mile and last a grand total of 2-3 days with generally only one bleeding day.
Nothing worth going under the knife for.

The idea of messing with internal organs makes me ill.

And to be frank - despite peeps' claims, I don't see how hollowing out my guts and messing with my genitals would leave the whole sexual system intact. I'm not sacrificing that for anything. I couldn't settle for some shadow of the pleasure I got now.


So the whole business holds no appeal for me. I know a lot of guys feel differently and that's cool. But these are my reasons.

Quote from: Nero on April 13, 2008, 03:15:34 PM


I'm happy with what I was born with. Just not happy with what it 'means' to people - that I'm something I'm not.

I've never heard it put that way.  I totally agree with you.

I was told that I should provide some background about myself so people will feel more comfortable to respond.
Surgically, I've had a hysterectomy because of fibroids.  I wouldn't have done it if they didn't use the 'C' word.  Turns out it wasn't cancer but it was so big that my uterus was useless. I didn't use it much so I didn't miss it much.

I have a naturally high testosterone level that caused some masculinization.  Sadly I'm too vain to deal with the severe acne so I take Drospirenone and Ethinyl Estradiol to lower my testosterone level.

I lift weights and due to my T level, I bulked up a bit. 

I identify as androgynous.  I also like to be able to define who I am and not have others place their ignorant definitions upon me.
Which is kind of backwards.  I pass without really trying.  I've been mistaken for a man frequently; and after the first couple of times I realized it didn't bother me (as long as they weren't being an arse about it) and it actually made me feel better in some odd way.  That's how I came to identify as androgynous.

If I believed in magic and wishes, then I would wish to be born a man (biologically).  Otherwise, I deal with what I got and make the most of it.

I'm just starting transition and I'm planning on having a hysterectomy.  Its actually because of transition though I do have a valid female reason to do it and my doc won't know it's transition-related when I do it.  I'm also considering T and top surgery.  I don't think I'll do bottom surgery at all.  If I need to have a realistic penis I might spend the $$ on a pricy prosthetic.

Jay

Oh so you're an androgynee. You should also check out our Androgyne forum: https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/board,57.0.html
Lots of really cool peeps. I'm just a regular transguy but they let me hang out. :laugh:

I'm Nero.
<shakes hand>
Hope you'll stick around awhile, Jack. Interested in more of what you've got to say.

I used to think I wanted a hysterectomy because having a uterus freaks me out but realized that the incentive for genital reconstruction just isn't there. The risks, the lack of function and sensation, and all the negatives associated with that entire bundle of surgeries have changed my mind.

i'm totally with Nero. I don't want anyone messing around with my insides, and even the idea of top surgery gives me the willies, though I'll probably do it anyway. My lower parts work just fine right now, even better with testosterone, and I'm happy with them.

Controversial? Perhaps. But who said a man can't have a vagina?

S.D.

I dont hate my parts but I wanna have a meta & a hysto.  but first I gotta have my consultation & do more research.  If the doc tells me I cant have what I got now (sexual pleasure & stuff) then I aint gonna have nothing..:laugh:

I fully intend on having bottom surgery as soon as finances allow. Once I get on T I want to see where that takes me regarding the bottom half...then I'll get either meta or phallo....I definitely want a hysto as well, if for no other reason, because once I get on T I'd rather not have those things down there to inhibit the T and possibly become cancerous in the future.

I can't stand what's down there. On any level. I don't care if no one knows or how they view me because of it, I just can't stand it, or any feminine part of my body. I guess I'm about as butch as they come..

Quote from: zombiesarepeaceful on April 14, 2008, 01:37:32 AM
I guess I'm about as butch as they come..

I'd say so. definitely need our butches to balance out the population.  :laugh:

I plan on having bottom surgery in the future.. I just dont want the parts there anymore.. I want Phallo or meta haven't made my mind up probebly meta depending on how large I get.. I dont want any sort of female attribute about me anymore!

Like Chris said it all depends on finances and research..

I haven't seen many examples of English SRS so Im unsure yet.. May need to go to the US or somewhere!

Yeah...the only reason I'm so set on getting the surgery despite cutting your losses is because I don't mind losing feeling down there...it doesn't matter to me, never has. I don't care if I can't achieve erection, I just want something down there, that I can pee through...sex is low on my list of priorities. Even if I did want to have a sex life in the future...tough ->-bleeped-<-. I'll do the best with what I end up with after surgery.

Quote from: zombiesarepeaceful on April 14, 2008, 04:13:19 PM
Yeah...the only reason I'm so set on getting the surgery despite cutting your losses is because I don't mind losing feeling down there...it doesn't matter to me, never has. I don't care if I can't achieve erection, I just want something down there, that I can pee through...sex is low on my list of priorities. Even if I did want to have a sex life in the future...tough ->-bleeped-<-. I'll do the best with what I end up with after surgery.

Very true! Im not scared of losing feelings as I have never really had "feelings" down there... it all grosses me out... Im with you on this Zombies are peaceful! ;D

Quote from: zombiesarepeaceful on April 14, 2008, 01:37:32 AM
I can't stand what's down there. On any level. I don't care if no one knows or how they view me because of it, I just can't stand it, or any feminine part of my body. I guess I'm about as butch as they come..

golly.  i know many pre-op girls who are more feminine than all the super models you see on vogue.  i didn't know that penises were linked to masculinity or vaginas to femininity.

^That wasn't my point. I don't think anyone is less of a man/woman based on what they have down there. What I meant was that I feel insecure with having such a strong male personality and having...nothing down there.

I've recently had a meta (or rather, a clitoral release, but the doctor classifies it as a meta). Due to complications and overall dissatisfaction I'll likely have it 'reversed'.

For me, having lower surgery was never necessary to me. I didn't consider it to make me happy (because I already was), nor did I do it because I felt I had to. I did it enhance my happiness. I'm a transguy, so of course I want to look more 'male' below the waist. Sadly, in the excitement of all that I, and many others I've spoke to, neglect to remember that, like ALL cosmetic surgical procedures, our differing body types WILL affect the outcome. It's something you don't think of at the time...but only afterwards (and for most it's too late to do anything about it...you're stuck). At this point, my experience with it is that I wish I didn't do it at all and I'm kicking myself in the ass for having 'wasted' 7k (that took me years to save up). I look no more 'male' below the waist then I did before...in fact due to my body type (my pubic bone juts out rather far, which obscures a LOT of my length) I look even LESS 'male' (in my view) than I did before. Right now I see the very top of my penis peeking out from between two massive testicle implants, regardless of whether I'm erect or not. It's very unsatisfying.

Frankly, knowing what I do now, and having gone through this experience, I just don't think lower surgeries (phallos and metas) are worth it. For some guys ANYTHING remotely male looking, whether it works or not, is better than having the 'chick parts' below the waist...and that's fine. Everyone is different. But for me, the surgeries just aren't on the same level as they are for MtFs (who can look like biological women with their surgeries). We have the options of having a very tiny pseudo penis which KIND of looks like a biological males', but still isn't going to let you pass in any locker rooms (even though biological guys come in all sizes, the actual SHAPE and look of their penis is different---the clitoris is 'forked' on the tip, and unless the surgery is more invasive to cut that skin and sew it together, it will not look like a bio-male's). The other option, of course, is a more realistically sized penis that lacks the same function (ie: ability to orgasm). At first glance it'd probably pass in a locker room, but closer inspections would doom that. The cost of these procedures don't justify the results.

For me...I was happy with what I had below the waist and even though they were 'chick parts' I always referred to them in a masculine way (ie: when I was noticeably erect, I'd dry-hump my partner and tell him I had a boner, and the like). My partner and I enjoyed a great sex life, and no one knew I had 'chick parts' below the waist except him, myself, and my family. My partner thinks guys who opt not to have lower surgeries have a more male mentality because they don't want to risk sexual sensation for aesthetics (as most bio males would share the view of).

If modern science could give me a penis that looked and functioned like a bio male's, for a price that wouldn't keep me saving for a decade (or in debt) then I'd do it in a heartbeat...but not for what's available now. Embrace those 'chick parts'....just think of it as another part of your body that can give you pleasure (that's what I did) and suddenly, having them wasn't so bad. ;)

Posted on: April 16, 2008, 03:34:42 AM

---

Oh yeah...best advice I can give (and I wish someone would've given to me)...get yourself an awesome packer, even if it's in the $100 range and save yourself the $6k+.

Testicle implants DO NOT feel like a biological male's (so says my gay bio-male boyfriend who's felt his fair share of them and was horrified by how hard the implants are).

i definitely want a hysto and all that jazz, which i don't really consider "bottom" surgery.  bottom to me is penis/testicles.  i am open to that in the future, which i never would have considered even six months ago.

I definitely want a hysto, etc., but I'm not sure about genital surgery.  I'm not really too fussed about what's down there now, and the options for surgery aren't great.  My only concern is that I do occasionally travel outside the country, and I know the U.S. government requires SRS to change the marker on the passport.  I'm afraid of being hassled at customs once I've been on T, but the passport still says "F".

I'm all for it. Losing feeling down there would really suck (as all I do on my days off is lie around and well, you know) but I'm almost willing to risk it. I want bottom surgery very badly and will get it when i find a good surgeon lmao if my guy wants some sex and I cant feel anything down there, lord knows i could always pretend yes?

Quote from: James-Allen on April 20, 2008, 10:20:06 PM
I'm all for it. Losing feeling down there would really suck (as all I do on my days off is lie around and well, you know) but I'm almost willing to risk it. I want bottom surgery very badly and will get it when i find a good surgeon lmao if my guy wants some sex and I cant feel anything down there, lord knows i could always pretend yes?

Hi James.
I'm Nero. don't think we've met yet. <offers hand>

But if you were to lose the ability to orgasm, could you live with that? Yes, you could pretend for his sake but what about you?

I don't know how high the risk is, but to never 'come' again? That's scary.

Quote from: Nero on April 20, 2008, 10:53:11 PM

I don't know how high the risk is, but to never 'come' again? That's scary.

Yep that's damn scary :laugh: but that's me to.  we gotta do research & think b4 we say yes.

In regards to the risks (not being able to orgasm), there's sooo much more you have to consider. It's very easy to just say "I want it bad enough to never experience that again". But what about future partners? There's no doubt you can make them orgasm, but a true relationship is always a 2-way street. You will be able to make them orgasm, but they would not be able to make you orgasm. That can, and does, shatter someone's confidence.

For example, while recovering from my surgery my partner refused to even masturbate because he felt guilty about the fact that I could not (and that it was painful and I wouldn't be able to orgasm). Even after I told him it was fine, he tried to keep it on the DL to spare my feelings. And when I was finally well enough to try sex again, and I wasn't able to orgasm, but he was, it was a huge strain. When your partner wants to make you orgasm, but you physically cannot, it's a blow to the self esteem and confidence...and in some respect your partner may wind up feeling inadequate or that the relationship isn't balanced (or that they're not doing enough for you).

...there's so much more to orgasming in regards to our willingness to give it up and our lack of foresight in how it will affect our relationships.

Hey you ^^ I'm not sure we have *shakes hand* I've seen ya round though. Could I live with it, yes. Pleasantly? No. It would be a great horrendous amount of suckage but even I,  a border lining nympho can say some things are more important than sex in this life. I could pretend for his sake and my own amusement, and it would perhaps cause me to long for my lost abilities but I think I could survive a happier guy in the long run. Not being ably to cum makes my neck hair stand up, i hope when i am old enough to get the surgery, tech advances a bit

As I identify on the Masculine end of Androgyne... I want to pass as male and I feel like its more the real 'me' when I appear more masculine. I definitely aim to start T this year and get top surgery sometime in the future. I'm not too bothered by periods, its regular as far as I can tell (I've never kept track though) but it doesn't cause me uber amounts of pain, so I doubt I'd get a hysterectomy unless I had to (heh, I'd match my Mum then!) XD Plus, it's something I can fall back on if I need an excuse for a sick day XD (that should be interesting once I pass full time lol)

Penises... (or Penii as my flatmate would say) don't interest me (I just... don't find them pretty :P ok yes, the girl bits aren't much better but I prefer em'!) Certainly that has helped in my confusion over my ->-bleeped-<- (like why do I want to appear male but don't want to actually be a male?)

Quite simply, I think vagina's are more efficient and discreet, they don't get in the way, they don't make a big issue of themselves at inopportune times... and plus one can always attach all sorts of things, if you really want have the ability to do with, what penises do :3 and yes, the SRS outcomes are definitely not the best option IMHO

... hope my reply didn't get too OT '_';

FWIW, I think if I were in a relationship with a transman, I would rather him have something that worked, no matter what shape it came in.  I would rather have something mutually fulfilling than to be able to feel something remotely resembling a penis.  Yes, I think it's really unfair, but show me a working phalloplasty that really looks and performs well, and I might change my mind.

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fganjataz.com%2F01smileys%2Fimages%2Fsmileys%2FloopyBlonde-blinking.gif&hash=4545ddf8251cf9c32ae6074d56e48bc34a755857)Kristi

I don't really care about my uterus and ovaries that much either way, but I don't want to have them removed just to have them removed. Sure I don't like my period, but it's always been irregular and happend about four times a year and T would fix that anyway.
If I can get a functional penis one day, I will definitely go for it. I've seen some surgery results from Germany that really look great and the guys who got them were very happy with them and said they hadn't lost any feeling down there.
But, well, I understand everybody who says he doesn't want to trade the ability to orgasm for a penis, but the genitals I've got at the moment did never really work for me, anyway.

i without  ? plan on having bottom surgery in the not to far future yeh i would get a phalloplast if som1 got better and doing it but otherwize meta 4 me:)
i also want my "other bits" removed they are a useless part of me and dont belong there therefore i want em gone.
as far as losing sensation goes not every1 does i was told i will lose nipple sensation with top surgery and i didnt so.... ya never know
i get those guys that dont want bottom surgery .but i feel its the best bet 4 me i want to look at my body and be happy with all of it not just the top part.....
jaded

i do want a full hysterectomy because of fear of cancer, ut that probably wont be until after college.  right now, i just want top surgury.  and a clitoral release (no testicle implants or anything) before im out of college would be nice.

Definitely gonna get a hysto, and chest surgery, I'm good on spending 50+ thousand dollars on something I know I won't be "happy" about. It would be GREAT to have a functioning dick, I could piss, and (insert sexual innuendo here) with, but until it's somewhat "perfected" I'm ok with using prosthetics.

Hmm, I'm not sure if I'm FtM or androgyne yet, but personally I'd rather that my bits work properly than that they are somewhat more "pleasing to the eye", so to speak. Not that I find either the female or the male kind very pleasing to the eye, to be honest.  :-\

Sometimes I am thinking about taking T, and I guess that would mean that I would have a hysterectomy because I want to keep the chance of cancer as low as possible, and because in my country you need to be infertile to be able to legally change your gender.
If I do decide to take T, top surgery is a given for me. I'd love to walk around on the beach without a shirt on. (without getting stared at, that is.)

Cheers,
PolarBear

My highest priority is top surgery. I can hardly bear my chest right now. (I mean, I bind all day, which is hot and uncomfortable [and sometimes painful], but when I try going without a shirt when I'm alone [I hate wearing shirts and it irks me that I don't have a choice], the motion of my chest makes me sick and upset.)

As for bottom surgery, well, I don't know if I want to give up sexual pleasure to have an inadequate dick. I mean, if it looked normal and felt normal, and I could piss out of it, and I could pass naked without question, I might give up sex (maybe), but for a little, strange-looking thing or a patchwork thing of skin from other parts of my body? I don't frigging think so.

I'll probably wait a few years to even give it more serious thought--I'm only 18 and I don't want to be hasty with this. I've made stupid decisions before, and I don't want to do it again.