Bowers was my surgeon and she leaves erectile tissue for sensation.

Initial surgery left me with enough to the point where it was an issue - enough swelling that effectively blocked the vaginal canal and made penetration effectively impossible.

Had a revision that alleviated the issue to the point where penetration is possible, but there is still more erectile tissue than I would like. I'm not terribly fond of how arousal feels with the swelling, and it frankly makes things look pretty odd. The tissue is fairly active, so appearances change regularly throughout the day.

For me, I would say the cons have been pretty heavy, though Marci continually will say how "it's all connected". It's hard to say if the positive can outweigh the negative; I don't know where the line is between not having an excess of the tissue and not being able to orgasm, or if the line truly exists at all. In my experience, the ability to orgasm is largely a mental game which leaves me inclined to say things could have been better.

I had some left overs and asked my surgeon to remove all of it in a revision.

It felt unnatural, out of place, and was causing issues with PIV.

No it did not make any difference sensation wise. I noticed it takes more to get wet though. Before it was super easy. I'm not sure if he messed up something in the revision but it isn't a big deal. Still enough for PIV.

The positives of removing the leftovers definitely outweigh this one thing that might not even be related.

I did not like how it felt so engorged, even more than my clit. Was very distracting, felt wrong and made me feel more dysphoric as well as blocking off my vaginal entrance. also just kinda an uncomfortably taught sensation, not really pleasant.

With the reduction of tissue, dilating being easier, I think I also get wetter now as there is less tissue holding the fluid back? I still have total bladder control. Orgasms haven’t changed except for it being more focused around my clit. Sensation is still full and complete for the areas that were reduced. Honestly I feel like I can feel more of my vagina now without all that extra tissue distracting me.

I have some leftover spongy urethral tissue - it is the primary thing I would like revised.

- When it swells, it reduces the apeture of the vagina.

- I don't like the sensation when engorged, at all.

- Vestibule is noticably squishy.

Hope this helps!

N.B: edited after a discussion with my surgeon, which corrected some of my suppositions (this is not a corpora cavernosa issue as I had prev. believed).

I just spoke with my surgeon about this

The area left has a number of nerves and blood vessels that are important. It's not just the sensation of the tissue being stimulates, but nerves for the entire area.

There are different techniques to diminish and move this area so it's not an issue for the patient.

If you have some extra left-over erectile tissue, do you have any positive experience with it, such as enhanced ability to orgasm?

I wouldn't say I have had any particularly positive experiences with having excess erectile tissue, it tends to be unsightly and engorges with arousal. It also doesn't aid in orgasm as it holds no sensation whatsoever, and sometimes actually has the opposite effect and makes penetration uncomfortable and "tight" feeling on my end so to speak.

Do you think the positive effect (if any) could outweigh the negative effect (if any)?

Maybe in some cases! Everyone's experience and body is different. My surgeon said it's pretty atypical for the erectile tissue to become an issue throughout healing, but it is a consistent complication that many people deal with no matter what surgeon they visit. My gynecologist said erectile tissue also aids in muscle control of the vagina in both cis and trans women, so it's essential to have at least some of it. Though, still having too much it doesn't really provide any added benefits in my experience or in the experience of others I've read online.

And which surgeons leave extra erectile tissue and which surgeons don't?

As far as I know, all surgeons leave erectile tissue. As I mentioned, there are essential benefits of having erectile tissue for muscle control, etc. Though, the amount of erectile tissue left by the surgeon totally depends on that particular surgeon and the method they follow so it'd be best to discuss that with whichever surgeon you consult with. In my own experience and that I've read of others, surgeons tend to leave more of it than not because it's easier and less of a risk to go back make revisions than to add or construct on more tissue.

Best of luck!