Question for those who have considered zero/minimal-depth vaginoplasty...

7
u/KorriTaranis
Thu Nov 19 20:08:12 2020 UTC
*
(27 comments)

Why did you consider it? Did you end up getting it done, or going with a different method? Why?

I'm debating with myself the reasons why/why not to go with a zero or minimal depth vaginoplasty and am curious what others have thought.

For reference, I'm (obviously) mtf on hrt for almost six years at this point (so everything has shrunk considerably) and in my mid 30s. I'm also a sex-neutral to sex-positive ace.

Edit: I have not had a partner/partnered sex since before I started transitioning.

all 27 comments



11
u/ShavedPlushie
Thu Nov 19 23:12:41 2020 UTC
(3 children)

I'm thinking of minimal for two reasons.

  1. I want as close as possible to a cis vaginas tissue makeup. New methods are on the horizon that should open up more options. So a minimal depth would allow me to at least have the external look and feel while I wait for surgeons to catch up.

  2. The penile tissue is homologous to the inner labia. At least with PI, some of that material if not all of it will be used to create the vaginal canal. So leaving less to work with for the inner labia using the amab actual counterpart.

    It's also questionable because of the nerve sensations. A cis vaginas nerve endings do not extend very deep from the entrance. With PI, IMO, those nerve endings extend too far in to mimic what a cis vagina actually feels like. (I.E., may feel great, but for someone wanting as close as possible, excess feeling inside isn't what I'm after vs cis.)

2
Thu Dec 10 00:51:58 2020 UTC
(2 children)

Do you have any ideas on how to get one without transitioning the rest of my body? Because the only part of me that’s a problem is the twig and berries

1
Thu Dec 10 09:01:40 2020 UTC
(1 child)

So you want an asexual nullification? Those can be hard to prove a necessity to surgeons.

3
Thu Dec 10 15:11:36 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Hey I realized last night that my wanting only the genitals was just me being scared of social backlash for transitioninh

11
u/collectablecat
Thu Nov 19 23:34:00 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Had a bunch of surgeries, every time post op depression would knock the shit out of me. Absolutely zero chance i would have kept up with dilation so I decided to save myself a bunch of heartbreak and accept my limitations.

Sometimes you just gotta accept the hand you are dealt and try and find the happy parts. I like my new 🐈 so far.

7
u/Forgetwhatitoldyou
Thu Nov 19 20:11:56 2020 UTC
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(1 child)

I thought about it because I was a lesbian, possibly Ace, and just didn't think that I needed a vagina to be happy/complete, I figured that the vulva would be enough for appearances, clothing, and for theoretical sexytimes. After a while I figured out that I might want to experience penetration - either toys or penis - and that going for full-depth was probably better just in case. Please note that I have not had partnered sex of any kind since starting transition two years ago.

I have full-depth PI scheduled for mid-June.

3
OP
Thu Nov 19 20:16:02 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Thanks. It sounds like you were in a similar mindset to me.

7
u/meg-trans
Thu Nov 19 20:17:53 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I considered a vulvaplasty for a long time.

It's still a boarderline choice for me, but eventually, after talking with others, I decided on a full vaginoplasty. I'm not sure if or how much 'action' it will see, but I'm doing it just so I've got it I guess. If I came around after the surgery and only had a vulvaplasty, i'd be cool with it. X

5
u/some_alt_account_idk
Sat Nov 21 04:40:04 2020 UTC
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(0 children)

I would like to get it for a couple of reasons and the main one here is having my things be close to natal vulvae/vaginas in how it looks and what it's made of (you ever seen a graph of genital development? we're aiming to match the colors on both sides lol). Another thing is there's gonna be a lot of material to use, so hopefully a surgeon can make things bigger rather than smaller and then cutting it back if something's off is a case of a smaller surgery. There'll be less swelling and that means better chances for good results. Lastly, while I would like to have a vagina, I can live without it and would like something like PPT for it anyway and that can be added as a revision

6
u/ZestyChinchilla
Fri Nov 20 06:54:00 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I considered zero-depth for quite a while, but ultimately decided against it. Even after considering zero-depth for several months, I could never bring myself to be 100% on board with it. I figured that if I still wasn't completely convinced even after I'd like that much time and thought into it, that I probably wasn't going to be happy with it. I ended up having full-depth vaginoplasty, and I've always been incredibly happy with my decision. I have a wonderful partner and I would've missed out on an amazing sex life.

The main reasons I considered zero-depth were lower risk, and no dilating. Dilating was a hassle the first year, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I'd expected and in the end was totally worth it!

u/[deleted]
Sat Nov 21 06:43:45 2020 UTC
(2 children)

[deleted]

2
OP
Sat Nov 21 09:31:10 2020 UTC
(1 child)

You're not too late, don't worry. I did check out your history, it was interesting.

One other question: The posts said you had an orchi prior to the gcs, how did that affect the gcs?

3
Sat Nov 21 15:46:11 2020 UTC
(0 children)

It had no affect at all. The skin was left in tact so it wouldn't have mattered if I had it then or during gcs.

Now, it is my opinion that doing the orchi during gcs would have been a more painful recovery! The gcs for me wasn't painful at all - whereas the orchi hurt alot! Now - I also had chronic orchalgia, which was causing me near blackout shooting pains from the testicle, which is why we had them removed early. That could have contributed to the pain I had from the orchi as well.

5
u/LaurenRossy1
Thu Nov 19 20:18:31 2020 UTC
(13 children)

Go for full depth ALWAYS if you have the minimum doubt. It is easier to have more than to have less. They are the same price, but if you go for minimum and then you decide you want a vagina you gotta pay double. The ones that go for zero-depth are 100% SURE of it. Having a vagina feels like a "wet, warm, comfy home" to me and when a penis is inside is like I am giving a home to a "homeless" it is so rewarding 🥰

14
Thu Nov 19 23:38:02 2020 UTC
(10 children)

Nobody is 100% sure of anything lol, don’t be silly. I went with vulvaplasty even though i had doubts. Its fine.

2
Thu Nov 19 23:40:53 2020 UTC
(4 children)

I mean, maybe you were not a 100% sure but 99%, it is not something you decide if you are like 60%-40% that is what I meant

6
Thu Nov 19 23:42:24 2020 UTC
(3 children)

I was maybe 70% at most. Some times you just need to make a choice. Waiting for the perfect moment will leave people unhappy

3
Thu Nov 19 23:44:51 2020 UTC
(0 children)

(Dont get me wrong, I totally respect your choice, just asking respectfully)

2
Thu Nov 19 23:44:20 2020 UTC
(1 child)

Why would you go for no depth then? Wasnt it easier going for full depth and not dilating if you did not want afterwards?

10
Thu Nov 19 23:46:05 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Full depth is different technique, has a longer recovery and involves more pain. Not things i am good at dealing with. I decided i wanted the easiest option possible so i could avoid a post op stay in a psych ward or suicide attempt.

1
Fri Nov 20 07:00:30 2020 UTC
(4 children)

That's just not true. By the time I had surgery, I was 100% positive I was making the right choice to have it, and I was 100% positive that full-depth vaginoplasty was the only way I'd be completely happy. In fact it was one of the few times in my life where I wasn't second-guessing myself right up until the end.

3
Fri Nov 20 07:24:11 2020 UTC
(3 children)

Im unconvinced. Perhaps you were very sure but being 100% sure is not something the human brain is capable of

1
Tue Nov 24 08:38:08 2020 UTC
(2 children)

Whether you're convinced or not doesn't really matter to me. I don't like being called a liar when I'm not, and clearly plenty of other folks were 100% sure too.

I never doubted, for one second, that I was making the right decision. I had never been so sure of anything in my life, both before and after surgery. What you're claiming just doesn't align with my experience, so I don't know what the fuck to tell you except that you're wrong.

3
Tue Nov 24 08:45:20 2020 UTC
(1 child)

lil spicy there, you never had one thought even once about something simple like 'is this the right surgeon?' or 'what if i get really bad complications' ? Seems daft

4
Tue Nov 24 09:20:35 2020 UTC
(0 children)

Wondering if you'll have a complication isn't the same thing as being sure that the surgery was the right thing for me to do. Of course I hoped that I wouldn't experience any complications, but I also knew that major ones are rare and that if I did happen to experience one, it wasn't likely to be something that couldn't be resolved. I trusted that the medical team knew how to do their jobs. I was never worried enough to question whether or not I should go through with the surgery.

My outlook was that, should a complication arise, I'd get through it one way or another. Having the surgery was the most important thing in the world to me at that point, and it was more than worth the potential risks. I figured even if the worst happened and I died on the operating table, at least I tried (and I'd already be under anesthesia, so I wouldn't know the difference anyway if I never woke up.)

5
Thu Nov 19 23:16:46 2020 UTC
(1 child)

I have to question the same price line. Or more the surgeons who claim such. Minimal is less invasive and won't require as long a surgery time. Especially if the other option for a full length was say PPT or PI+.

2
Thu Nov 19 23:39:55 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I think PI and vulvoplasty is the same price

1
u/Shenya_the_smol_bean
Thu Dec 10 00:54:12 2020 UTC
(0 children)

I’m planning to get one but it’s going to be hell as I don’t want to transition the rest of my body and I doubt the cunt bags in the insurance will let that happen