Consultation for vaginoplasty with Transgender Center at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis Missouri

34
u/purplemtnstravesty
Fri Jan 7 22:51:07 2022 UTC
(18 comments)

I have scoured this subreddit and google to try to find information about this location. I have an endo with the Transgender Center at Washington University Medical Center in St. Louis Missouri who takes care of my HRT, and she is wonderful.

But the center also conducts vaginoplasty here, and I agreed to a joint consult with a urologist Dr Gino Vricella and one is a plastic surgeon, Dr Alison K. Snyder-Warwick. This location is local to me which would help immensely with the logistics of this surgery as well as aftercare.

However, I cannot find a single thing on how the surgeons that are performing vaginoplasty, I don’t know who they’ve studied under, nor can I find anyone else who has been treated by them. I’m willing to take on some amount of risk to go with these physicians if they’re new to the game, but I’d like to mitigate that as much as possible by getting as much information as possible from them during my consult. I planned on asking them about the methods they use, how much practice they have in performing the operation, and to see results.

But how should I measure their answers? Also what other questions should I be asking them?

I’d be willing to go with them if they can say they’ve studied and worked under other physicians who have good results, even if their own independent body of work is a bit limited at this time.

This medical center seems focused on building out services for transgender healthcare in the Midwest, where there is an underserved need for it. So I’m willing to take one some risk if it leads to better quality of care for others in the future, and it allows me to get the care I need as well.

all 18 comments


8
u/ashtonimore_
Sat Jan 8 01:06:05 2022 UTC
(1 child)

Make sure you can speak to the surgeon directly and gauge how honest they seem regarding the rate of complications and happiness of their clients. Some good questions to ask:

  • What are the major concerns for possible long-term possible negative outcomes?
  • How long after surgery can I start exercising (i.e., running) again?
  • What should be done if/when I have granulation scabbing?
  • How often will I need to douche? Especially long-term? I’ve often heard that douching is not actually needed/healthy for cis women. Why is it needed/recommended post-GCS?
  • What are the advantages/disadvantages of the different methods?
  • What are your rate of complications? How many of your clients go on to get a revision surgery?
  • What are the concerns as I heal? Depth, sensation, complications, orgasm, etc.
  • How many of these operations have you done?
  • What do your waiting times look like?

And please post your experiences after! I also live in STL, but am going to California for surgery. It would be awesome to hear that there’s a good local surgeon :)

4
OP
Sat Jan 8 01:28:26 2022 UTC
(0 children)

Thanks! This is super insightful! Also yeah! Regardless of if I decide to move forward with them I’ll definitely come back with some information from the consult

4
u/JodieWren
Sat Jan 8 04:14:43 2022 UTC
(4 children)

This must be very new. I live in the area and I was unaware there were any surgeons in the area despite having looked before.

2
OP
Sat Jan 8 06:21:20 2022 UTC
(2 children)

https://physicians.wustl.edu/specialties/lgbtq-health/washington-university-transgender-center/

3
Sun Jan 9 10:17:31 2022 UTC
(1 child)

It’s odd they don’t even list vaginoplasty as something she sees patients for (at least on that page). I’m wondering if they’ve done any at all

1
Fri Apr 26 16:06:28 2024 UTC
(0 children)

I was thinking the same thing. It’s got me scratching my head and live across the river. I’ve never been to Chicago. But, then a first time for everything.

3
u/simply_spider
Sat Jan 8 06:02:15 2022 UTC
(1 child)

Commenting to boost visibility, and to remember to revisit later. I grew up in Belleville and have been considering moving back.

3
OP
Sat Jan 8 06:17:27 2022 UTC
(0 children)

Stl has a surprisingly large amount of queer people in it despite the surrounding areas.

2
u/HiddenStill
Sat Jan 8 03:40:39 2022 UTC
(3 children)

Here's a list of surgeons in the USA, and there's none in Missouri, which indicates they have very little experience.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TransSurgeriesWiki/wiki/srs/usa

There's a fair number of bad results from surgeons and the only way you can hope to avoid it is to look at independent reviews and especially post op photos, which is not possible. Don't trust what they say - the bad ones are also highly qualified and nice. Further new surgeons have a higher rate of complications.

I'd recommend you look though the results from others surgeons in the USA and Thailand (since there's many) and try to find out what you want.

There's a wide variation in ability of surgeons, and if you're unlucky you'll regret it for the rest of your life.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TransSurgeriesWiki/wiki/srs/introduction#wiki_botched_surgeries

3
Sat Jan 8 03:55:26 2022 UTC
(2 children)

there’s none in Missouri, which indicates they have very little experience.

That is a very broad statement. Just because the surgeon doesn’t appear on a Reddit wiki page is no clear indication of if the surgeon has experience. There are a handful of surgeons in my state and MD that I’m considering. None of them appear on the wiki, yet they’ve been doing various gender surgeries for years and two are leaders in Trans Health Care programs at their respective hospitals.

2
Sat Jan 8 04:23:28 2022 UTC
(1 child)

Who are they? I'll add them.

1
Fri Jan 28 07:05:51 2022 UTC
(0 children)

I spoke to my endo at Washington university who says they do indeed have a surgeon and urologist pair performing bottom surgery, despite no information being online. It looks like op linked their page in another comment and I verified with the doctor that it’s true

2
u/jadediaz2008
Sat Jan 8 01:46:40 2022 UTC
(2 children)

I admire your willingness to "take one for the team" as it were but that's not a commitment I'd make myself. I think the questions below are good ones but I would dive into training, qualifications and experience:

  • how many procedures have they done?
  • How many would the like to do per week/month?
  • Where did they train?
  • Describe the facilities where the operation will happen and the hospital where initial recovery will take place?
  • After the initial post-op hospital discharge where in St Louis could I go for emergency care if needed? (i.e., what hospitals in the area could reasonably be expected to be familiar with vaginoplasty since it is apparently not very common in STL)
  • How important is pelvic floor physical therapy to surgical success? What local PTs can do my pelvic floor therapy?

Ask to speak with former patients. Ask them what they liked and disliked. Ask former patients how they were treated before, during and after their bottom surgeries.

2
OP
Sat Jan 8 01:49:42 2022 UTC
(1 child)

I don’t want to give the wrong impression that I would move forward if they have zero experience in it at all. I think it was poor wording, more so that there is zero reporting on what they even have to offer. There’s nothing that I can find about them online.

If I don’t feel like they’re capable, I won’t move forward with them. But I also want to give them a shot if they do seem capable but just not well known.

2
Sat Jan 8 01:52:33 2022 UTC
(0 children)

Ok! Good luck I hope things work out for you

1
u/Sad-Quit8189
Wed Oct 5 22:38:39 2022 UTC
(2 children)

It’s not worth it in the St. Louis area because you won’t be able to self lubricate

1
Fri Apr 26 16:10:03 2024 UTC
(0 children)

Why? I’m still looking into SRS and going slowly at doing my research.