Just had zero-depth vaginoplasty with Dr. Del Corral (Baltimore, MD). So happy! Ask me anything :)
Thank you so much to this wonderful community! Here’s some info to pay it forward:
- Dr. Gabriel Del Corral with Franklin Square Medical Center
- Zero depth vaginoplasty (AKA vulvoplasty)
- hair removal recommended but not required. I had some laser done on the middle of my scrotum so the vaginal pocket definitely won’t have hair
- no bowel prep(!) because I’m not getting a vaginal canal
- surgical cost w/ Cigna insurance: $3,500
- Airbnb cost for 2 weeks in town: $2,700
- flight cost (round trip, nonstop, 2 seats): $950
- misc. medical supplies cost: $100
- groceries/tech/entertainment cost for 2: $300
I’m in a lot of pain but the nurses are attentive if you call them. Dilaudid is the most effective for me, but they’ve been giving me oxy, hydro, Tylenol, and Toradol. Also antibiotics and other meds I can’t remember.
The facility is super clean and modern, as it was built in late 2020. All the nursing staff (save for one) have been incredible and so kind. Unfortunately they didn’t have a private room for me so I’ve been hanging out in the recovery wing for a while.
The one nurse who wasn’t nice (I don’t know her name) made some weird comments about how she doesn’t understand trans people and doesn’t like dealing with them. Not terrible but still weird thing to say to me in a fragile state.
I’ve been able to look at it under the wound vac and she is beautiful! Even the nurses and Dr. Del Corral said it was better than expected. I believe it’s because I had an orchiectomy a few years ago, so there’s less trauma/bleeding to worry about.
I’ll be posting pics once they remove the wound vac and catheter. It looks beautiful already 🥰
Congrats! The Dilaudid saved me so much during my recent GCS. That stuff is powerful. I knew the pain would be bad, but, wow, it really was rough the first few nights.
I wish you the best on your healing journey!
Thank you so much!
Congratulations! What a beautiful picture!
I'm very heartened by your experience (except for the asshole nurse) as I am having a colon vaginoplasty revision surgery with Drs. Del Corral and Lisle in November. I am glad you had a favorable impression about the hospital and the surgical team. Dr. Lisle is kind of a wild card. I am going to try to stay open-minded about him, but I am not the only one to have reservations. Dr. Del Corral has been very personable and easy to talk to. Damn is he cute! I'd date him if I could, lol.
Anyway, thanks so much for posting your experience. It has been a great help to those of us either considering him or have signed up with him for surgery.
Blessings to you!
Thanks, and I wish I had some experience with Dr. Lisle to share. I don’t think I had anything with him. And yeah Dr. Corral is def a charmer lol
Oh wound vac, nice!
I hope your recovery is fast and low of pain
Thank you!
Zero-depth is something I've been looking at!
It’s a great option! Less recovery time, no dilating, more surgery time and donor tissue to make every detail beautiful.
I like the cost breakdown you provided. It looks like I could reasonably afford this provided my insurance would cover it, which I'm pretty sure it would.
Congratulations! It's great to see that you're doing well after the surgery.
I'm in the area, and Del Corral is one of the people I'd be considering. Can I ask what factored into your decision to pick him?
So happy for you!
Thanks! I was originally considering Dr. Avanessian @ Mt. Sinai or Dr. Bluebond-Langner.
Dr. Avanessian’s hospital was very difficult to work with. I spent probably 20+ phone calls to finally get through to the right person, and when I did, they never called me back to schedule appointments. I got as far as the social worker visit before giving up, as they said my insurance company would have to do a lot of paperwork with them, and they couldn’t even return my calls.
Dr. Bluebond-Langner’s office was nice and organized, but *consultations *were booked two years out. They said total time would likely be 4 years. I decided I couldn’t wait that long and looked elsewhere.
I learned about Dr. Del Corral through my insurance, and they recommended him because absolutely everything was in-network, plus he has been doing this for a long time. I saw some beautiful results and the consultation was amazing. I could tell he really cares about his patients and their results. Plus he does FFS!
Thank you for the info! I don't hear much about him on these forums, but he seems to do really good work, he's in the area, and I think my insurance would cover him. It's great to hear about your experience with him.
Yeah Mount Sinai is like that :(
First let me say congratulations! Exactly what I am planning with him and my consult is in August. Two questions - how long was the wait time from consult to procedure. And how long do they plan to have you as inpatient?
Thank you, and I hope your consultation goes well!
I consulted a year ago and was told the waiting list was 3-4months. I delayed it until now so I could finish my college semesters and recover over summer break. I believe the current delay from consult to procedure is 6 months, but their scheduler is super nice and can get you in cancellations.
I’ll be inpatient for a total of three days, two nights. And the follow-up appointment is automatically scheduled for 12 days after the procedure. I was told I could leave town about 2 weeks after to recover at home once things are settled here.
Thank you so much for that info ! I have the countdown clock going on my phone and I have to look at it every few hours. This has been such a long time coming for me. Your smile says it all. Now I will probably be counting the minutes .
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If your open to coming to Columbus Ohio, last I heard Dr McClung was a 2-4 month wait (not sure about now, has been about 2 months since I last saw him). That's about how long i waited for each of my 3 procedures with him (orchy, zero depth, and then canal addition, each a year apart)
Ah, crap. I have a consult at OHSU in October. I was hoping for more like a few months in between consult and surgery.
Hey there! What made you decide on no-depth over let’s say a PPT or PI? Thanks! Wishes for speedy recovery!
Hi, thanks! I consider myself asexual, or at the very least a lesbian. I have no interest in penetrative sex. Also the recovery period is significantly reduced, and since I have ADHD, I don’t think I’d be able to keep up with the rigorous dilation schedule.
I have no regrets in my decision so far. It’s pretty painful and I can’t imagine having to dilate right now too.
This option is looking more and more appealing. I was just going to get an orchi but then my bottom dysphoria really ramped up the last couple of months. Also lesbian, but kind of want to be penetrated since the back door isn't a great option (hemorrhoids suck lol), but also ADHD. I went straight to injections because I knew with my ADHD I would end up dehyrated all the time with Spiro, so the thought of not having to deal the dilation schedule is really nice too and minimal/no hair removal would also let me get it done faster than zapping each growth cycle for a year. Hmmm. Regardless, congrats on the easier-maintenance kitty!
Thanks! I got an orchi a few years ago thinking it would be enough, but this is really the cherry on top. Good luck with your journey, whatever you decide!
Congratulations
Thank you!
Congratulations! I am considering Dr DelCorral also. What was your wait time from initial consult and surgery date.
Thanks! I consulted a year ago when the wait list was just a few months, but I waited for summer break to get it done. I believe the current time is around 6 months between consult and surgery.
Good to know, thanks! Best wishes for a speedy recovery!
You look so happy! Congratulations on your surgery. I'm also considering vulvoplasty, and now I've got another surgeon to consider. Thank you for the information, and here's to a rapid recovery!
Thank you so much! If you have any questions let me know 😊
Congrats. My vulvoplasty is scheduled for next month. I’ve been both excited and super anxious.
Thanks! I was a nervous wreck too but it is so worth it. Just trust yourself and you’ll get through it ☺️
Hi! Congratulations! I’ve actually been super curious about zero-depth because the idea of being penetrated by a penis makes me want to barf. So… what exactly is the difference between “zero depth” and “minimal depth”. I’ve hear the terms used interchangeably? Does zero depth produce some depth or is it truly zero? Like, I kinda like the idea of having a tiny bit of depth for the purposes of fingering etc. is that how it works? Lol sorry for the highly personal question
Zero depth, at least from my surgeon, is true zero depth - there isn't any dimple at all. Minimal depth, you get a small dimple, a .5 to 1 inch that some people can put the tip of their finger in. I had true zero depth and there was no depth to put any amount of a finger in.
Also - I've since had the full canal added, but not for sex with men. You can very much enjoy the canal with other partners and/or toys 🤭
Hi, thanks! That’s a great question and I don’t mind at all. My surgeon describes it as “zero depth” for penetration but it still has 0.5-1 inch of depth to create the proper shape and illusion of a canal. As far as I know, you can still be fingered or use small toys.
I believe zero and minimal depth are the same thing, but don’t quote me on it 😅
Cool! Tysm for the response!
So this may be controversial with some, but I had true zero depth. There was NO dimple at all, so it was not minimal depth. I had the space in my labia due to the folds,, but it was flat and smooth. My surgeon even said there was a difference as well.
I too had a vulvoplasty just last week! It was quite the exhausting experience, although I did lose 1/4 of my blood so that might’ve made me much more out of it
Congrats! I get my surgery with him in a month. I hope I don’t get that nurse because I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle any comments like that. If she doesn’t like dealing with trans people, why is she in that department?
You likely won’t have her, I think the only reason I did is because the private rooms were full and I had to stay in the general recovery wing with all kinds of patients. Everyone on the gender affirmation team I’ve met has been fantastic!
I'll be very interested in how you like the results and any complications. I'm in the MD area myself and am thinking ahead to a year or two down the road and close viable options for when I'm ready.
I’ll keep you updated! So far no complications and it looks fine to me, but time will tell 😌
congratulations hope is a speedy and easy recovery
Thank you so much! ☺️
What does zero depth mean in this context ?
There’s no vaginal canal, so I can’t have penetrative sex. But the recovery is quicker and less pain, no dilating either!
I am quite curious, if you later on decide to have depth is it possible?
Yep! u/galjer10n had it done, you can read her posts about it on this sub. I personally won’t add depth since I’m not interested in penetrative sex and I’m unable to keep up with the dilation schedule due to my ADHD.
Hey thats me! 🤗
It is possible to add depth later, but there are additional risks.
Yes its very possible. There are of course risks, but only because its simply another surgery.
I had mine done by way of an abdominal skin graft. I am going to be very honest - recovery for either I fully believe is very very close to the same. I went back to work a week earlier with the canal addition, than I did with just the vulvoplasty. The vulvoplasty, I spent a lot more time down and immo ile than I did with the canal. I feel having them done together would equate to nearly the same amount of recovery. The o ly difference is the dilating, which I must add, now that tomorrow marks 1 year since I had the canal done, is not bad at all! I dilate once a week, or more often once every other week. The first 6-8 months though was 3 times a day religiously, but I did miss many sessions due to life and work.
I don't this for a fact but I do believe you can have PPT as an option later.
People ask why I didn't have the canal done the first time around - I did not want penetration or to have to dilate. However, zero depth changed my life (for the better) and it made me very comfortable with myself. I also felt badly incomplete all of a sudden and dwelled on having to ha e the canal. I still don't want penetrative sex (not with a man anyhow) but I needed to feel complete. This was my primary reason for adding the canal. And it worked! I feel whole. And, sex is better, easier, and more enjoyable than before the canal....not that we use the canal often (my passenger is my wife, a cis female)
Ok I'm rambling! Check my posts for pics of my surgeries if interested too.
Never heard of zero depth?
It’s like a regular vaginoplasty but without the vaginal canal. From the outside it looks the same, with clitoris and hood, labia, etc. but there’s just a small pocket instead of a deep canal for penetration. Sex and masturbation is still possible though!
Is that theoretically more pleasurable?
I’m not really sure. Some say yes since more nerve endings are on the surface, but it’s harder to find a pleasurable technique without depth.
May I ask then why is that what you are seeking?
I’m not interested in penetrative sex, and I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the dilation schedule in recovery.
Congrats girl! I'm so happy for you! I remember this day like it was yesterday! Was exhausted but one of the first times I actually felt happy! I hope you are doing well and I hope you heal quickly.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Your posts and updates helped me a lot with my decision, I can’t thank you enough!
🤗 aww I'm glad I could help!
I'm due for one tomorrow in San Francisco. Why did yiu go for shallow depth instead of full depth?
I had some afib issues a few months ago--now fully controlled by sotalol--but my surgeon told me she wasn't comfortable doing a full vaginoplasty.
I'm pretty okay with it, but I'm curious why you chose a vulvoplasty. Dilation?
I have adhd and can’t dilate regularly, plus I don’t have enough time to recover without losing my job. Also I’m pretty asexual and not interested in penetrative sex.
Good luck with yours tomorrow! Congrats 🎉
Congrats! You look so happy.
I am also looking into zero depth option. For me the look is very important, is it possible say what you like (for me very small and smooth :-)?
Thank you! From what I can tell, it’s pretty smooth and neat. I haven’t been able to get a good look at it yet but the nurses tell me it’s beautiful. I think more focus was put into aesthetics since I don’t have depth.
That`s exactly what i want... It is completly without depth? Or just a little bit as most surgeons do?
I haven’t had a great look at it since it’s swollen, but I’m told I have about an inch of depth.
Zero depth? So without sounding weird just purely medical. Did you ask about masturbation to the doctor? Is that possible? I don't wanna know details just the, "can you still masturbate if you need to?
Yes it’s still possible. Just not penetrative, and it might be a bit tricky. I have to wait 6 weeks to explore.
All the LOVE and congrats you on such a momentous part of your journey ❤️ The smile says it all.
Thank you so much ☺️ I’ve been waiting 10 years for this 🎉
Do you want to have a vaginal canal created later on or are you done with surgeries ?
Great question! I’m done for now, I feel pretty comfortable with myself. I might add a canal later if I suddenly find myself craving men 😂
Day 3 update: wound vac and catheter are out. Not fun at all. At. All. So many weird sensations but I’m assured it looks perfect!
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Thanks, and congrats on getting it scheduled! It’s a rough ride but so worth it.
Or is it "safer"
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