Ooooof, first I want to say you are a really strong person to go through all of this! You are not alone fellow sister and if you ever need anyone to talk to I’m here!

Sadly I’m not the best resource to answer all your questions but this process of choosing zero-depth vs full Vaginoplasty has been something I’ve been through before and I actually cancelled a zero-depth surgery the last minute at one point (I don’t ever recommend you do that, really pissed off my surgeon). Having said that, I do not regret my decision to cancel zero-depth.

Zero-depth is very appealing in many ways; vulvoplasty has the biggest advantage of not having to dilate forever (dilation is a literal chore) because the lack of creation of a canal. It’s generally less maintenance and you still have the aesthetics of the vulva like Vaginoplasty, so aesthetically there is no difference (of course the type of aesthetics depends on the surgeon). Hair removal is generally not require for Zero-depth, so no risk of hair regrowth because of no canal is created. Also, there is virtually no risk of fistulas because no canal is being created during surgery.

Here’s where I felt like Zero-Depth was not for me once I really came to terms with who I was: I really love the idea of a guy penetrating me in the front; that aspect of my life is so important to me. I tried to force myself to like penetration in the back door but the moment I was really honest with myself; I realized back door penetration was not euphoric to me at all. That was a huge factor in me deciding to go for full depth. A couple of other things was that I learned from others that the recovery for vulvaplasty and Vaginoplasty were similar. The biggest misconception is that Vulvoplasty is an easier recovery than Vaginoplasty and generally I’ve not seen that to be the case. So you’d have to ask yourself, “would I want two separate major surgeries for vulva and canal and huge recovery for each”; cause if you don’t want to use your vaginal canal at the end, you can always just stop dilating and let the canal close, and it’s still possible to get surgery to reopen the canal with PPT or colon. The disadvantage with vulvoplasty is that you immediately have limited options with what materials surgeons can use to line the vaginal canal with. The other thing that I’ll mention is that I meet so many trans women who end up regretting zero-depth, I know that I’ll get downvoted for this but it’s important to get it out there that the state aren’t always concrete when it comes to the satisfaction rate of zero-depth and it ends in people getting more surgery which is actually more difficult to do down the line. Again, this is your decision at the end of the day and zero-forth works so well for so many people and has so many advantages that I mentioned before.

I want to leave you at this; DO NOT RUSH THE PROCESS! Please heed this as I’m so glad that I’m actually having my surgery in about two years from now. At first it was very frustrating because the media and strong dysphoria doesn’t make this easy for trans women to be patient with the process but I’m so glad I booked with a well respected surgeon, and getting electrolysis done right (I use BLT numbing cream 20% each, with 1000mg of Tylenol before the treatment; results in very little pain).

To help with the waiting, I went ahead and got an orchiectomy, and goodness I will say that was extremely helpful to me, I barely tuck and can cross my legs more easily and it feels so nice not to think nearly as much about my genitals than I used to. IMPORTANT: make sure you know who you want to do your surgery! Thailand surgeons like Bank or the Mt. Sinai surgeons like Ting/Avenessian/Pang use the tunica vaginalis (the lining of the testicles) to line the canal for extra depth. The surgeon I’m going to doesn’t use the tunica vaginalis and I’m confident in going with them so getting the Orchiectomy was an easy decision. It’s a super easy recovery (recovery was one to two weeks) and can be done in a short time.

This is my big soap box, if you made it to the end, thank you so much!

Stay strong luv! You got this!

Hi! I am 8 months post-op from zero depth, so I can asnswer most of your questions:

Can you easily reach your g-spot through the front? (without anal penetration)

I don't think so. I did manage to achieve orgasm after 8 months (it was a matter of actually learning how to stimulate myself), and it was by stimulating the clitoris. It was satisfying, intense, pleasing, and better than pre-op. It felt feminine and satisfying, I am positively happy about it.

Does the lack of vagina impact your sex life in any way?

My partner (we're married, and have been for 17 years) doesn't have a penis and doesn't like being active in penetration. I too don't have fantasies of being penetrated, so to me, the answer is no. All my fantasies were about being fingered and eaten - and the "zero depth", at least in my case, still has some 2 inches of depth (what they call introitus), so I can get all boxes (mainly being fingered) checked.

Are the cosmetic results of vulvoplasty satisfying?

Very much so. For a (very) detailed view, check this post I made with a detailed house tour video.

What was your reasoning for going with vulvoplasty vs vaginoplasty?

I've been married for 17 years now, and neither my partner nor I are invested in penetrative sex. I don't have fantasies of being penetrated, they're offput by having to penetrate. All of my dreams were of doing penisless lesbian sex, and strap-ons were never part of this fantasy. Add to that the increased surgical complications of the vaginal canal, the need to dilate on a very delicate, very fresh wound, and that dilation needs to go on for life.

Also, vulvoplasty can be done without general anesthesia (you're still put to sleep, but you can breathe on your own during the surgery), which is safer than surgeries with general anesthesia.

So, all that put together, I decided to go without the canal.

Is making a vaginal canal after the surgery truly a viable option?

I *think* it is, but only with a skin graft from somewhere else in your body. Which means a big scar there. But I'm not sure about this info.

That being said, as far as hair goes, at GrS Montreal you don't need to do hair removal prior to the surgery. That is true including for canal options - they basically flip the skin inside out and kill the folicles with heat from the back. Makes it all significantly easier. You'll see in my house tour post I have most of my hair.

Hope this helps!

I had a vulvoplasty and then had a canal added 1 year later.

Feel free to DM me, or ask me anything here.

Answers to your questions

1. Not really. Was hard to orgasm but not impossible...but after my canal addition it did become easier, and now I can orgasm just from the front (clittoral stimulation) or by penetration alone now. I am guessing I was simply still healing when I had the canal added, which is why it wasn't easy to orgasm then.

2. Yes, alot! I felt soooo incomplete...it became a mission to have the canal added.

3.cosmetic results can be identical.

1. I chose vulvoplasty because I didn't want to dilate and also go through hair removal. These were not good reasons for me in the long run though.

2. It is possible, but you won't have the same feeling as if you were to have it done up front. I had to have a skin graft from my abdomen, which left a scar from hip to hip. My surgeon did a great job, the scar is not easy to see unless you are looking for it, but its there. Inside the canalnI do have feeling, it feels really good and velvety. My cis wife said it feels very much like hers, a thought I also had myself.

I have pics through my profile, feel free to check them out!

This really depends on how old you are. If you are older, say 55 plus then I think they recommend zero depth.

If I have the surgery at this moment in time I think I will go zero depth as having penile-vagina sex doesn't interest me. I am asexual and I am not attracted to men. I also maybes got at least 10 years to wait thanks to the NHS's shoddy waiting times plus an even longer wait for surgery. 10 years just to get seen and get on their treatment books plus another 3 years to surgery plus all the other hoops I am going to have to jump through. By then I will be in my 60s. With zero depth no hair removal down there is required. I just don't want the hassle.