What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
More than 6 years back when UP native Gayatri (name changed) made up mind to get rid of her organs identical to females, she would not have thought that she would have a perfect male genital one day.
Cut to October 2022, Gayatri now has a perfectly-shaped and functional penis thanks to doctors at the government-run Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi.
Over years, the 34-year-old woman has undergone painful and rigorous processes for the removal of her breast, uterus, ovary and vagina between 2017 and 2019. Around two months back, she came to the hospital to get a “reconstructed penis” implanted.
“By all proportions and psychiatric evaluations, it was found that although the patient was female mentally she was a male, a condition which is called Gender Dysphoria,” said a senior doctor.
When Gayatri approached the hospital, she was a woman albeit only by appearance. But in reality, she had all male characteristics like a beard, hairs on chest, a male voice and male behaviours.
“Only requirement was penile reconstruction (Phalloplasty) and implant to transform her into a male,” informed Dr Bheem Singh Nanda, senior consultant, department of plastic & cosmetic surgery.
She has been on male hormone replacement therapy since 2016.
After a detailed review at Gangaram hospital, doctors decided to perform penile reconstruction for complete male transformation by using the state-of-art micro-surgical technique, which involves transferring tissues from one to another body part. They chose the forearm as a donor body for penile reconstruction.
“Our aim was to give good shape, length, urethra to pass urine) and erotic sensation to the patient,” the doctor explained.
Explaining the challenges involved in the surgery, Dr Nanda said: “The penis was fabricated on the forearm with preservation of vessels and all the important nerves. The next step was to implant the reconstructed penis from the forearm to the genital area of the patient.”
“The second challenge was to join the urethra (wine tube) and then connect the vessels to establish the blood circulation again in the reconstructed penis. The last and the most important step was to join the nerves of the reconstructed penis with the erotic nerves (pudendal nerve and nerve to clitoris) which is the most important pre-requisite for a penile implant and sexual satisfaction later,” he explained.
It took more than 2 hours for doctors to construct a penis in Gayatri’s left forearm and around another six hours to transfer it to the genital area.
“Six weeks post-surgery, the patient is completely male with 5 inches of penis. Now Gayatri is Mahesh and passes urine in standing position and uses male urinal,” Dr Nanda stated.
Mahesh is now married to Shalini, who was the love of his life since their college days.
Speaking about the process of Phalloplasty, the doctor said that its primary goals are to facilitate sexual penetration, protective sensation, orgasm, standing micturition, and natural aesthetic with minimal morbidity.
“Radial forearm free flap and anterolateral flap are the most common options, each with a unique profile of complications, aesthetic, and functional outcomes. Choices for reconstruction must be tailored to the individual patient’s goals and available tissue characteristics,” he added.
In Gayatri’s case, doctors chose the radial forearm flap technique which gives better shape, urethra quality and good sensation as compared to other techniques.
