Orchiectomy with Dr. Murray Kimmel, November 2005

By H; edited by Anne A. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D.

I have to be the only transwoman to have undergone two orchiectomies in her lifetime. The first was through an inguinal incision, and was done for of cancer. The second was by my own volition. The latter orchiectomy was done by Dr. Kimmel in Philadelphia, in November 2005. Dr. Kimmel favors the scrotal approach, which is actually slightly more painful than the inguinal approach.

The procedure itself was not remarkable. After chatting for a few minutes, Dr. Kimmel was satisfied that I wasn't a raving loonie. I was given a shot of valium -- which was on top of 5 mg of valium I took earlier -- soooooo everything was just fine. A shot or two of local anesthesia and one is numbed up. After the initial incision and a few sharp pains, I felt a wet splash on my thigh, and voila, the testicle was removed. Dr. Kimmel placed it on a gauze pad for me to see. It was about the size of a lima bean, with some bloody spaghetti attached. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace and completion.

I was crying tears of joy as I choked out the words, "Thank you" to Dr. Kimmel. It was such a wonderful spiritual experience. I had to be the only girl in the entire city of Philadelphia who was happy to be wearing two Kotex maxi-pads.

As for the preferred surgical method: The inguinal method leaves scars on both sides of the pubic mound, each about 2 inches long. The scrotal sack is untouched and thus is not affected by any surgical scaring, which some SRS surgeons do not like. The testes are pushed up the inguinal canal and, under light general anesthesia, an incision is made into the inguinal canal. The testes are ligated, cut, and cauterized. Healing time is about 3 to 5 weeks. Drs. Reed and Bowers use the inguinal method.

The scrotal method leaves one or two scars on the scrotum. The stitching can be very irritating and healing can take around 4 to 6 weeks. Have some strong painkillers handy. You will also need a care provider for at least the first 24 hours postop.

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