Transmen are female individuals described by medical science as suffering from gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder; that is, they identify with the male sex, feeling ill at ease with their female appearance and more specifically with their female genitalia.

Transmen, who believe they were naturally assigned to the wrong sex, invariably seek to rectify nature’s mistake via corrective surgery which is termed gender realignment. A number of gender realignment procedures are available for transmen, the majority focusing on the removal of female sexual organs and the construction of male organs through plastic surgical techniques.

Procedure information
Besides the obvious external characteristics of the female body, the reproductive system is perhaps the most clearly defining physical facet of womanhood and so for transmen, its removal can be one of the most significant steps in the overall gender realignment process.

A hysterectomy would naturally be the first procedure performed as part of this step, involving the surgical removal of the uterus; a complex process performed by surgeons while the patient is under general anesthetic. Additionally, a procedure known as a bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, involving the removal of both ovaries and fallopian tubes, can be performed at the same time. Together, the entire process is commonly referred to as a ‘complete hysterectomy’.

The procedures can be performed either through the vagina (vaginal hysterectomy) or through the lower belly (abdominal hysterectomy), with the latter technique considered the safest and most preferable.

Recovery time
The duration of the recovery period varies depending on whether the surgery was vaginal or abdominal, with patients’ of the former recovering quicker.

Following a vaginal hysterectomy, patients are expected to remain in hospital for 1 to 2 days following the operation, after which a 2 to 3 week period of rest and avoidance of anything other than mild activity should be observed. Abdominal hysterectomy patients can expect complete recovery in 1 to 2 months with sexual activity able to be resumed 6 weeks after the procedure.