What is vaginoplasty?
Vaginoplasty is a surgery that removes the penis and testicles and creates a cavity in the body that is meant to look and work like a vagina. In simple terms, the skin of the penis is turned inward to line a new opening. Because the body sees this opening as a wound, it tries to close it, so the person has to stretch (dilate) it every day for the rest of their life to keep it open.
Daily life after surgery
People who have had the operation say the new opening does not clean itself the way a natural vagina does. “It’s a literal wound cavern in their body that has no self-cleaning mechanisms and is always trying to heal shut,” writes PocketGoblix source [citation:27e70aa3-fece-4a22-9522-9822757d85f3]. Without the body’s own cleaning system, bacteria and even leftover hair can grow inside, causing a strong smell and repeated infections. One woman said she was “too ashamed to use a public bathroom because of the fog of smell that comes from my infected vagina” (Whatnowbabe) source [citation:6b8a47f5-c11a-4967-a15b-04f4eb0b20f8].
Common problems
- Loss of sexual feeling: many report numbness or pain instead of pleasure.
- Leaking and spraying when urinating.
- A rectovaginal fistula—an unwanted tunnel between the bowel and the cavity—so stool can leak through the opening.
- Lifetime need for hormone medicine if the testicles were removed.
- Daily dilation to stop the body from sealing the cavity shut.
Reversal is hard
If someone later regrets the surgery, the choices are limited. Some ask surgeons to sew the cavity closed entirely, while others try more operations to rebuild the area, usually with extra scars and no guarantee of better results. “I think I will ask to close the cavity entirely,” said Whatnowbabe, fearing more scars on her arm or thigh if another repair fails source [citation:6b8a47f5-c11a-4967-a15b-04f4eb0b20f8].
Bottom line
Vaginoplasty is marketed as creating a “real vagina,” but the medical reality is a wound that must be stretched open every day, can smell, can leak body waste, and often ends sexual feeling. People who have lived through it warn that the daily upkeep is exhausting and reversal is complicated. Understanding these lifelong burdens can help anyone questioning their identity see that surgery is not the only—or the easiest—path to peace of mind.