Do phalloplasties actually work?

[SilverTapz]

After wondering about this for a while, I ended up searching phalloplasty online and ended up on a Reddit page where people post their progress. I had never seen one before an was curious, I guess. It was actually quite shocking. People with what looks like no muscle left on their forearms, someone with a necrotic 'scrotum', someone where the stitches were wide open and the tip has turned black and left a gaping hole etc etc. People seem to be commenting saying that they look great, they've made the right decision etc, but honestly they look absolutely butchered. It's scary. And I guess my question is, do they actually function? Some of these people are so young and it's scary what they've done to their bodies. I can't help but think a lot of them will regret the decision. Is it mainly cosmetic? Can they orgasm? Honestly just very shocked by what I've seen!

I'm wondering why some posters are trying to fill the 1000-post limit with distractions in order to stop discussion Not a very productive strategy when there's 700+ posts to go

Could you point to the existence of any such forum? Afaik any website or forum dedicated to free speech in relation to women’s rights (which includes FGM, sport etc) gets attacked and harassed into oblivion. It’s happened many times.

There is even an African solely anti FGM campaigner on Twitter who has had HUGE personal abuse from the trans lobby.

But if you’ve seen one where detransitioners are allowed to speak freely do enlighten us.

Which many have answered even including links. I'd imagine if you asked on a pro plasty site they'd all be like yayy looks great love it, if you ask on a regret site they'd be noo, disaster hate it. Maybe a bit more balance here with actual experienced hcps contributing

Really. My cardiologist gives me informed answers to my questions about my arrhythmia. As far as I know, he has no such problems himself.

Why not? This is a predominantly female forum, yes? Transmen are women, yes?
I think people ask questions here because they will get (often brutal) answers that they many not get eleswhere.

The questions OP asked could be answered very simply and factually by people who have undergone a phalloplasty. Whether those answers would be positive or negative I have no idea, but they would certainly be more accurate than the answers given by the average Mumsnet users, purely through the benefit of lived experience.

I think it's extremely unlikely that there are many trans men using Mumsnet...

Yes we must all remember to ask out hcps if they've had the procedure/treatment that they are advising us on otherwise their thoughts don't count apparently.

I'm not that thick, thanks. I'm genuinely curious.

Women use mn for a whole host of reasons. Not just to discuss gender.

Meh. Many (most?) of us are women and mothers who have an instinctive wish to safeguard children and young people - ours and others.

Mumsnet has been one of the few places where women's voices aren't silenced - where the "go educate yourselves" fools stand out as biased and trying to silence women.

If society had been aware of the brutal experimental nature of this surgery, I suspect far more parents would have stood up to the "if you don't affirm your child they'll kill themselves" bullies and might have been able to protect their children from these grim outcomes.

As I said before, a forum for surgeons who carry out phalloplasties would also be a great place for OP to ask these questions. Actually, to be honest, that would probably the best place to do so in order to get factual answers to those specific questions.

There are several regular transmen users.

If you are not pro phalloplasty why do you care what answers the OP is getting? And again, why are you not horrified that your taxes (presumably) are being used to harm young women? (Regardless of whether they think they want it, the NHS knows they are too young).

Yes, it is quite revealing how desperate some people are to stop discussion of the horrendous outcomes of phalloplasty, the lack of informed consent given by the young girls undertaking it, the egging on of those young girls by influencers and TRA sites, the much higher post-surgery suicide rates, the fact that surgery has not been found to reduce dysphoria/improve mental health.

Or discuss the awful complications arising from this extreme cosmetic surgery.

What is most concerning about all of this is the lack of clarity when it comes to expectations versus reality.

What are these vulnerable young people being told by medical providers when they have these conversations? If they think they can produce sperm then there's a significant problem with comprehension.

Now I hope that's in the minority, but are expectations being properly managed? Can a young person with little sexual experience even understand the implications of being anorgasmic for example? Are there being told about the level of complications and revisions these surgeries often require?

This is such a complex area with regards to medical consent and yet so many people don't even want us to raise these issues for discussion 🤯

Success for peeing standing. Yes lots of complications. As I said, I don't know how those compare with other surgeries but it does seem very high with overall complications in 75%. My point was more that its best to look to the literature rather than look through reddit or on mumsnet. Perhaps my next post was more nuanced that it is difficult for us outside to define success. But I suppose reddit and even more, mumsnet can point to sources of scientific evidence

I do take your point, and certainly it would be best to ask the question in a variety of places where trans men / their HCPs would be in order to try to get an overview of opinions. But I still think those people are unlikely to be on MN in any great numbers, so there are better forums to ask those questions.

Tell us why you're so determined that women shouldn't be asking these questions, reading research and discussing it? Because your posts seem so similar to the original #nodebate so beloved of the proponents of this bullying ideology determined to gaslight the young and sell sex change as the cure for their mental vulnerabilities.

Hilarious that you think a forum for surgeons making money from this type of surgery and who are very invested in maintaining their income, their ability to practice and avoid malpractice suites is the best place to get unbiased answers.

If I were a post operative trans man, I think I’d find a woman with no apparent skin in the game coming on to a dedicated TM forum and asking these questions deeply invasive and intrusive. They don’t need looky-loos prodding at them in a space they deem safe to discuss their issues. By coming here OP can access clinical professionals and parents of TMs - of which there are plenty on these boards.

Perhaps you should ask yourself why you are invading this space to critique other people’s conversation choices. Perhaps you should pop over to Reddit and leave us to our discussion, especially given you have added nothing to it yourself?

I care because I think it is vitally important that discussions about trans people involve trans people / people who formally identified as trans. Particularly when the conversation was prompted by specific questions. I would be equally horrified to see a conversation about, for example, abortion taking place on a male-dominated forum.

Well. you'd be wrong. I know two. That may not be enough for you?
And I don't think you're posting as a disinterested observer.

Why don’t you think men should be allowed to discuss abortion?

This - was about to post the same.

Me too.