Ask Me Anything: ‘Is sex reassignment surgery on a low budget possible?’
Short answer: Yes, but you may get what you pay for. Risks may be higher, both in terms of risk to life and results.
That said, I know women who are satisfied with results achieved on a budget.
And I know women who ‘paid full price’ in the West and got poor results.
(Notice that I said ‘women’. I know nothing about transmasculine surgical options. This applies to everything I have to say.)
Firstly, increasingly, government programmes and insurers in western countries are covering transition costs. Even if you think yours doesn’t, double check, you may be surprised by recent changes. If not, it may be possible to change providers to gain access.
That said, yes, there are places to get cheap SRS. Here in Egypt the upper end is 40K LE, which right now is around £1600, €1800, C $2800, US $2200, and people from across the region come here. Anecdotally, satisfaction is good (but relative to no real alternative). But also, serious complications may occur more frequently than in the West; and again, these are my anecdotal impressions — I have not done a tally.
I believe there may also be cheap options in Mexico, South America (Argentina and Paraguay? Certainly Brasil?), Eastern Europe, and possibly southeast Asia (Philippines?), but I don’t have information, only hearsay.
Thailand can be somewhat cheaper than in the West, with comparable quality and safety — I know a lot of women who have gone there and personally know of only one bad experience (compare to several bad outcomes I happen to know of in North America).
Lastly, I do myself have personal experience with ‘budget surgery’, but this was 30 years ago. I did have very serious, life-threatening complications and relatively poor results. And…I would do it again in a heartbeat: For me, the alternative was far worse, I could not wait, and I could never have afforded the high-end op then available only in the USA.
None of this is without risk, regardless of where you go or what you pay. Vaginoplasty is major abdominal surgery and is inherently risky. You count the money you have access to, the intensity of your personal need, how long you can wait, weigh the risks, and choose.
Had I the money and the ability to endure a 1–2 year wait list, I’d go to the very best in the world. California or Thailand, probably. But…myself, I needed SRS very badly, didn’t have a lot of money, and could not wait. If it were me, today, and it was someplace like Egypt or nothing, I would have it done.
This is not a recommendation. I am speaking for myself. Your choice must be yours alone.
All the best,
❤ Allison
If you have corrections or additions to the above, please let me know in the comments.
This is part of my Ask Me Anything series. Ask me anything in the comments…
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