Average COST of lower SRS surgery?

[Naomi Knowles]

A question that has been bothering me for a few weeks now while charting my course through these foamy waters is related to more extreme transitioning solutions (surgery). In the UK, as travelling to a different country for surgery does not feel as safe as sourcing "locally".

 

I'm not at a point in my travels where I can truly say "yes I need surgery" or not, and require time whilst on HRT in order to make my mind up, but I'm a glutton for data, and loathe the idea of finance-based interest rates causing me unnecessary financial duress.

 

 

Asking the London Transgender Clinic the question of price made me realise that SRS for lower regions is incredibly bespoke and cannot be adequately priced without expensive consultation (and travel for myself, given I live in the Northwest of England and London is waaaay down south). Something that for reasons already outlined, I cannot adequately answer yet. In spite of my burning desire to be armed with as much information as I can gather.

 

 

 

Okay, so it's a "how long is a piece of string?" kind of situation.

 

 

So I understand that each surgeon charges different amounts for different procedures, according to the needs of different trans men & women (and anyone in between).

 

But there has to be a median figure in there somewhere: I want to know (roughly) how aggressively I would need to save my pennies in order to accommodate such treatment on UK soil, with as little loan-based borrowing as possible within say, a 3-5 year period?

[Jani]

Naomi the cost does vary from country to country, surgeon to surgeon.  Here in the US, you can get GRS (bottom) for $20K (surgeon, hospital, anesthesia) but of course there is travel, and dining and lodging costs associated with staying in the area so your doctor can check you regularly for the first 7-10 days before being cleared to go home.  If you have a companion those costs change a bit.    Some patients add other surgeries while they are in the hospital such as facial or breast enhancement.   This grouping can save some off the total cost of the surgeries if combined; operating room time is one example.

 

These are the expected expenses from several doctors I looked into.  There are more pricey surgeons, some who are popular with long wait lists.  I understand you can travel to Thailand for even less cost but you are far away and once you leave it's hard to get back for checkups so you are on your own at home for that with your own medical team.   

 

NHS will provide GRS but I understand the queue is long and their protocol is rigid so going private may be more palatable.  

 

How much to save?  As much as possible as we cannot predict future costs.  Plus if it turns out to cost less, you have a little cash left over! 

 

Cheers, Jani

[Naomi Knowles]

Hi Jani

 

Could of sworn I posted a reply here via mobile earlier? I don't know where it's gone, wi-fi must of cacked out!

 

 

Thank you for the information! It helps me take Occam's Razor to the nature of GRS cost, and hypothesise something like Vaginoplasty to be in the same league as "brand new 1st car". Which amounts to 'hyper aggressive saving', if I want to avoid loans/finance options. A car that most people can usually afford here on brand new insurance history, is generally between £10-18k depending what brand you go for.

 

I'm dubious whether the NHS will even broach the subject of surgery due to the "cosmetic" nature of it, to say nothing of trying to get them to fund that, when my GIC has a waiting list of about 2 and a half years after something as pedestrian as a screening appointment. It's grim, but that's the nature of government austerity.

[Jani]

Yes it is a "major purchase" like an automobile!  Ha!    If you go through NHS GIC I understand the procedure is available, as it is a remedy for GD.  

 

I don't know if the "market prices" in the UK would be much different than in the States as there is only so much demand.  Although it appears to be growing.  I don't know any names of surgeons in the UK but I'm sure with enough googling about you can come up with a short list.  

 

Jani

 

 

[Naomi Knowles]

I can't remember which post off the top of my head, but someone posted a big Google sheets list of surgeons. There's only a few UK based ones on there, a lot of them are US/Asia based, but it was super handy.

 

But a brief email correspondence with a surgery down in London made me realise that getting a truly accurate figure is impossible without a personalised consultation (which of course costs a fair bit of money and time due to travel and the fee just sitting down with the surgeon). Figured I could get a better picture of cost from people who have "already been there" in a metaphorical sense, and construct a clearer picture from the different pieces. It's not a perfect system, but lets be frank here: it's going to be a lot of money no matter what (as you already pointed out).

[Jani]

The best plan here is just to start aggressively saving towards your goal.  The prices won't change much over the next few years so an exact number isn't needed now.  This will allow you plenty of time to seek out the best place and person to see.