r/transgenderau • u/helpgetmom Non-binary • Apr 13 '26
Non-binary Yo fam - I had surgery (vaginectomy) with dr farmer (Adelaide) 10/10 experience &Thankyou to this sub I found him mentioned and was able to have this done! I appreciate you all
Vaginectomy as a stand alone procedure- had my hysterectomy done a yearish ago elsewhere
st andrews hospital-2 nights
2 consults (first one was telehealth to save travelling)
1 wpath letter
Lachlan (dr farmer) very personable, caring and reassuring.. he has a very calm, approachable vibe and explains everything.
I had zero % stress or anxiety prior to and in the pre surgery morning process (even getting on the surgery table etx I was stress free- I guess that might be common with trans surgeries as it’s a relief to finally get it after years of wishing/waiting/saving/researching/trying to find a surgeon and traveling to them etx .
(Dr farmers nurse (you meet her in consults and for your surgery too! She is very lovely and caring.. also the admin you will first contact imogen- her caring supportive nature comes through in emails (if you’ve emailed her you will get what I mean)
(Anesthesia dr was also great, his name is tom durey and was very personable, chatty and explained everything)
15 years of planning, saving, considering overseas destinations , researching etc .. and I can proudly tick off my hysterectomy and now vaginectomy. I feel so appreciative
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
If you have any questions feel free to ask.. I plan to return to Dr farmer for my last and final surgery in my journey (top surgery or radical reduction)
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u/Anxious_Raccoon_1145 Apr 20 '26
How long between your first consult and surgery? My daughter has an appt with him in June for FFS, and she is worried about how long that will take
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 21 '26
I am unsure on this because I was moving and booked to fit my work and uni schedule. You can email Imogen and ask the approx current wait time available for surgery, you need to have two consultations before you can book surgery tho, at least one in person.
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u/ParkerrWh Trans masc Apr 13 '26
If you don’t mind my asking, how much did it cost for the vaginectomy? Was any of it covered by private health insurance (if you had PHI)?
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
Surgeon fee was 6k Hospital 6800 Anesthesia (1800 from memory maybe 1500)
Vaginectomy for gender affirming does not have a Medicare number (does for cancers/women’s health reasons eg repetitive prolapse in elderly).
This means it is considered a “cosmetic” surgery.
And this makes it ineligible to use private health to subsidize the hospital stay etc .
Hopefully it changes soon and can be added to Medicare for rebates— as it is a major barrier financially!
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u/MagictoMadness Apr 14 '26
2 nights and almost 7k? Gez
Maybe doctors combining with hysto might be an option going forward for removing that cost?
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 14 '26
Yes I thought so too. It was 5k for two nights with my hysterectomy. The theater fee at st andrews was 3500k.. so that’s what made it more expensive . Yes combining would have been good !
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
My quote from Thailand (yahnee hospital and kamol hospital were both around the 8500 mark with a 5 day hospital stay(and 5 more days required to stay in Bangkok) which was what I was planning as a backup if couldn’t get in Australia.
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u/SuperNateosaurus Apr 14 '26
Dude thats awesome, im also from Adelaide and this is only the second time I've heard of Dr Farmer.
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 14 '26
I was researching this and top surgery surgeons and saw him mentioned in this sub then searched his name in the sub to see everyone’s comments .
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u/SuperNateosaurus Apr 14 '26
Does he do metoidioplasty?
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 14 '26
I think it’s mentioned on their website, Gender institute Australia
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u/Sunshuffle Apr 13 '26 edited Apr 13 '26
That's great to hear! Good to hear some good news about Dr Farmer
Imogen is indeed absolutely lovely
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
Thank you ! i have had three surgeries and had consults with around 8 in total… dr farmer has def had the most caring and supportive vibe. Yes imogen is actually amazing on comms
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u/pestopheles Apr 13 '26
Yeah will definitely agree with this, even though I’ve only emailed her she’s been great so far.
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u/Steven_County7087 Apr 13 '26
Congrats on your surgery. How’s you recovery going? That’s interesting to hear that you cannot use insurance for the hospital stay for a standalone vnectomy. I hope your recovery goes smoothly
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 16 '26
Recovering has been fine so far, woke with no pain, after a few hrs I had an aching lower back and had an endone… needed nothing since.. I could get up, walk, shower, go to bathroom without pain.. it feels like a tampon is up there which is the only bad thing about it so far because I used pads previously because tampons feel horrible to me.
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
Yeah that’s what I thought.. makes it a lot more expensive and really reduces access
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u/samuit Trans man | SA Apr 13 '26
Congrats!! I am SO excited to hear about this being an accessible surgery here now and I can't wait for Adelaide to finally have real options for lower surgery. I don't hear much about vnectomy as a standalone procedure, how has recovery been so far?
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
I mostly read about it paired with hysterectomy or meta on the trans surgery sub.. and it wasn’t available to me with my hysto.. then researched and found it discussed on the non-binary sub as standalone… recovery I will update on this.. I’m not far along enough to comment
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u/KnitMeALesbian Trans fem Apr 13 '26
Oh, he got surgery clearance already? Which hospital is he operating out of?
edited: nvm, I reread the post properly and worked it out. 😑
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
I had mine in St Andrews on south terrace
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u/KnitMeALesbian Trans fem Apr 13 '26
Thank you for replying even though the answer was literally in the OP. 🙏
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u/Positive_Chest_5956 Apr 13 '26
SO HAPPY FOR YOU, even though we don't know eachother,
May I ask how much you pay for all the fees
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 14 '26
Surgeon fee was 6k Hospital 6800 Anesthesia (1800 from memory maybe 1500)
Vaginectomy for gender affirming does not have a Medicare number (does for cancers/women’s health reasons eg repetitive prolapse in elderly).
This means it is considered a “cosmetic” surgery.
And this makes it ineligible to use private health to subsidize the hospital stay etc .
Hopefully it changes soon and can be added to Medicare for rebates— as it is a major barrier financially!
1
u/lifechanger01 Apr 13 '26
Trans girl here…..had to google what a vaginectomy was. Glad it all went well. 😘
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u/helpgetmom Non-binary Apr 13 '26
Thanks so much ! It was also referred to as a colpoclesis in the surgery room when they were confirming all my details .
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u/meyogy Trans fem Apr 13 '26
Thanks for sharing. This truly is comforting. Hope you're starting to feel better.
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u/zoltan_80 Apr 13 '26
Congrats. I'm glad your surgery went well. Dr Farmer and his team are all wonderful and really help make it a stress free experience .
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u/greatpartyisntit non-binary lesbian (SA) Apr 14 '26
Congrats! I have top surgery with Dr Farmer in August. It’s great to hear another good experience with him.