It is a rare operation that was carried out in the operating theater of the urology department of the Rennes University Hospital. On January 6, a transgender woman walked in with a penis and testicles. She came out six hours later with a vagina and a clitoris. Called “vaginoplasty”, this operation was a first for the Rennes hospital. A first that should mark a milestone in the history of the Breton University Hospital, which estimates that “more than 30,000 people in Brittany alone” could be affected by this operation, described as “an important step in the transition started for transgender people”. Since this first, two other patients have been operated on within the establishment, whose waiting list has already grown to more than a year.
This complex surgical procedure was performed by Doctor Lucas Freton, urologist surgeon at the University Hospital of Rennes. The latter discovered gender affirmation surgery by meeting specialists working on urinary reconstruction. “I have developed a real fiber for this subject which translates into the desire to support trans people in their self-affirmation project”, testifies the doctor in a press release sent by the hospital.
A clitoris with the skin of the glans
Can we speak here of metamorphosis? This is the opinion of the hospital, which describes the operation as “a real transformation of the penis, without any other external contribution”. The surgeon hollows out a vagina and uses the thin skin of the male sex to run the walls “thus forming a sensitive vagina”. As for the clitoris, it is made from the glans, in order to preserve the nerve endings. To acquire these specific skills, the Rennes doctor relied on the know-how of Doctor Nicolas Morel-Journel, who practices at the Lyon University Hospital.
Since the early 2000s, this specialist has accompanied a large number of men and women in their transition. “We must further develop information and training on this subject because it concerns a large number of people,” said the health professional. Unfortunately, competent centers are still rare in France. “As speech becomes available, requests multiply and it is a question of being able to offer these people, in France, the care to which they are entitled”, concludes the doctor from Lyon.