Male to Female Surgery (Vaginoplasty)

What male to female surgery involves

Male-to-female (MtF) bottom surgery — vaginoplasty — creates a vagina, labia and clitoris using the patient's own genital tissue. The standard technique is penile-inversion vaginoplasty: the penile skin is inverted to line the vaginal canal, the glans is preserved on its nerve supply to form a sensate clitoris, and the scrotal skin forms the labia majora. Where penile skin is limited, the surgical team may combine it with a scrotal graft or discuss a peritoneal pull-through technique. Orchiectomy (removal of the testes) is performed in the same operation.

The operation takes four to six hours under general anaesthesia. You stay five nights in hospital, during which the surgical packing is removed and you begin dilation under the team's supervision. Dilation is non-negotiable: for the first three months it is done several times a day, then tapered. Patients who dilate as instructed keep depth and width; patients who do not lose both. We say this clearly at consultation because it decides your result more than the surgery does.

Who is eligible

Gender-affirming surgery follows the WPATH Standards of Care (version 8). The surgical team will ask for: proof that you are 18 or older; a letter from a mental-health professional confirming persistent gender incongruence and capacity to consent (two letters for genital surgery); and, for genital and chest surgery where relevant, documentation of hormone therapy. Requirements are set by the surgical team, not by us, and we tell you exactly what is needed before you pay a deposit. There is no court process for international patients — the Turkish court procedure applies to Turkish citizens only.

Smoking must stop at least four weeks before surgery, and oestrogen is usually paused two to three weeks before the operation to reduce thrombosis risk — the surgical team gives you the exact schedule for your medication. A BMI above 32 is a reason to postpone, not to refuse: we will tell you honestly if the team wants you to lose weight first.

Why Istanbul, and why through us

Turkey has a small number of surgical teams performing gender-affirming genital surgery at volume, inside large private hospitals with intensive-care backup. Prices are 60–75% below Western Europe and the United States with no waiting list. What Istanbul does not have is a public culture of LGBTQ+ visibility — which is exactly why the structure of your trip matters more here than in Amsterdam or Barcelona.

You deal only with our team, one private hospital and one surgical team. Your surgeon is Dr. Ali Gürlek, who operates at Medivia Hospital in Çengelköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul — a hospital authorised by the Turkish Ministry of Health for international health tourism. Your name, your photos and your medical file are shared with nobody outside that circle. We have accompanied LGBTQ+ patients from Italy, Germany, France, the UK and the Netherlands, and every member of our team who talks to you has been briefed on names, pronouns and discretion before the first message.

Practically that means: a female or male coordinator as you prefer, a private transfer instead of a taxi, a recovery hotel in Kadıköy on the Asian side (the most relaxed district in the city), and no surprise appointments with anyone you have not been introduced to. You are never asked to explain yourself to a receptionist. Partners and same-sex couples are welcome to travel and stay together throughout.

Recovery and follow-up

Plan eleven days in Istanbul: five nights in hospital and six in the recovery hotel with daily check-ins; the stay can be adjusted case by case. You fly home once the team has confirmed healing and dilation technique. Sitting comfortably takes two to three weeks; desk work four to six weeks; sport and sexual activity after the three-month check. The surgical team stays available on WhatsApp through the first year, and we book your local follow-up appointments with a gynaecologist at home if you need us to.

Cost of male to female surgery in Turkey

Our published price covers single-session penile-inversion vaginoplasty with orchiectomy under the standard protocol, including five hospital nights, six nights in the recovery hotel, transfers and coordination. Additional procedures often combined in the same trip — breast augmentation, facial feminisation, tracheal shave — are quoted separately and usually at a reduced combined rate. Flights are never included. You receive a written, itemised quote before paying the deposit, and the quote does not change unless you change the plan.