Odisha IPS Couple’s Daughter Undergoes Sex Change Surgery

Bhubaneswar: Daughter of a senior IPS couple in Odisha underwent sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in Delhi recently following the consent of her parents. The 22-year-old is currently pursuing management studies in the US.

While the family refused to comment on the sex change surgery, sources said that the parents have initiated the official process of changing her name and gender, including that in her passport and other documents.

Female-to-male surgery is also called gender affirmation surgery or gender-affirming surgery and costs anywhere between Rs 4 and Rs 8 lakh at private clinics and hospitals. The procedures involve the removal of breasts (mastectomy) and the altering of the genital region, which includes hysterectomy (removal of uterus), vaginectomy (removal of ovary, closure of the vaginal cavity) and metoidioplasty or phalloplasty (construction of a penis), and take at least 9-10 months. A team comprising a plastic surgeon, an O&G specialist, an endocrinologist and a psychologist conducts the surgery, media reports said.

A person, who had undergone this surgery, takes at least two years to develop complete hormonal features of a man. The female-to-male (FTM) category is very rare in Odisha, plastic and cosmetic surgeon of Sum Ultimate Medicare, professor Jayant Kumar Dash told TOI.

Head of the plastic surgery department of SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, Dr Bibhuti Nayak said that over 15 sex change operations have successfully been conducted at the hospital. “The most challenging procedure is the penis reconstruction,” he was quoted as saying by a local channel.