Vadodara, India
— When the Mafatlal
family saga hit the
headlines,
stories also unfurled how Aparna Mafatlal, a daughter of
the family, had undergone a sex change to become Arun.
Doctors in Vadodara, however, do not find this
surprising.
A similar surgery was
performed at SSG Hospital four months back, where
25-year-old Manoj (name changed) underwent a six-hour
surgery at SSG's plastic surgery department to become
'Manasi' (name changed) — the person she always
wanted to be since her childhood.
'A man trapped in a
woman's body' is how the psychiatrists described the
condition of Manoj. After the legal formalities of making
an affidavit, a procedure known as 'penile skin
inversion' was carried out to remove the testis and
reconstruct the female sexual organs.
"It is the first ever sex
change operation in Vadodara. The surgery was carried out
after a psychological evaluation of the patient to know
the individual's perception of his body and sexuality.
"We counselled the
patient for months on the physical, mental and social
implications of the surgery, as it is non-reversible,"
says Dr Yogesh Bhatt, professor and head of plastic
surgery department.
"The neurovascular bundle
was retained to reconstruct urethra and external
genitals, while a space was created to form the vagina.
As it is only an
anatomical transformation, the patient needs to take
hormones periodically.. "However, she can enjoy normal
sex but cannot conceive, as there is no uterus," explains
Bhatt, who says the surgery cost Rs 1.5 lakh.
"A hormone replacement
therapy ensures that the patient develops breasts and it
also changes the pattern of hair growth on the body,"
says Bhatt.
The decision for a sex
change is not easy owing to the internal conflict within
the person and the societal pressure.
In Manoj's case, he was
convinced that he was a girl and at the age of 10, he
started studying about transsexuality as he wanted to
know why he felt like a girl.
Born to NRI parents, who
disowned him for his strange behaviour, Manoj came to
India seeking similar group of people, when he was only
19.
