Vaginoplasty & Vulvoplasty
Vaginoplasty & Vulvoplasty
The Comprehensive Gender Services Program at University of Michigan Health is proud to provide vaginoplasty for transgender people. Penile inversion vaginoplasty is the most common type of vaginoplasty offered at U-M Health. However, the peritoneal pull-through technique has also recently become available to our patients.
Another option is zero-depth vaginoplasty, also called vulvoplasty. This surgery constructs the external genitalia (the vulva, which includes the labia and clitoris), but does not construct the internal vaginal space. This option does not require the permanent hair removal at the surgical site that a full-depth vaginoplasty requires. If you have a zero-depth vaginoplasty, you can still decide to have a full-depth vaginoplasty in the future.
Next Steps
Fill out and return the Service Inquiry Form
You will need 1 or 2 referral letters from licensed mental health care providers that address the WPATH Standards of Care guidelines. The number of referral letters you need to get depends on the requirements of your insurance provider. Contact us if you need a referral to such a clinician.
Ensure that your therapist sends a letter of support for this surgery to CGSP. Your therapist can email, fax, or mail your letter. If your therapist does not have experience writing letters of support for medical intervention for transgender people, please encourage your therapist to contact us before writing the letter.
With some insurers, you are more likely to get surgery approval if you've been using HRT for at least 12 consecutive months before surgery. Your referral letters need to include the approximate month and year that you started HRT. If you cannot or don’t wish to take HRT, your referral letter will need to provide information on why HRT is not appropriate for you.
Before being scheduled for a consultation you must attend or be scheduled for an online information session presented by our surgical teams. Contact CGSP to be scheduled for the information session.
For patients seeking vaginoplasty our surgeons require that all hair at the surgical site is permanently removed. Patients seeking a vaginoplasty should begin the hair removal process prior to the consultation with the surgeon, following the hair removal diagram below. For patients seeking a vulvoplasty hair removal is not required.
Please note that before your consultation appointment with Plastic Surgery, you will need to be completely smoke-free and nicotine-free for at least one month. A nicotine test will be given before scheduling surgery. We cannot schedule your surgery if you smoke or vape any substance or use/consume any nicotine-containing products.
Comprehensive Gender Services Program
The Comprehensive Gender Services Program (CGSP) at U-M Health helps transgender, gender nonconforming, and nonbinary adults access and obtain the highest quality gender-affirming medical care.
