Title says it all - I’ve been wanting to have them removed since the early 2000s but just don’t have the nerve. Has anyone here had it done and feel like sharing/answering questions?
Edit: here are my main questions, anyone else feel free to jump in with your own:
Was it difficult finding a place to do it?
How was the recovery?
Did/do you have extra skin now or did/do you plan on having it removed? Or did they remove it with the testicles?
If in the US, what did the prices for any procedures come to, roughly?
Do you have to take any medication since having it done?
Edit2: Thank you all for answering, I’ve learned a lot and want them off of me more than ever!
In the US, difficulty in finding a place/surgeon will depend on the state you are in and perhaps your insurance. You can claim bilateral testicular pain as the reason that you want orchiectomy to try to game the system, but many urologists will counsel you towards cord denervation for pain if so.
Recovery is a few weeks. No bike riding or riding lawnmowers for 4 weeks. You may get 5-7 days of narcotic pain medications, but most are typically on Tylenol/ibuprofen before then. Ice packs can help as needed.
Incision is usually through the midline of the scrotum (the raphe), and surgery should leave the entirety of the scrotum in place for future vaginoplasty should you so desire. As others have said, given enough time the scrotum will atrophy/shrink without testicles to stretch it.
Most urologists will follow WPATH guidelines for pre-surgery evaluation, so check those out.