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A Guide to SRS

Getting to your first consult (Australia - Dr Hart)

Steps:

  1. Find a GP that will refer you for SRS
  2. Get referred to a surgeon, likely Dr Kieran Hart for your initial consultation.
    • Dr Andrew Ives is performing SRS again after his break since 2022.
    • Dr Gideon Blecher is also an option, I have heard little about him.
    • Reportedly there are some new surgeons coming up in Australia, if you have any details please contact me.
  • This initial consultation will cost $250 with no medicare rebate (2022)
  • My wait time for this consultation was several months (2022). In 2025 it is now closer to a year.

Pre-op consultation

This is your only time to talk with Dr Hart one on one until after the surgery. Come prepared with anything you want to ask, and ask as many questions as you want during this time. You may find it helpful to bring a friend or loved one to this appointment. If you have any questions after this you can email ACT Urology to get in touch with him (this can take a while).

You will get a telehealth invite the day before with an attached pre-op consultation information booklet.


This booklet contains information such as:

  • General background on Kieran and the surgery
  • Preoperative preparation and requirements1^1
  • Description of the different types of operation
    • Labiaplasty (Zero-depth vaginoplasty), Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty (PIV), Peritoneal pull-through vaginoplasty (PPV)
  • Basic recovery information
  • List of complications and approximate risk percentage
  • Costs
  • FAQ

During this appointment you’ll speak about…

  • Types of surgery he offers
  • General timeline
  • What you want
  • Potential complications
  • Costs
  • He’ll show you photos of previous patients results
  • He’ll ask about your physical characteristics- height and weight.
    • Above a certain BMI I don’t think he will do the surgery
  • There isn’t any talk about aesthetics, Dr Hart does the surgery in one way to my knowledge.

Normally after this is when you’d book your surgery date.

  • Regarding cancellations reportedly Dr Hart prioritises Canberra locals and those who can make it to the advanced date. His rooms will call if there is an earlier availble date.
  • My surgery date was booked in June of 2022, for March 2024. This was brought forward to January of 2024.
    • If I did this again, I would have asked Kieran to book my surgery ASAP when I was booking the consultation. I’m not sure what this would require, probably some evidence that you are very set on getting it and that won’t change.
  • I did not have trouble getting a date for this surgery, however in the past (prior to 2023) Maddy had issues getting a set date until the last minute. Don’t be afraid to follow up and ask about the date, it is something you need to plan for.

Pre-op preparation

Once you have your date there are a few things to organise

  1. You’re going to be out of commission for months (my experience), so sort out work and other commitments.
  2. A place to stay in Canberra for a few days before surgery and for a week after. Choose accessible accommodation.
  3. Bowel prep for PPV (This will be described in the information packet you are given).
  4. Blood and urine test (Pathology requests given in the information packet). Book this in advance.
  5. Someone to support you during the week stay in Canberra. This is a very demanding period and would be almost impossible to deal with on your own. (Especially if you experience the common post op depression). If you don’t have family, a partner, or a friend for this period I’m not sure, maybe an in-home nurse service could be worth looking for.

Other things:

  • You do not need hair removal before this surgery.
  • If you can get physically fit beforehand it is worth it, your body will be really weak and your body atrophies fast, if you exercise routinely, get it in now because you are going to be limited for months.
  • From what I’ve read online, and what some surgeons say, higher weight makes the surgery riskier, gives poorer outcomes, and leads to more complications. I’m not telling you what to do with your body, consider if it is worth the risk of having your surgery delayed or risking your outcomes; you only get to do this once.
  • Take negative accounts with a grain of salt, most people don’t talk about their surgery publicly and just go on with their life, typically only people with either really good or bad accounts go online- mainly bad ones.
  • Dr Hart asks you to get a GP appointment in Canberra one week after discharge from hospital, in the discharge paperwork from memory (I assume this is for Canberra based patients). So, if you want a GP visit while you’re there, book that beforehand, or just have an appointment with your regular GP soon after you return home.

1^1 When I was given this, some of it was not up to date. Do some of your own research to validate things.