Dr. Reed,
Want to be ready for Mr. Right. What is your advice regarding vaginal dilation? Cheryl
Good afternoon Cheryl,
This is always a timely subject because every year there could easily be another 2000 new transgendered women in this world. We recommend you use tapered dilators which are curved like a ski. Start with a size that easily fits in and aim (tip up) for the belly button (umbilicus). The smallest stents are helpful to gain depth and follow this up during a 15 minutes dialing session with serially larger stents. In the event you have a stent set that goes up to 1 1/2 inches in diameters and you are not ready for that size yet, go up one stent size a week. You can ask your doctor about numbing cream or jelly if necessary.
In a tapered set the tip of the next larger stent is smaller than the shank of the preceding stent. Use the dots as a marker of how deep you are going and during a session you may strive to go 1/8″ deeper.. Ifr you are under 5′ 6″ tall, I would be very cautious about going over 6 inches.
Even if you are having frequent intercourse, you should be dilating 3 times a day as relationships may not persist or be interrupted for a number of reasons..
Harold M. Reed, M.D.
Transgender Surgeon
The Reed Centre – Miami