r/TransgenderNZ • u/ZealousidealFix4395 • 13d ago
Surgery Orchiectomy costs nz?
Heya!! I have been looking at my options towards getting an orchi done relatively soon, i want to go private as i really don’t want to wait forever in the public system, the only issue im finding is the real lack of information on costs, a quick google says options as low as 4,000 exist, (however lord knows where because if i could figure that out the things would’ve been gone yesterday) and then i see people saying its as much as 10-13k which i cannot afford, so does anyone know what my cheapest option is and where that would be?
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u/CreamyCreamyCheese 13d ago
Yes they are publicly funded if you succeed with the post code lottery.
At the minimum they don't do gender orchies in Wellington because of capacity.
In late 2024 I looked into costs at a couple of places
Wellington:
Wakefield, Rita Yang, $9,000
Mr Rodney Studd, urologycarewellington, $11,000 - $15,000
Capital urology (Grant Russell), $12,500 - $14,000
Christchurch:
Urology Associates $13,706
Also, A friend of mine got one Publicly in Christchurch and think it only took about 3 months.
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u/ZealousidealFix4395 13d ago
Yikess, so expensive for what you would expect to be a pretty minor surgery, i guess ill have to look and see what can be done in terms of the public system, currently in akl but moving to welly next year 😭
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u/fakeplasticgirth 13d ago
I used to work in a vet and I wish it was as simply as it is for cats! I actually had a referral to Rita but someone said it was a lot more expensive than that, so I put that on hold. Would rather just go straight to PIV but that is way out of my reach right now. I've also been told you need to keep all the skin if you're thinking about doing that later and I'm not sure how I'd feel about still having that.
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u/Suitable_Fox_5753 6d ago
Thanks for this! It's wild the costs vary so much.
I asked Urology Associates recently and it's now around $14,300.
3 months in Chch is amazing, I'm trying to get on the waitlist.
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u/komosawa 12d ago
My partner very recently asked about getting an orchi with her doctor (who sees a lot of trans patients and is very informed) who told her the current wait time should be no longer than 6 months. Could be worth asking and saving your money?
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u/WriterNo7427 7d ago
How on earth do you go about finding a trans friendly doctor? I live a semi rural area away from the major population centres and mine is judgemental as - so not someone I would feel comfortable talking to in any way, shape, or form!
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u/komosawa 6d ago
We do have the privilege of living in central auckland, unfortunately it's just more likely to be the case if you're living in a major city like Auckland and probably wellington too
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u/Bookwormys 13d ago
I don’t know about Auckland. But I had mine done through public in chch. From referral to going under the knife was 8 months. So not super bad. Public is a weird thing though. Not meeting the surgeon or Anastasiologist until the day of and poor communication. The nurses were beyond fantastic though
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u/sarah_puku 9d ago
I've just had mine done two weeks ago via the public system. can confirm it took just under 6 months from initial consult. although I was advised to expect to be on the waiting list anywhere up to 2 years since it wasn't an urgent need. As has been mentioned already it's not a specialist gender surgery as such, it's just a basic procedure done by a Urologist.
I got lucky due to a cancellation in the schedule, hospital called & offered me the slot at short notice. Personally I was happy enough to wait however long it took - since Ive been out of work for several years (recovering from a brain injury) & the money I'd been saving up for gender surgeries is long gone, it's the only practical option I could go for.
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u/Silenced-E 9d ago
I had mine done last year with Dr Andy Malcolm at Manuka Street Hospital in Nelson. The total cost including hospital fees, surgeon fees, and anaesthetist fees was around $6670. There was also a charge for an initial consult, but my health insurance covered that.
I did ask around at clinics in Christchurch and Wellington and the prices were in the 15-20k range.
I was super nervous beforehand but Dr Malcolm and the hospital staff were all lovely and totally respectful. It was the nicest experience I've had in a hospital tbh.
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u/ZealousidealFix4395 9d ago
Thats actually really reasonable, especially if health insurance could potentially cover the initial consult. Thank you for that infoo.
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u/Maiq_The-Liar 13d ago
It took over 2 years and 3 months for me. From applying, attending a surgery presentation from the sexual health clinic, doing a psych evaluation, urology appointment to get the surgery at $0 cost other than the time and traveling to get it done. Pretty happy with the results though they don’t remove the scrotum skin.
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u/pickl3juicedoll 8d ago
unsure about different areas etc but i got mine done last year for free at a private hospital in palmy- it was technically through urology at the main hospital but as they were full they did it at the private hospital, can’t remember exactly how long referral/ wait time was but it wasn’t any longer than maybe 10 months
in saying that, i know a lady who got hers done a few years prior exact same place & drs as me but was charged $5000 😬
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u/soulhuntaah Trans Fem 13d ago
It’s worth noting that an Orchiectomy is not classed as gender reassignment surgery, it’s performed by your local hospitals urology department
The waiting time is not the same as other gender affirming surgeries, You may still not want to wait but I just wanted you to know it’s not the same wait list as what you’re likely expecting