Table of contents

• Metoidioplasty at a Glance
• What Is Metoidioplasty?
• Who Is a Good Candidate for Metoidioplasty?
• What Are the Different Types of Metoidioplasty?
• Why Visit Korea for Metoidioplasty?
• Key Information for International Patients
• Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Metoidioplasty?
• Metoidioplasty From Start to Finish
• Alternatives to Metoidioplasty
• How Can I Prepare for Metoidioplasty?
• Aftercare Advice

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Last updated: September 2026

Metoidioplasty at a Glance

• What it does — Metoidioplasty releases and repositions existing clitoral tissue to create a small phallus, generally preserving native erotic sensation and erectile tissue without a distant donor-site flap.
• Best fit for goals — It suits people comfortable with a phallus typically measuring several centimeters who do not require reliable conventional penetrative intercourse or a penile erectile implant.
• Urethral-lengthening tradeoff — Extending the urethra can allow urine to exit at the phallic tip and may enable standing to void, but adds risks including fistula, stricture, spraying, retention, catheter dependence, and revision; reviews report broad fistula rates of 5%–37% and stricture rates of 2%–35%.
• Recovery timeline — Hospital admission commonly lasts 1–5 days; after urethral lengthening, urethral and/or suprapubic catheters often remain for about 1–3 weeks or longer, while strenuous activity, cycling, swimming, and genital sexual activity are usually restricted for at least 6–8 weeks.
• Korea stay requirement — For urethral lengthening, vaginectomy, scrotoplasty, or combined pelvic surgery, plan to remain in Korea about 4–6 weeks after surgery for wound checks, catheter management, catheter removal, and voiding assessment before long-haul travel.
• Korea-specific limitation — Published Korean data confirm gender-affirming surgery activity but do not report metoidioplasty-specific volumes, urinary outcomes, complication rates, revisions, or international follow-up results; request the named surgeon’s outcomes for the exact planned configuration.

What Is Metoidioplasty?

Metoidioplasty is a gender-affirming genital reconstruction that uses existing clitoral tissue to create a small phallus. It can help align genital appearance and function with a person’s goals, while often preserving native erotic sensation; urethral lengthening can support urination from the phallic tip. It is surgical and performed under general anesthesia.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Metoidioplasty?

• Gender-affirmation goals — Good candidates want a small phallus created from existing clitoral tissue, typically with retained native erotic sensation and erectile tissue.
• Realistic functional priorities — Candidates understand that metoidioplasty generally produces several centimeters of length and is usually not suited to reliable conventional penetrative intercourse or a penile erectile implant.
• Informed urethral decision — People considering urethral lengthening accept the tradeoff between the goal of urinating through the phallic tip or standing to void and the added risks of fistula, stricture, spraying, dribbling, retention, catheter dependence, and revision.
• Recovery and follow-up capacity — Suitable patients can complete catheter care, local wound checks, voiding assessment, restricted activity, and a credible handoff to a clinician at home after overseas surgery.
• Medical readiness — Candidates have medical conditions, anemia, diabetes, nicotine exposure, medications, mental-health needs, and infection risks assessed and optimized for anesthesia, healing, and postoperative self-care.

Metoidioplasty is not appropriate without informed consent, stable and well-understood goals, or acceptance of its size and functional limits. Active genital, urinary, skin, or systemic infection; unresolved urinary symptoms; uncontrolled diabetes; significant anemia; unstable heart or lung disease; and unmanaged bleeding or clotting risk require assessment and treatment before surgery. A mental-health diagnosis alone is not an exclusion, but conditions that impair surgical safety, recovery, or follow-up need active management. Pregnancy and unresolved fertility decisions require particular discussion when hysterectomy, salpingectomy, oophorectomy, or vaginectomy are planned; WPATH Standards of Care Version 8 does not make testosterone an absolute prerequisite when hormones are not wanted or are medically contraindicated.

What Are the Different Types of Metoidioplasty?

Metoidioplasty is a set of reconstructive choices rather than one standard operation. Ask for a written plan that names every planned component, including urethral work, vaginal preservation or closure, scrotoplasty, implants, mons reduction, and any hysterectomy or oophorectomy.

• Simple metoidioplasty — Clitoral release and repositioning create a small phallus without extending the urethra to its tip. This avoids many urethral-reconstruction risks and fits patients who do not prioritize standing urination.
• Metoidioplasty with urethral lengthening — A neourethra is constructed using local tissue, which can include labia minora flaps, vaginal tissue, and/or buccal mucosa. It is intended to allow urine to exit at the phallic tip, but fistula and stricture are important risks.
• Vaginectomy or colpectomy — Vaginal closure or removal is optional. The decision depends on anatomy, sexual and reproductive priorities, future gynecologic-care needs, and the surgeon’s urethral reconstruction plan.
• Scrotoplasty and testicular implants — Labia majora tissue is rearranged to form a scrotum. Implants are often staged after healing; infection, discomfort, displacement, extrusion, removal, and revision remain possible.
• Named reconstructive approaches — Belgrade, Hage, labial-ring-flap, and extensive metoidioplasty describe published approaches, not uniform products. A systematic review of named techniques found low-certainty evidence from small, non-comparative series, so a technique label alone cannot predict an individual outcome.

Why Visit Korea for Metoidioplasty?

There is no evidence-based basis to call South Korea superior to other destinations for metoidioplasty. Korea has documented gender-affirming surgery activity, but published Korean evidence does not establish metoidioplasty-specific safety, urinary outcomes, revision rates, or international-patient follow-up performance. Choose a program only after verifying the named surgeon’s experience with the exact reconstruction planned.

• Documented institutional experience — A 2025 multicenter Korean survey recorded patient-reported experiences after gender-affirming surgery at eight institutions from January to October 2024.
• Important evidence limitation — That survey grouped genital operations and did not report metoidioplasty volumes, operative methods, standing-to-void outcomes, fistula or stricture rates, revisions, or long-term outcomes. It cannot establish an expected result for this procedure in Korea.
• Questions to require before booking — Request current outcomes for the same configuration: primary versus revision surgery, urethral lengthening and vaginectomy status, fistula, stricture, catheter replacement, standing-to-void success, reoperation, follow-up duration, and the plan for complications after return home.

Key Information for International Patients

• Minimum stay — For urethral lengthening, vaginectomy/colpectomy, scrotoplasty, or combined pelvic surgery, plan conservatively for about 4–6 weeks in Korea after surgery. This is a travel-planning interval, not a universal flight-clearance rule.
• Hospital admission — Admission commonly lasts about 1–5 days, depending on urethral reconstruction and combined procedures such as hysterectomy or vaginectomy.
• Catheter and voiding visits — A urethral catheter, suprapubic catheter, or both commonly remain for roughly 1–3 weeks or longer after urethral lengthening. Catheter removal requires the surgeon’s assessment of healing and safe voiding.
• Return flight — Do not book a long-haul flight before the operating team clears the individual catheter, wound, mobility, thrombosis-prevention, pain-control, and voiding plan.
• Itinerary impact — Expect limited mobility, wound care, drainage management, and frequent postoperative reviews during the first 1–2 weeks. Avoid sightseeing-heavy plans, remote accommodation, and travel that makes urgent assessment difficult.
• Home-country handoff — Arrange a named clinician at home before travel and leave Korea with English-language operative notes, discharge instructions, medication records, catheter details, and a direct emergency contact route to the surgical team.

Travel note: A shorter stay after simple metoidioplasty without urethral lengthening is sometimes feasible, but only when the operating surgeon confirms that local follow-up, clot prevention, pain control, and home-country transfer are appropriate.

Which Are the Best Clinics in Korea for Metoidioplasty?

Listed below are some of the best clinics in Korea for metoidioplasty.

1. PS Beauty Clinic

You should note that the available information does not establish that PS Beauty Clinic provides metoidioplasty or gender-affirming genital surgery. Its documented services focus on non-surgical cosmetic skin, injectable, laser, and body treatments, so you would need to confirm procedure availability, surgical qualifications, and perioperative care directly before considering it for metoidioplasty.

• URL: PS Beauty Clinic Website
• Location: Seoul
• Documented services:
  • Facial treatments include microdermabrasion and chemical peels.
  • Injectable services include Botox and dermal fillers.
  • Laser hair removal and laser skin resurfacing are listed.
  • Non-surgical body contouring and cellulite-reduction treatments are listed.

2. Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital LGBTQ Plus Center

You may consider Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital LGBTQ Plus Center for metoidioplasty because metoidioplasty is specifically listed among its gender-confirmation surgery options for trans men. You can expect care within an LGBTQ+-focused setting that also offers related hormone management, fertility-preservation discussions, mental-health support, and sexual-health services.

• URL: Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital LGBTQ Plus Center Website
• Location: Seoul
• Gender-affirming surgical care:
  • Gender-confirmation surgery for trans men includes phalloplasty or metoidioplasty to construct male genitalia.
  • Related surgical services listed include hysterectomy for trans men and other individuals seeking this aspect of gender-affirming care.
  • The center also lists chest reconstructive procedures as top surgery.
• Related transition support:
  • Gender-affirming hormone therapy includes management, monitoring of physiological changes, and treatment adjustments.
  • Fertility-preservation options are available before starting hormone therapy.
  • Specialized LGBTQ+ mental-health care and counseling are listed.
• Sexual-health services:
  • HIV treatment, prevention counseling, and medication management are listed.
  • STI testing, treatment, and education are available.

3. Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital

You should be aware that the available information for Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital does not specifically confirm metoidioplasty or another gender-affirming genital surgery. The hospital is described as a broad multidisciplinary facility with surgical and urology services, so you would need to verify whether metoidioplasty is available and ask about the relevant surgical team, consultation pathway, and follow-up care.

• URL: Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital Website
• Location: Seoul
• Relevant hospital services:
  • Urology services are listed, including prostatectomy.
  • The hospital also lists general surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurological procedures, cardiology, oncology, gastroenterology, and nephrology services.
  • Documented general-surgery procedures include appendectomy and cholecystectomy.

Metoidioplasty From Start to Finish

1. Remote inquiry and consultation — Send the clinic the requested medical history, hormone regimen, medication and supplement list, allergies, nicotine and substance history, prior operative reports, urinary history, and goals. Confirm whether English-language or virtual consultation is available.
2. Written surgical plan — Define whether surgery includes clitoral release, urethral lengthening, vaginectomy/colpectomy, scrotoplasty, mons work, testicular implants, hysterectomy, salpingectomy, or oophorectomy. Ask what tissue will form the urethra and whether surgery is single-stage or staged.
3. Travel and follow-up coordination — Confirm admission dates, expected inpatient stay, catheter type and duration, local review schedule, expected Korean stay, emergency contact process, and the clinician who will support care after return home.
4. In-person assessment — The team performs an examination, reviews consent and anatomy, and completes anesthesia assessment. Testing can include blood count, renal and electrolyte tests, coagulation evaluation when indicated, urinalysis or culture when clinically appropriate, pregnancy testing when relevant, and assessment of anemia, diabetes, infection, and clot risk.
5. Anesthesia and reconstruction — Surgery is performed under general anesthesia. The surgeon releases tethering tissue to bring the clitoris forward and adds the agreed reconstructive components; urethral lengthening creates a neourethra to the phallic tip when selected.
6. Hospital recovery — Inpatient care includes pain management, early assisted walking, thrombosis prevention, wound observation, urine-drainage checks, and instruction on dressings and catheter-bag care. Procedure duration depends on the operative configuration and should be confirmed directly with the surgeon.
7. Discharge and local reviews — Leave with written medication, wound-care, catheter, activity, and urgent-contact instructions. Attend every local wound check and catheter/voiding assessment before considering international travel.
8. Remote follow-up — After return home, send requested photographs or updates through the clinic’s secure process and keep the home clinician informed. Persistent urinary symptoms, wound problems, fistula, stricture, or implant concerns require timely in-person assessment rather than remote monitoring alone.

Alternatives to Metoidioplasty

The main surgical alternative is phalloplasty. Metoidioplasty avoids a distant donor-site flap and generally retains native clitoral sensation, while phalloplasty is designed for greater phallic length but usually involves more extensive and often staged reconstruction.

Phalloplasty

Phalloplasty creates a larger phallus using tissue from a donor site, commonly the forearm or thigh. It can be performed with or without urethral lengthening.

• Potential advantage — It can better fit a non-negotiable goal of greater length or possible penetrative function.
• Tradeoff — Donor-site scarring and morbidity, more complex reconstruction, and staged surgery are central considerations. Urethral lengthening also carries substantial risks of fistula, stricture, and revision.
• Decision point — Compare the surgeon’s outcomes for the exact phalloplasty configuration with those for the proposed metoidioplasty; pooled genital-surgery results are not enough.

How Can I Prepare for Metoidioplasty?

• Disclose all medicines — Give the surgeon and anesthesiologist a complete list of testosterone, anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, aspirin, NSAIDs, injectable medicines, herbal products, vitamins, and supplements. Do not independently stop testosterone or prescribed medicines; the operating team and prescribing clinician must set the plan.
• Address nicotine early — Report smoking, vaping, nicotine pouches, gum, patches, and other nicotine exposure. Follow the surgeon’s nicotine-free interval and testing policy because nicotine can compromise tissue and wound healing.
• Complete medical optimization — Treat active infection and resolve urinary symptoms. Follow instructions for anemia, diabetes, cardiovascular or pulmonary disease, bleeding risk, and clot prevention before travel.
• Confirm fertility decisions — Discuss fertility preservation and the implications of hysterectomy, salpingectomy, oophorectomy, vaginectomy, or colpectomy before signing consent.
• Follow fasting instructions — Use the hospital’s exact rules for food, drink, and regular medicines before general anesthesia.
• Prepare the operative field only as directed — Do not shave, wax, or use depilatories on genital skin unless instructed. Hair removal can be relevant when hair-bearing tissue could be used for urethral reconstruction.
• Plan practical support — Arrange accessible accommodation near the hospital, a responsible adult for discharge and early recovery when required, loose clothing, catheter-bag supplies if requested, and flexible return flights.
• Avoid alcohol and exposure risks — Follow the hospital’s alcohol and substance restrictions, and avoid illness exposure before surgery. Contact the clinic promptly for fever, respiratory symptoms, urinary symptoms, or a new rash.

Travel note: Do not rely on a hotel alone as a postoperative plan. Confirm who can help with transport, prescriptions, wound supplies, urgent catheter problems, and translation if the clinic requires it.

Confirm every medication hold, fasting rule, nicotine requirement, testing requirement, and travel date with the operating hospital; its written protocol takes precedence over general guidance.

Aftercare Advice

Protect the reconstruction, preserve reliable urinary drainage, and stay near the surgical team until wounds and voiding have been assessed.

• Catheter care — Keep tubing free of kinks and tension, keep the bag positioned as instructed, and record drainage when asked. Never remove, flush, clamp, or alter a urethral or suprapubic catheter without explicit clinical direction.
• Wound and hygiene care — Keep wounds, dressings, and the genital area clean and dry exactly as instructed. Wear loose clothing and avoid pressure, friction, and straining; follow the bowel regimen and hydration plan to prevent constipation.
• Movement and activity — Take short, frequent walks as directed to support circulation. Avoid heavy lifting, running, strenuous exercise, cycling, squats, swimming, hot tubs, and genital sexual activity for at least 6–8 weeks and until the surgeon explicitly clears them; urethral reconstruction, vaginectomy, delayed healing, or revision can extend this restriction.
• Expected early recovery — Bruising, swelling, wound drainage or dressing needs, discomfort, and reduced mobility are common during the first 1–2 weeks. Scars, swelling, urinary function, and any need for revision continue to be assessed over months.
• Urgent warning signs — Seek urgent assessment for fever or chills, escalating pain, rapidly increasing redness or swelling, foul drainage, tissue discoloration, heavy bleeding, wound separation, poor or absent catheter drainage, catheter dislodgement, chest pain, shortness of breath, or one-sided calf swelling.
• Urinary complications — Report urine leaking through an incision, retention, a weak or obstructed stream after catheter removal, straining, recurrent urinary infections, or persistent spraying and dribbling. A systematic review of urethral outcomes found broad outcome ranges across retrospective cohorts, reinforcing the need for surgeon-led assessment rather than self-management.
• Follow-up and final assessment — Attend all catheter-removal, wound, and voiding appointments. Testicular implants are often delayed until healing is established, and fistula, stricture, or implant issues can require later treatment or revision.

Follow the treating doctor’s instructions over general advice and contact the clinic promptly when healing, drainage, or urination appears abnormal.