Self-Castration by a Transsexual Woman: Financial and Psychological Costs: A Case Report

Abstract

From a financial standpoint, an elective orchiectomy could have cost the health care system significantly less than a hospital admission with its associated additional costs. From a patient safety standpoint, elective orchiectomy is preferable to self-castration which carries significant risks such as hemorrhage, disfigurement, infection, urinary fistulae, and nerve damage. Healthcare providers of transsexual women should carefully explore patient attitudes toward self-castration and work toward improving access to elective orchiectomy to reduce the number of self-castrations and costs to the overall health care system. Further research on the financial implications of self-castration from different health care systems and from a series of patients is needed.