JJ becomes first public hospital to offer trans voice surgery
Dr Nerurkar, who has performed close to 60 trans voice surgeries, said that when a trans person wants to become a man, within six months of getting testosterone injection, the voice becomes masculine. It is the male wanting to become female where voice becomes a hindrance
Mumbai: JJ hospital becomes the first state-run hospital to offer transgender voice surgery as they rope in Dr Nupur Nerurkar, ENT surgeon from Bombay Hospital, first in the state to do the surgery. The surgery — Wendlers Glottoplasty — is a voice-changing surgery introduced by a German surgeon, Jurgen Wendler, which helps achieve a feminine voice for transgender persons transitioning from male to female.
Dr Pallavi Saple, dean of the JJ group of hospitals, said, “The ENT department will have an outpatient service for patients wanting feminine voice. The procedure will be under the supervision of Dr Nerurkar, who will be doing the surgeries and guiding our doctors.”
HT on October 30 reported on Dr Nerurkar being one of the thirteen surgeons across the globe to form the International Association of Trans Voice Surgeons that has been serving thousands of transgender patients aiming to get the voice they deserve in their journey to their true selves.
Dr Nerurkar, who has performed close to 60 trans voice surgeries, said that when a trans person wants to become a man, within six months of getting testosterone injection, the voice becomes masculine. It is the male wanting to become female where voice becomes a hindrance.
“This set of trans persons wanting to feminise their voice rely on voice modulations. They are taken off guard when they sneeze, cry, or cough their voice becomes masculine. They also face vocal fatigue and mental stress. Voice change is the only permanent solution,” Dr Nerurkar said.
50 years ago, voice-changing surgery involved making a cut on the throat and stretching the vocal cords, she said. Over the period, it evolved, and now they use an endoscopic way of operating. “Presently, in the surgery, we endoscopically suture half of the membrane of the vocal fold. By doing so, we shorten the length of the vocal fold, and the pitch goes up. It has a long-term result with no cut on the throat. All my patients are doing well,” she said. The average voice pitch for an adult man is 100 hertz, and 200 hertz for a woman.
Dr Saple said apart from the trans voice surgery, the hospital’s ENT department will also provide speech therapy to the patients who have undergone sex change surgery. Currently, JJ hospital and St George Hospital offer sex change surgery, and GT Hospital has a 30-bed dedicated ward for transgender patients.