Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
A Colombian surgeon has reportedly successfully constructed a vagina for a trans woman using Tilapia fish skin.
The unnamed 36-year-old patient underwent the procedure, performed by surgeon Alvaro Rodriguez, at a clinic in the western Colombian city of Cali in the department of Valle del Cauca.
According to local media, the complex procedure, known as neovaginoplasty, lasted two hours and is the first of its kind in Colombia.
Doctors reportedly constructed an 18-centimetre long vaginal canal for the trans woman that was made of skin from the Tilapia fish.
The patient remained hospitalised for 24 hours after the surgery and requires medical supervision for the next two months. Afterwards, the trans woman will need to be checked by a doctor once a month, according to reports.
Doctor Rodriguez told local media: “Tilapia skin becomes a biological prosthesis and acts as a natural mucosa.”
He also said that the characteristic fish smell will disappear soon with the ongoing treatment the patient is receiving.
The operation is considered cheaper than previous techniques with a faster recovery time.
It not only helps trans women, but also reportedly helps patients with organs affected by diseases such as cancer or congenital disorders such as Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, which is characterised by the absence of a vagina and all or most reproductive organs.
In April 2017, MRKH-sufferer Jucilene Marinho reportedly became the first woman in the world to have a vaginal canal created out of fish skin in her native Brazil.
MRKH is a rare congenital disorder that affects approximately one in 5,000 newborn girls.
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