1st stage of cop’s sex- change surgery successful

Lalita Salve ( 29), the Maharashtra police constable from Beed district, underwent the key first stage of genital reconstruction surgery ( GRS) on Friday at St. George Hospital. Doctors said that the surgery was successful and that this was the first stage where a passage is made for urination. A half tube- like structure has been constructed for Salve’s genitals and she will undergo the next surgery after three to six months. Once the process is complete, Lalita will like to be known as “Lalit”.

Salve was born with two testicles — one of which was surgically removed at the age of seven — and a male genital of 1.5cm. Highlighting her extraordinary case, doctors said that Salve never had regular menstrual cycles, and only spotting would be observed, which might have been due to trauma.

Dr Rajat Kapoor, head of plastic surgery, St. George Hospital, who is supervising Salve’s treatment, said, “Salve’s GRS would be done in two phases, of which, one has been completed successfully on Friday. We created a half semi- circle pipe- like structure made of thigh tissues connecting to the urethra for her male genital.”

“In this case, the penis was not fully developed and whatever was there, was fully buried underneath tissues. So, in Friday’s surgery, we pulled out those tissues and elongated the size of the penis from 1.5cm to 5 to 6cm,” said Dr Kapoor.

In another six months, Salve will have to undergo the second stage of surgery. Following this, doctors will do a facial hair transplant.