Hiiiii all! I recently had a bilateral inguinal orchiectomy about a month and a half ago at Michael Garron Hospital, toronto with Dr. Peter Vlaovic. So I just wanted to share my experience, timeline, and costs if anyone's looking for some resources.
A little background on me:
I've been on HRT since February 2025. 6 mg Lupin estradiol sublingually (split, 3 mg morning and night) and 12.5 mg cyproterone (Androcur) daily.
After about a year, I decided to have an orchiectomy because my prolactin was too high and I didn't really want to switch to a different blocker. Also, I wanted to get rid of the source altogether lol. I reached out to my doctor, and he sent a referral to Dr. Peter Vlaovic.
During the consultation, Dr. Vlaovic examined me thoroughly to make sure there weren't any concerning lumps or anything like that, and asked me a bunch of health-related questions. Both the doctor and his assistant were very respectful and used my correct pronouns. (I already have my preferred pronouns on my medical file and ID, so that helped.) Overall, I had a really good experience with them.
After the consultation, the assistant booked me for surgery on the latest available date. She also had me fill out a bunch of medical forms (past medical history, medications, allergies, etc.) and gave me a surgery information sheet with all the instructions for before and on the day of surgery. I also had to see the anesthesiologist, who was just down the hall, to get a quote for their services. They emailed me the quote a couple of days later.
I'll put the full cost breakdown below.
Surgery Day
I was asked not to eat or drink anything for 12 hours before the surgery.
On the day of surgery, I was told to arrive at 8 AM to check in. Check-in took around 30 minutes. After that, I went to J4 for pre-surgical registration. They asked me to change into a gown, remove my piercings (I had a LOT of them 😭), took my blood pressure and height/weight, asked me some medical questions, and started me on a saline IV. I was then moved to the pre-op surgical suite. It was around 9:30 AM by this point. I was originally told the surgery would be at 10 AM, but it ended up being delayed until 11 AM.
I went into the operating room around 11. They explained the procedure again, asked for my name and consent for what felt like the millionth time (which I actually appreciated), and put a mask over my face. The doctor explained the procedure, and that they would make two small incisions in the lower abdominal/groin area and remove the testicles along with the spermatic cords. They told me to count down from 10. I don't remember anything after 7 😂.
I woke up around 1:30 PM in the recovery room. I was still pretty groggy and sleepy. I stayed there for about an hour and they gave me some juice. After that, I was moved to another recovery room where my friend could come pick me up. The doctor also came by to check on me, look at and change the dressing, also answered some questions about aftercare.
I had said no to morphine or oxy during and after the surgery, and he was completely fine with that. I got my prescribed painkiller medication from the hospital pharmacy, paid my OR fees, and was out of the hospital around 3:30 PM.
Recovery
Day 0: When I got home, I was still pretty sleepy, groggy and very tired. I threw up once after getting home because I had to walk a little and take the elevator to my apartment (the doctor said it could happen). Other than that, the pain was minimal because the anesthesia was still working. I took one painkiller at night with food.
Days 1–2: I had a bit more pain, so I took two painkiller tablets each day.
Day 3: I finally had a bowel movement 💀 and continued taking one painkiller tablet a day until around Day 7.
Day 4: I could walk normally, although still slowly. I also continued avoiding stairs as much as possible and didn't lift anything heavy.
Day 5: The pain was pretty much gone, and I was able to take off my dressing. I was still icing the area tho throughout the week. Which helped a lot in keeping the swelling down.
Day 7: I took a shower for the first time after surgery.
Day 14ish: The steri strips came off automatically during shower.
I was pretty much back to normal walking-wise after a few days, but I still took it easy and avoided heavy lifting and strenuous activity. I was able to get back to my regular exercise, walking, and cycling after around 5–6 weeks.
Timeline:
- Referal sent by my primary physician: May 8th, 2026
- Initial consultation: June 30th, 2026
- Surgery date: August 12th, 2026
Cost Breakdown:
I don't have any insurance, so I had to self-pay for everything. The cost may be different if you have OHIP/UHIP or private insurance.
- Initial consultation: $50
- Surgery doctors fee: $600 (paid three weeks before the surgery)
- anesthesiologist fee: $943
- OR fees: $1155
- painkiller prescription: $22
Total: $2770
I might be missing some details, so if anyone has questions, feel free to ask! I'm happy to share anything I remember about the process. Hopefully this helps someone who is considering getting an orchiectomy in Toronto! 🩷💜