Andrea James is the respected author and editor of the website www.tsroadmap.com. After her recent independant review of the Femistent dilators, she wrote:
"Since my 1998 vaginoplasty, I have used the snub-nosed lucite dilators provide by my surgeon during times when I have not been sexually active or with partners who have above-average length/width. While these lucite dilators work fine, they have a couple of issues:
- The surface is very slick, making it difficult to keep lubricant in place.
- The snub-nosed tip makes it difficult to initiate insertion.
Femistent tests
I was given a recent sample of the Femistent dilators for comparison, and I must say I was impressed. They have a tapered nose, which makes initial insertion much easier. The surface has a very slight texture or composition that makes lubricant stay in place. It also has prominent grooves to gauge insertion depth more easily than the ones I have been using, which have small recessed dots to mark depth. They also seem to hold up to very hot water during cleaning compared to the lucite ones I have been using, which can develop internal cracks from hot water.
I would recommend the Femistent dilators for everyone, especially those who stopped dilating because of discomfort. In my opinion, you can regain depth more easily with the tapered tip, and they are better for avoiding or improving stenosis (narrowing/tightening), because the tapered tip gives more control and less likelihood for tearing during insertion. The surface and tapered end help keep the lubrication from being pushed to the base during insertion, further reducing the likelihood of a tear."
