Other bits of the human body that seem to be treated in a similar way are tonsils, foreskins and in some countries the clitoris – where women’s pleasure during intercourse is deemed either irrelevant or evil.

None of these treatments are based in good science. Most are based on outdated ideas that have never been reviewed, or social prejudice. There is no science that supports the castration of women with testicles, simply the supposition that they perform no function and thus that women shouldn’t have ‘em.

HRT is expensive in many countries, not affordable by everyone, and the most effective and safest forms are not available in every country either – for example injectable estrogen and micronized progesterone must be imported into Australia by those for whom these have proven the safest and most effective forms, especially when HRT must be used for the rest of one’s lifetime. Removing organs must be done with a great deal of care and consideration for the consequences.