Hymenoplasty

Hymenoplasty is an operation that reconstructs the hymenal tissue at the opening of the vagina. Remaining folds of tissue are freed and stitched together with fine dissolvable sutures, and the tissue then heals over the following weeks.

Two facts about the anatomy are worth having before you decide anything. The hymen varies enormously between people in shape, thickness and how much tissue there is, and in some women there is very little to begin with. And it thins, stretches and separates for many ordinary reasons, including exercise, cycling, tampon use and injury, so its state is not evidence of anything about a person's history. Medical bodies and the Indian courts have both rejected so-called virginity testing as unscientific and unacceptable, and no examination can establish what this procedure is often assumed to establish.

The operation is chosen by women for a range of reasons, including after sexual assault, and the consultation should be unhurried and free of judgement in either direction. Your surgeon will examine you, tell you what is technically achievable in your case, and should be clear about what the operation can and cannot deliver. If you are being pressured by anyone into having it, say so at the consultation; the doctor's duty is to you.

The operation is done under local anaesthetic. The area is numbed with injections that sting briefly, after which you feel pressure and no pain, and you remain awake. Sedation can be arranged if you would find it difficult, and it is worth asking about in advance.

Your surgeon trims and freshens the edges of the remaining tissue and brings them together with fine dissolvable stitches, leaving a small opening. It takes about thirty to sixty minutes. Nothing is done that requires a cut outside the immediate area.

This is a Day Care attendance and you go home within a couple of hours, once you have passed urine and the initial bleeding has settled. You will be given pain relief, an antiseptic or antibiotic ointment, and written aftercare instructions. Timing is worth planning: the tissue takes about six weeks to heal and gain strength, so the operation is scheduled well ahead of whenever it matters to you, and not in the same month.

Soreness lasts about a week and swelling about two, and simple pain relief, ice for the first two days, loose cotton underwear and pouring warm water while passing urine cover nearly all of it. Light spotting for a few days is expected.

The stitches dissolve over two to four weeks and you may see small knots come away. Keep the area clean and dry, shower instead of sitting in a tub, and use no creams or oils beyond what you were given. Most women are back at desk work in two to three days.

No cycling, running, gym, swimming or horse riding for three to four weeks. Nothing goes into the vagina and there is no sex for at least six weeks, and your surgeon may ask for longer; the repaired tissue is fragile before then and intercourse too early undoes the operation. You will usually be reviewed at around six weeks.