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Case Reports
. 2023 Oct 5;16(10):e251008.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2022-251008.

Complications of hymenoplasty

Margherita Pace  1 , Celine Broquet  2 , Clarisse Peter  2 , Jasmine Abdulcadir  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Complications of hymenoplasty

Margherita Pace et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

We present the case of a woman in her late 20s who consulted our gynaecology emergency department due to dyspareunia and vaginal penetration issues. She had undergone a 'virginity reconstruction' procedure 10 days before her wedding in Africa. Clinical examination revealed suture of the inferior part of inner labia (labia minora), narrowing of the vaginal introitus and abnormal vaginal discharge. We performed an inferior defibulation procedure and removed the sutures under general anaesthesia. Postoperative care included systemic metronidazole, counselling, vaginal dilators and topical estrogens for 1 month. There were no complications during the postoperative follow-up, and a month later, the woman confirmed a satisfactory outcome. The aim of this paper is to discuss the practice of so-called 'virginity reconstruction', currently classified among female cosmetic genital surgeries despite being very similar to what is defined as female genital mutilation, and the care that can be provided to women in such cases.

Keywords: Ethics; Global Health; Migration and health; Obstetrics and gynaecology; Public health.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Physiological variations of hymenal anatomy (upper line) and variations requiring investigations and treatment (lower line). Reproduced with permission from Moussaoui et al.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Clinical examination at presentation.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Removal of hymenorraphy sutures.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Immediate postoperative status.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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