Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Aug 12;13(8):e7051.
doi: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000007051. eCollection 2025 Aug.

Behind the Decision: Exploring Motivations, and Psychological and Sexual Outcomes of Labiaplasty

Indri Aulia  1 , Fanny Prima Irmawati  1 , Chairunisa Aliya Amani  1 , Alya Iranti  1
Affiliations

Behind the Decision: Exploring Motivations, and Psychological and Sexual Outcomes of Labiaplasty

Indri Aulia et al. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. .

Abstract

Background: Labiaplasty has rapidly gained popularity among women in recent years. However, limited studies are available discussing the motivations influencing their decisions to undergo the procedure and its implications for psychological and sexual satisfaction. This systematic review was conducted to identify the primary motivations for labiaplasty and its effects on patients' psychological aspects and intimate relationships.

Methods: This systematic review was conducted by searching 6 online databases with related keywords. Cohort, cross-sectional studies, clinical trials, and case series that reported patients who underwent labiaplasty in adulthood were included. We excluded studies that had subjects with other operations on the genital area.

Results: Sixteen eligible studies involving a total of 1143 participants were analyzed. Among women seeking labiaplasty, functional complaints (52.2%) were the primary motivators, followed by concerns about appearance (46.3%), psychological motivations (26.9%), and sexual reasons (20.5%). Improved self-esteem and confidence were the primary psychological outcomes observed, with 1 study also showing a significant reduction in anxiety (P < 0.05). Most patients reported improvements in sexual function, including relationship satisfaction and intercourse comfort, although these changes were nonsignificant. Psychosexual outcomes showed increased sexual confidence and reduced anxiety, but most findings were nonsignificant.

Conclusions: Functional complaints were found to be the primary motivations for women seeking labiaplasty, followed by appearance, psychological, and sexual complaints. The psychological, sexual, and psychosexual outcomes after labiaplasty showed some improvements. However, concluding the overall results was challenging due to the divergent assessment tools. Standardized assessment tools that are acceptable worldwide to assess such outcomes are needed for further study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial interest to declare in relation to the content of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis methodology for systematic review.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
ROBINS-I risk of bias analysis. ROBINS-I, Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies—of Interventions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Chavis WM, LaFerla JJ, Niccolini R. Plastic repair of elongated, hypertrophic labia minora. A case report. J Reprod Med. 1989;34:373–375. - PubMed
    1. Giraldo F, González C, de Haro F. Central wedge nymphectomy with a 90-degree Z-plasty for aesthetic reduction of the labia minora. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2004;113:1820–1825. - PubMed
    1. Kalampalikis A, Michala L. Cosmetic labiaplasty on minors: a review of current trends and evidence. Int J Impot Res. 2023;35:192–195. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lem M, Kim JK, Pham JT, et al. Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on global interest in plastic surgery. JPRAS Open. 2023;37:63–71. - PMC - PubMed
    1. The Aesthetic Society. Aesthetic plastic surgery national databank statistics 2019. Available at https://www.surgery.org/sites/default/files/Aesthetic-Society_Stats2019B.... Accessed October 10, 2023.

LinkOut - more resources