Understanding Facts about Hymen Surgery and its Reasons

Many think that hymen surgery can make a woman a virgin again. Not a few are willing to spend up to tens of millions of rupiah for this operation. So, is it true that hymen surgery can restore virginity? Hymen surgery is a plastic surgery procedure that aims to repair or reconstruct a torn hymen. In medical terms, this procedure is known as hymenorrhaphy or hymenoplasty. Hymen or hymen is a thin membrane located in the middle of the vagina and lining the vaginal opening. The shape of the hymen each woman is generally different, so are the elasticity and thickness. When the membrane is torn, usually a woman will experience temporary bleeding and a little pain in the vagina. Tearing of the hymen is often seen as a sign that a woman is not a virgin, apart from many things other than sexual relations that can cause the hymen to tear.

Then, Who Needs to Have Hymen Surgery?

Women who want to restore the original structure of their hymen, can undergo this operation. The following are common reasons for women who want to undergo hymen surgery:

• Getting status and a sign of virginity when married. Usually, this reason is urged by social demands, as well as self and family honor.
• Repairing the hymen damaged by sexual violence or rape. This procedure is expected to provide emotional and psychological relief for victims.
• Repairing the hymen damaged due to injury.
• Satisfy your partner by giving the sensation of blood loss during intercourse, like a virgin.

Hymen Surgery To Be A Virgin Again, Is It Necessary?

Whether or not a person undergoes hymen surgery depends on each individual, including how to think about the presence of the hymen and its relation to virginity. In some countries, including Indonesia, virginity is a symbol of women's holiness and morality. Virginity is often defined as the condition of the hymen that is still intact when first having sex. Women are considered not virgins if they do not bleed from the vagina when they first have sex. The tearing of the hymen can indeed be caused by sexual intercourse involving penetration of the penis into the vagina. However, the integrity of the hymen cannot be a benchmark of a woman's virginity. This is because the hymen can also be torn due to several other causes, such as:

• Sports or strenuous physical activity, such as falling from a motorized vehicle, while biking, or riding a horse.
• Use of tampons.
• Masturbation using a finger or sex toy.
• Gynecological examination using a special instrument (such as a speculum) that is inserted into the vagina.

In some cases, the hymen is very elastic, so sexual penetration may not necessarily be able to tear it. In fact, there are women who are born without the hymen. Thus, the absence of blood when sexual penetration is first performed does not mean that a woman is not a virgin. Moreover, the definition of virginity is actually a woman who has never or never had sexual relations penetratively or inserted a penis into the vagina. So medically, hymen surgery cannot restore a woman's virginity. However, this procedure can help repair a woman's sex organs so that they look like they have never had sex.

How are the Hymen Surgery Procedures Performed?

The hymen surgery is performed by the surgeon by sewing back the remaining hymen that has been torn or damaged. Before the operation is performed, the anesthesiologist will administer local anesthesia. In certain situations, this procedure can be performed with general anesthesia. After the anesthetic has taken effect, the doctor will sew the inner and outer layers of the hymen to resemble the hymen initially. In this procedure, the doctor will usually use a sewing thread that can be absorbed by the body, so you don't need to go back to the doctor to remove the stitches. After surgery, the hymen will be cleaned with warm water and an antibiotic ointment will be given on the suture line. Hymen surgery usually does not cause severe pain. But if there is pain, the doctor will give you painkillers. The doctor may also prescribe antibiotics to prevent the risk of postoperative infections. You need to know that hymen surgery also has a risk of complications, including:

Bleeding
• Infection
• Pain in the intimate organs
• The appearance of scars
• Hymen deformity

In addition to sewing the torn hymen remaining, hymen reconstruction surgery can also be done by another method, namely by placing an artificial hymen made of gelatin material and containing artificial blood. Postoperative recovery time ranges from 4-6 weeks. During recovery time, you are advised not to have sex. Treatment that needs to be done is generally only to wash and clean the vulva gently 4 times a day, each after urinating or defecating. Until now, there has not been much research on the long-term side effects or complications of hymen surgery. Therefore, whatever your reason for doing this surgery, you should first consult with a plastic surgeon or obstetrician who is experienced in performing hymenoplasty procedures.