Hymen Repair Surgery: What's Involved With Hymenoplasty, And Why Would You Want It?

Hymenoplasty, the repair or reconstruction of the hymen — the bit of tissue many believe proves female virginity — is rising in popularity. Are you interested in undergoing hymenoplasty, are you just curious about the procedure, or do you have questions about what the hymen is, what types of hymens exist, and whether it really proves virginity? Here, we'll take a look at those issues.

SteadyHealth has readers from around the world. Personally, I'd love to see the cult of the hymen go extinct, and the obsession about female virginity right along with it. However, it's clear that many women's futures depend on having an intact hymen that can bleed on their wedding night and can even stand up to visual inspection by elder women in their communities. This information is provided for those women, and for those who would like to have new hymens for stritcly personal reasons.

Types Of Hymens

A hymen is a membrane that partially covers the vaginal opening, from the urethral opening inwards. It isn't deep inside the vagina, contrary to what some people believe, and it's basically a pinkish bit of fairly thin and often wrinkled tissue. Hymens vary in size, shape and structure rather a bit. While they tend to be shaped like a half moon, all kinds of varieties occur. Some of these can lead to real medical problems:

• Imperforate hymen: This type of hymen completely covers the vaginal opening. It is sometimes diagnosed at birth or during early childhood, but more commonly brought to a doctor's attention during the teen years. This is because imperforate hymens do not allow menstrual blood to flow out, leading to menstrual symptoms without bleeding. This can lead to infection and requires surgical intervention.
• Microperforate hymen: This kind of hymen has only a very small opening. A girl may be able to insert a tampon but not be able to remove it. Minor surgery can easily widen a microperforate hymen.
• Septate hymen: One or more bands of thick tissue cover the vaginal opening with this type of hymen. Inserting a tampon or having sex may be impossible, but not necessarily.

What Your Hymen Says About Your Virginity

In short, your hymen says absolutely nothing about your virginity. It's not only possible for a hymen to break during entirely non-sexual activities, but actually quite likely. Some women's hymens also stay intact despite sexual intercourse.

How exactly can the hymen rupture without sex? Any of the following activities may do it, at any age:

• Inserting a tampon
• Riding a bike
• Riding a horse
• Dancing
• Gymnastics

Hymoplasty: Your Options For Restoring The Hymen

Many women who have ruptured their hymens through sex or other activities, and some who didn't have a hymen to begin with, are very interested in the surgical repair of their hymens. Many pursue this type of surgery because their social status depends on their ability to bleed on their wedding night, but there are also women who opt to have hymen repair for strictly personal reasons — because their hymen ruptured as the result of an encounter they regret, and they would like to have a do-over.

As one plastic surgery clinic from Istanbul puts it: "The hymen is a ring like skin membrane in a girl’s vagina and its rupture signifies the end of her virginity status. Virginity is a prized possession in several countries of the world. The honor of a girl, her family and even her community depends on her hymen remaining intact before marriage. And its rupture followed by a little bleeding is proof of her virginity. Otherwise she is considered unfit and sinful. There are several races and communities for whom virginity is a prized possession, lost only through marriage and the sexual act after that."

In the US, women can expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000 for hymenoplasty. Cheaper procedureds are available in other countries, but women whose futures depend on this procedure should always keep in mind that reputable cosmetic surgery clinics tend to come with higher price tags.

Types Of Hymen Repair Surgery

Several types of hymen repair surgery, or hymenoplasty, exist. It's important to keep in mind that doctors and clinics may develop procedures unique to them, and even procedures that roughly fall into the same category can differ significantly. Broadly speaking, there are three different types of hymenoplasty:

• Repair of the original hymen, something that can be performed if remnants are still present. Some surgeons only perform this procedure shortly after the hymen ruptured, facilitating repair that can't be spotted by those who may examine the hymen.
• Short-term hymen repair (performed shortly before the woman "needs"  the new hymen) can be cosmetic only or fully functional. Cosmetic hymens don't naturally bleed, but artificial blood can be included within its tissue to create the illusion of bleeding. Fully-functional hymens can be created somewhere between 10 and seven days before the wedding. These will bleed.
• Long-term hymenoplasty is a more invasive procedure that creates a new, artificial, hymen from the vaginal lining. It takes about 45 minutes, followed by a few months of healing. This should be performed as far ahead of the wedding night as possible, and it will give you completely natural-looking results.