MediGence: Enabling Better Health Decisions

The hymen is fleshy and thin which is present at the vagina opening. It has an opening that has normal space for period blood to pass through or for using tampons. But, there is no rule regarding this. Some people have less hymenal tissue whereas for some it may be so spread out that there is a smaller hole or one that covers the complete opening.

The hymen can be torn, can break, or even stretch for several reasons such as having sex in the first instance, during contact sports, physical exercises, etc. It may or may not be associated with pain and/or bleeding.

Hymenoplasty or hymen reconstruction, hymen repair, hymenorrhaphy, hymen surgery are all the names of the procedure which is done to repair Hymen.

It is a Gynecological procedure, which is done to join the torn edges of hymen with stitches that are dissolvable in nature and there are no scars visible after the operation post four to six weeks. There is no set time period post the breaking of hymen when you should get this done. This decision which is to be taken voluntarily and even a gap of a few months or years is normal.

This is an outpatient procedure that only takes around half an hour to complete and is performed using local anesthesia. The patient can go home around five to six hours after the operation.

The stitches usually dissolve in a two-week time period and the patient should be completely healed in four weeks. Even though the patient can start a normal daily routine from the next day onwards, but for the first four weeks, she is advised to not go through any vigorous or strenuous physical activity such as sports, lifting heavy weights and even sexual intercourse should be put off for a period of eight weeks post-surgery.

Postoperative Complications and Risks-

The postoperative complications and risks are minimum and rare but it is good to know some possible ones.

Post-operative pain
Abnormal bleeding
Abnormal vaginal discharges
Inflammation or infection

Follow-Up Care:

There are some things you should be careful about post the surgery to make sure you heal properly.

Please ensure that you do due diligence and take antibiotics as per the doctor's prescription and under the doctors' guidance. Kindly maintain cleanliness in the vaginal area. These things should also help you avoid infection.
In order for the swelling and pain to go down, make sure to use warm compresses and ice packs.
It would be advisable to wait a couple of days before taking a bath post-surgery.