Surgeons Mutilate Women's Genitals, In Spite of the Risks (Part 2)

by Heidi Stevenson

12 November 2009

Genital mutilation in women is commonly performed and hyped by medical terrorists—a more appropriate term than medical doctors—every day in the UK, Canada, Australia, and US. Aside from the societal and personal issues this brings up, there is also the fact that it's being done recklessly, with claims of safety, improved sexual satisfaction, and better mental health. These claims are made without any credible evidence.

(Read Part 1: Surgeons Mutilate Women's Genitals, Say It's for Beauty)

Medical ethicists have become concerned about this issue, as reported in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. It states:

Do not remove your labia. Remove your boyfriend. My life is ruined.

In the absence of measurable standards of care, lack of evidence-based outcome norms, and little standardization either in nomenclature or training requirements, concern has been raised by both ethicists and specialty organizations.

Patients…should understand that few validated long-term safety or outcome data are presently available in this relatively new field.

Unfortunately, the author, Michael P. Goodman, stops short of condemning the practice of doctors hyping the procedures, and doesn't suggest any controls be placed on the surgeries. Instead, it focuses on finding new, more specific, nomenclature for the different labiaplasty procedures.

Known and Potential Risks of Labiaplasty

A quick check through an internet search engine will show that most of the doctors doing these surgeries minimize the risks involved—in spite of the fact that there are virtually no studies to document the claim. The fact is that surgery always presents risks and the potential for unexpected effects later.

One of the most significant risks—and one that is virtually never noted—exists when epidural blocks are used for anesthesia. These are spinal injections to reduce or eliminate pain. The risks inherent in this procedure are significant, including the possibility of a shortened lifetime of extreme pain and debility from arachnoiditis, as documented in Arachnoiditis—The Deep Dark Secret of the Medical System.

It's known that women who have undergone so-called female circumcision are more likely to suffer from serious tearing and bleeding during labor, and even the death of their babies. Labiaplasty will always leave scar tissue. Scar tissue is never as resilient as the tissue it replaces. Therefore, childbirth must present an increased risk for tearing and bleeding in women who have undergone labiaplastic surgeries. Of course, without studies to examine this concern, there is no proof that a problem exists. This, though, should not be the accepted standard. Clearly, the absence of proof of harm is not proof of safety.

Other potential outcomes that may arise from labiaplasty:

• Scars can become painful and overgrow. Though not a common result, sexuality and quality of life can be severely harmed.
• Blood clots that travel to other parts of the body, including the heart, are a potential outcome of any surgery.
• Infection is, of course, a risk.
• Scar overgrowth.
• Recurrence of labial growth.
• Painful sexual intercourse.
• Loss of sexual sensation.
• Loss of skin, resulting in loss of sexual pleasure and discomfort.
• Creasing and puckering of skin in the affected area.
• Errors in surgery can be devastating, with damage and resultant incontinence to the bladder, urethra and ureter, and bowel.

Comments From Women Whose Results Were Not What the Doctors' Hype Would Have You Believe

Comments on SteadyHealth.com made by women who've had labiaplasty tell a tale that is far from the bright story that clinics would have you believe. Here are some quotes:

…he destroyed my skin from my clitoris to my backside whatever he burnt me with I look as if I don't wash my behind and there is a long scar running up where he removed my labia and a lumpy scar on my inner vaginal wall. …My sex life before this was the best in the world now, now it is ruined, sex is painful & I have no confidence in that department anymore because I hate sex & I look a sight and no skin for foreplay. …I got this done because I thought I was not normal only because I was insulted twice my boyfriends in private & public. DO NOT REMOVE YOUR LABIA: REMOVE YOUR BOYFRIEND. My life is ruined.

It's been worse than a nightmare. I can't say i wish i could go back to the way i was because I hated my huge labia for 30 years and experienced a lot of disconfort - I just wish things had gone better and the whole ordeal was behind me. These risks were not explained to me, i was just told they could not guarantee a perfect shape.

From one woman who was ultimately pleased with her results: It takes a long, long time to heal properly. Give it 6 months to heal, I kid you not!! Do NOT expect instant results. Expect swelling, discomfort, itching. …For a while mine looked pretty awful, and one bit kept scabbing over, bleeding and opening again.

I have been feeling regret, kicking myself everyday for trusting this person, whom is shockingly enough, a woman. I feel discusted by my area, its something I wish I could run away from, but I cant. …I cant wash it away, rub it away, or run from it, cause its me. …The anxiety, sadness and depression this has caused is inexplicable. I will without a doubt need revision surgery, if not even skin grafts. &ellip;I did not want/have this surgery for esthetics, I was not seeking perfection, I simply wanted the comfort of not having excessively long labia minora...Yes it looks horrible, but the thought of intimacy not being a possibility without pain, or not being able to wash or wipe without pain.....is overwhelming.

Certainly, these outcomes are not the only ones. However, labiaplasty is permanent. If an error is made, if an accident occurs, or if it just happens that a woman is unlucky, it's possible to end up with a lifetime of pain, embarrassment, and sexual dysfunction as a result of labiaplasty. Think long and hard before considering it.