In the words of Michelle Obama, “Being a healthy woman isn’t about getting on a scale or measuring your waistline. Instead, we need to start focusing on what matters- on how we feel, and how we feel about ourselves.”
As part of many traditional cultures, losing virginity has been associated with penetrative sexual intercourse, but our understanding of virginity by this standard is quite limited. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world today, virginity continues to be a matter of life and death for women across the globe. Premarital sex is looked down upon in many societies and forbidden in religions, including Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity.
Contrary to popular belief, the hymen does not cover the entire vaginal opening. If that were true, women would not have been able to menstruate. The hymenal tissue becomes thin and wears away with age and time, making the opening wider. It is also essential to know that there are women who are born without hymens, or even if they have them, they have variations in their shape and size.
The Bleeding Myth
Throughout different cultures in history that have given significance to female virginity, a clean, blood-less sheet has resulted in the disgrace of the bride’s honor and family and, at times, brought charges of marital fraud. Some cultures display blood-stained bed sheets as proof of virginity after the first marital intercourse between a woman and her husband. Research confirms that around 40-50% of women do not bleed after their first sexual experience.
A hymenoplasty operation aims to imitate “first experience” bleeding during sexual intercourse. Permanent procedures of hymen repair are performed through flap operations or microsurgical methods. The process of flap operation involves hanging a triangular flap tissue on the sides of vaginal walls, whereas microsurgical procedures require more skilled professionals and are performed using special threads. Typically, the process lasts for about fifteen to twenty minutes.
Hymenoplasty Surgery and American Society
“It’s the ultimate gift for the man who has everything,” said Jeanette Yarborough when she planned to pay her surgeon $5000 for getting her hymen reattached. This was a gift for her husband prepared for their 17th wedding anniversary Ms. Yarborough shared.
So, what is Hymenoplasty, and why is it so popular?
Hymenoplasty is a surgical restoration of the hymen. The medical procedure is becoming quite common in the U.S., although it is prevalent in areas including Latin America and the Middle East. Hymenoplasty surgery in the U.S. is one of the fastest-growing industries, as claimed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. As a result of this business boom and Hymenoplasty being marketed by gynecologists in digital and print media, several religious groups are sparking criticism and disapproving of restoring “youthfulness” in this manner. A few feminists have also raised eyebrows at the notion of hymen repair, considering it equal to genital mutilation.
How Much Does Hymenoplasty Surgery Cost in the US
Hymenoplasty surgery in most parts of the U.S., including spas and cosmetic surgery centers in New York, costs a minimum of $1800 (according to the current rates of Ridgewood Health and Beauty Center). Esmeralda Vanegas, the center’s owner, promotes the procedure aggressively through print and broadcast media, considering it essential for women and men to live they’re sexual lived to their fullest. Although Ms. Vanegas is not a doctor herself, she has leased space to a few famous plastic surgeons in the city, which help her develop a brand name.
The Repair Procedure and A Surgeon’s Numbers
“Losing your virginity is like losing a member of your family,” says Ms. Vanegas, who shares how several patients she deals with, primarily Latin American immigrants, are at risk of being disgraced by their parents and in-laws if they find out they are not virgins on their wedding night.
Marco Pelosi II, a renowned obstetrician and gynecologist dealing with Hymenoplasty surgery in the U.S., New Jersey, has been engaged in repairing hymen since 1975 but has only marketed the procedure a couple of years ago. Since his promotion, he has managed to deal with up to 20 patients a month, in contrast with just two on an annual basis ten years ago. While trying to improve their sex lives, many patients have combined hymen repair with vaginoplasty, a surgical procedure to tighten vaginas. Mr. Pelosi presents several successful cases as “success stories.” In one of the cases, the patient went through the process of surprising her husband for their second honeymoon. In another, a satisfied customer, a mother of three, underwent surgery to spice up her sex life and add sparkle to her marriage.
The origins of Hymen date back to ancient Greece, and the term is believed to have derived from Hymenaios or Hymenaeus, the Greek God of matrimonial ceremonies. Being the son of Apollo, Hymen was supposed to attend all wedding functions of his time, and if he didn’t, the marriage would result in a disaster. Even in today’s modern world, some cultures consider it compulsory to examine the hymen of brides.
June Reinisch, the director emeritus at The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction (Blooming), mentions that traditionally hymen repair has been practiced in many cultures where midwives used to stitch hymens to disguise them, often using membrane material animals such as goats. Virginity restoration in modern times is a simple procedure involving dissolvable stitches to reconnect the skin membrane and can be done using local anesthesia. The recovery period after surgery usually takes around six weeks. Dr. V. Leroy Young, the head of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons’ task force and a notable plastic surgeon, confirms the low risk of infection and fever as part of the process. The motives for such a surgery range from cosmetic to social. According to data shared by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, about 9.2 million cosmetic procedure cases were recorded related to Hymenoplasty in the U.S. alone last year, which was twenty-four percent more than in 2000. Different mediums are used nowadays to advertise hymenoplasty surgery in the U.S. A famous gynecologist and obstetrician, Troy Robbin Hailparn, chooses to use billboards as a popular channel for marketing vaginal cosmetic surgeries around San Antonio. Edward Jacobson, who also comes from the same profession, uses promotional packages to attract international clients for vaginal makeovers, which he endorses in famous magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar, Allure, and Glamour. Similarly, OB-GYN David Matlock, From LA, opened up about his laser procedure of vaginal rejuvenation on a popular reality show,” Dr. 90210,” on channel E last year.
Patients are usually observed for a few hours after the treatment, considering there are no complications. Although individuals can resume work after 4-5 days, most are advised to indulge in moderate activities after a week or ten days. Quick guidelines for women who are planning to undergo such sessions would include the following
- keeping the area clean with a disinfectant and being on antibiotics
- waiting for at least two to three days after the surgery to shower
- using ice packs and warm compresses to reduce swelling and ease pain.
The Ethical Debate
In June 2004, members of the ethics committee representing the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists voiced their discomfort regarding hymenoplasty surgery in the US with a formal letter addressing several cosmetic gynecologists. In the words of Thomas G. Stovall, who represents the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, “hymen repair is a totally bogus procedure.” According to him, such procedures rarely work for improving sexual life and do not bring the charm of virginity again. In the case of a married mother of two, a twenty-six-year-old immigrant from Latin America who currently resides in New York’s Queens, getting done her hymenoplasty surgery from the U.S. made it more difficult for her to enjoy sexual intercourse and be comfortable with her body. She, however, wanted to please her husband in his desire to experience the pleasure of having sex with a virgin. Feminists, while criticizing such viewpoints, disregard the practice of hymen repair as a social pressure enforced upon women to keep them subservient to men. Silvana Paternostro, author of the book titled “In the Land of God and Man: Confronting Our Sexual Culture,” talks about how the whole idea of hymen modification stems from societal norms promoting a patriarchal culture. Similarly, devout Muslims are Christians who are against the concept of hymen replacement. Kathleen Raviele, who represents the Catholic Medical Association, prizes Virginia and considers remaining chaste until marriage to have a genuine experience on the wedding night.
Muslims like Uzma Azhar, who represent Islamic perspectives on western issues like these, not only consider sexual purity of supreme importance but point out how cosmetic procedures are based on deception, which Islamic law prohibits and discourages. However, more liberal scholars like Abdullah al-Najjar of Al- Azhar University, Egypt, present an alternate view. They consider hymen repair to be permissible in Islam, especially in cases where hymen damage is caused by factors that are outside of the girl’s control. Dr. Muhammad b. Yahya- al Najumi, a member of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy, Jeddah, agrees with this point of view.
The Simpler Solution
With millions of women opting for Hymenoplasty, what’s interesting is that almost all of them are unaware of an option that is a hundred times cheaper (really, x100 times cheaper) and as simple as any DIY activity. It is yet another soaring market, but it is still in progress and away from the common eye. Finally, it is the hymen repair kit.
So What Is the Hymen Repair Kit?
This spectacular Artificial Hymen repair kit supports women through their sexual journey, enhancing its quality by adding extra oomph. The product helps by providing a tiny scrap of the membrane that gives the effect of blood that tears during sexual intercourse. Doesn’t that sound fun?
If you are one of those people who have accidentally damaged or misplaced their hymen and missed it badly, you have come to the right place! For more information and details, visit our hymen restoration kits and Extensive Hymen restoration Bundles.
