Study Reveals How Genital Cosmetic Surgery Affects Women’s Sex Life And Sexual Experiences, Here’s All You Need To Know About It!
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of genital cosmetic surgeries. However contrary to our assumptions, the desire to get genital cosmetic surgery goes beyond the purpose of improving genital appearance or function. They are more related to the psychological well-being of a woman. These psychological vulnerabilities are amplified by societal influences like the medicalisation of sexuality, the regulative influence of public health practices, neoliberal imperatives around self-improvement, or negative socio-cultural representations of female bodies/genitalia.
The term female genital cosmetic surgery comprises of numerous procedures, including labiaplasty, vaginoplasty, hymenoplasty, labia majora augmentation, clitoral hood reduction and G-spot amplification. It changes the aesthetics of the essentially normal anatomy of your genitals. Some of the types of genital cosmetic surgeries in women are ‘labiaplasty’ i.e. the alteration of the labia or ‘vaginoplasty’ which is vaginal ‘tightening’/‘rejuvenation’. These surgeries have been on the rise in the past decade.
So, Why Do People Get Genital Cosmetic Surgeries?
You see, the normalisation of genital cosmetic surgeries in women is very common because well, everyone’s getting them. There can be quite a few reasons and motivations behind these surgeries. One of the most common motivations behind genital cosmetic surgeries is appearance, the aim is to achieve “normality” and to give a boost to their self-confidence in sexual interactions. This is usually when the person is not satisfied with their appearance, which leads to various psychological issues like self-hate or depression.
Women also invest in genital cosmetic surgeries for functions related to both sexual and non-sexual contexts. According to a study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research, many women who opted for these surgeries engaged more in anal sex because of various reasons including avoiding pregnancy, enjoying it more, etc. They might get these surgeries to decrease the pain associated with it.
Another very common reason behind the fact that women choose to go for genital cosmetic surgeries is that many women face body image issues and don’t feel comfortable in their own skin post abortions or miscarriages, which leads to dissatisfaction with their own bodies. These surgeries make them feel renewed and hence, allow them to learn how to love their bodies again. Other contributing factors to the increasing number of genital cosmetic surgeries are the lack of data on surgery outcomes and side effects and regulations for providers. In some countries, these surgeries are not even ethically challenged, they are literally openly promoted.
Do These Operations Have Any Effect On The Sex Lives Of Those Who Get These Done?
The aim of this study titled ‘Sexual activities and experiences in women who underwent genital cosmetic surgery: a cross-sectional study using data from the German Health and Sexuality Survey’ by Thula U. Koops, Christian Wiessner & Peer Briken which was published International Journal of Impotence Research (2022), was to compare women who have undergone genital cosmetic surgery (FGCS) with women who have not regarding past sexual activities and experiences. It draws on data from the German Health and Sexuality Survey (GeSiD).
As per this study, frequently the providers claimed an improvement in sexual experience. But this study went on to say that much more conclusive evidence is required to claim anything with certainty. But a number of studies have reported increased levels of sexual ‘functioning’ and satisfaction after genital cosmetic surgeries. Contrary to this, the study showed no link between vulval anatomy and sexual ‘function’.
Although the generalisability of the results is restricted by the small sample size and lacking information on timing and types of procedures, the results indicate that women’s motivations for female genital cosmetic surgeries might go beyond the desire to improve genital appearance or function and that contributing factors might also be relevant for the more general psychological wellbeing of women who opt for female genital cosmetic surgeries and procedures.
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The role of all of these factors clearly needs to be studied in more detail, ideally with both qualitative and prospective approaches. This study has been very beneficial because it would obviously result in various other impactful and interesting studies on various factors.
